3/22 Another kind of pie....banana cream!

It seams like Tom and I never post desserts. For me, that used to be because I never made desserts. This is not because I don't like them; rather, it had to do with the fact that I was learning so much about cooking main dishes that adding a dessert into the mix seemed overwhelming.

However, based on my newfound confidence with homemade pastry crusts/shells, I've been expanding out of the savory and into the sweet. I decided to bring a banana cream pie to a communal dinner and even upped my own ante by making homemade caramel sauce. This was the most stressful part of the whole process (much more so than making pastry cream - another first. It came out lump free with no problems). I read a couple of food blogs about making home made caramel sauce that made the whole thing seem akin to playing russian roulette ("have a bowl filled with ice water ready to plunge your hand into in case caramel splatters everywhere; wear long sleeves; don't think of "rhinoceros"). However, for a first attempt I think it was okay - nice dark golden brown but not burnt.

So let's review the elements of this banana cream pie (from a Bon Appetit mag recipe which I am embarrassed to say I thoroughly enjoy):

Whole wheat chocolate pie crust
- layer of caramel sauce
- layer of pastry cream
- sliced bananas
- more pastry cream
-more bananas
- whipped cream and more caramel sauce.


Left overs make a great breakfast.