Pioneer Woman Banana Cream Pie Food

HAPPY HOLLY'S BANANA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• For the dough, in a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Sprinkle in the butter pieces and cut them into the flour with a pastry cutter (or 2 knives or your fingertips) until the mixture is crumbly and the pieces are the size of small peas. Mix in 5 tablespoons very cold water and toss with a fork until the dough just comes together.
• Place the dough on the floured counter and knead a few times, just to make a ball. Don't overwork the dough or the crust will be tough! Lightly flour the counter. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. (If making more than 1 hour ahead, let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes before rolling out.)
• Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate and trim to a 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp with a fork or your fingers. Chill the pie shell in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the shell with a piece of parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake on the bottom rack until the crust is set but still blond in color, about 20 minutes. Remove the paper and beans or weights and bake until the crust is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool completely on a rack.
• For the custard, in a saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, flour, and salt. Add the milk gradually while stirring. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to bubble. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until it forms firm peaks.
• Stir a small amount of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks in a small bowl. This will temper the yolks so they don't turn into scrambled eggs. Stir the tempered yolks back into the rest of the custard. Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Slice 2 bananas into the cooled pastry crust. Top with half of the custard and slice the remaining bananas on top. Top with the rest of the custard. Chill for at least 1 hour.
• For the whipped cream, in a cold bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until firm peaks form. Be careful not to overbeat or your cream will turn to butter. Watch as you beat and stop when it gets thick and stays on the beaters when you remove them from the bowl.
• Top the pie with the whipped cream and serve.

BANANA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pulse the cones, salt and sugar in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Press on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes; let cool completely.
• Make the filling: Bring 2 cups milk to a bare simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar and the vanilla in a large bowl until smooth and pale. Whisk in the cornstarch. Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg mixture, then pour into the saucepan and return to medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens and begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; set aside to cool, stirring frequently.
• Put the remaining 2 tablespoons milk and the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave 1 minute. Stir until the chocolate melts, then let cool slightly.
• Spread the chocolate over the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Press the bananas into the chocolate, then pour the custard over the bananas. Cover and chill until set, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and half of the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat until opaque. Add the remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 more minutes.
• Swirl the meringue on the pie with the back of a spoon. Bake until golden brown in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Let sit at room temperature until set, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.

OLD-FASHIONED BANANA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Have baked 9-inch pie shell ready.
• In a large saucepan, scald the milk.
• In another saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt; gradually stir in the scalded milk.
• Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook until thickened.
• Cover and, stirring occasionally, cook for two minutes longer.
• In a small bowl, have the 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten, ready; stir a small amount of the hot mixture into beaten yolks; when thoroughly combined, stir yolks into hot mixture.
• Cook for one minute longer, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and blend in the butter and vanilla.
• Let sit until lukewarm.
• When ready to pour, slice bananas and scatter in pie shell; pour warm mixture over bananas.
• If desired, make a meringue (you'll have 3 leftover egg whites) to top the pie, or just let the pie cool until serving.

BANANA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Prepare and bake the crust.
• To make the filling, combine 2 cups milk, sugar and salt in a non-reactive saucepan; whisk once to mix and bring to a boil over low heat. Place remaining 1/2 cup milk in a mixing bowl and whisk in cornstarch, then eggs. Return milk and sugar mixture to a boil over low heat then whisk about a third of it into the egg mixture. Return milk and sugar mixture to a boil once more and whisk in the egg mixture, whisking constantly until the filling thickens and comes to a boil. Allow to boil, whisking constantly, for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and vanilla; pour into a non-reactive bowl. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the filling and chill until it is approximately 75 degrees. Fold the bananas into the cooled filling and spread it evenly in the cooled crust.
• To finish the pie, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until it holds a firm peak. Use a hand mixer on medium speed or a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk. Spread the cream over the filling, making sure it touches the edges of the crust all around.
• To mix the dough by hand, combine flour, salt and baking powder in a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces and add to dry ingredients. Toss once or twice to coat pieces of butter. Then using your hands or a pastry blender, break the butter into tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the dry ingredients. Keep the mixture uniform by occasionally reaching down to the bottom of the bowl and mixing all the ingredients evenly together. Continue rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse-ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible. Sprinkle the minimum amount of water over the butter and flour mixture and stir gently with a fork -- the dough should begin holding together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time for the smaller quantity of dough, a tablespoon at a time for the larger quantity, until the dough holds together easily.
• To mix the dough in the food processor, combine flour, salt and baking powder in work bowl fitted with metal blade. Pulse 3 times at 1-second intervals to mix. Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces and add to work bowl. Process, pulsing repeatedly at 1-second intervals, until the mixture is fine and powdery, resembles a coarse-ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible--about 15 pulses in all. Scatter the minimum amount of water on the butter and flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times -- the dough should begin holding together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time for the smaller quantity of dough,one tablespoon at a time for the larger quantity, until the dough holds together easily.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a disk (two equal disks for the larger amount of dough). Sandwich the disk(s) of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and press it into a 6-inch circle. Refrigerate the dough until firm, or until you are ready to use it, at least 1 hour.