imitation as flattery, p.1: banana cream pie

Remember when I said that sometimes my inspiration comes from nothing more than the screaming leftovers in my fridge?  Well, would you believe it - this pie is yet another example of that phenomenon.  At least, it started out that way.

You see, I did have a bowl of egg yolks in my fridge from making pumpkin spice macarons last week (oops - did I not share those with you?  That's because I've been shying away from the ubiquitous "macaron post", but if there is a demand for one I'll definitely consider it).  And yolks, they're not like egg whites; you don't say, hey! I'll just use these tomorrow in an egg-yolk omelet for tomorrow's breakfast!  The idea alone is raising my cholesterol.  The only time egg yolks are really used by themselves is in sugary, heavy, no-skimp desserts - custards, ice creams, buttercreams...and pastry cream.



I think I need to make a quick interjection here about my workplace.  I've mentioned it several times before, but my workplace really is one of my favorite places to eat at.  And while I could go on about this for hours (believe me, I have), I'll just focus on the pastries, which are the best.  THE BEST.  We have this mini banana cream pie that holds a very special place in my heart.  And mind you, while banana cream pie anywhere will make me weak in the knees, this one is special.  Boring pie crust is replaced by a wonderful, dark graham cracker one with a robust molasses-y note thanks to some brown sugar.  This is topped with a layer of fresh bananas, a drizzling of caramel sauce, a generous spreading of vanilla pastry cream, and an even more generous dollop (ice cream scoop might be more accurate) of freshly whipped cream.  As if that weren't enough, the pie is crowned with beautiful, curly shavings of bittersweet chocolate, you know, just to show off.



So back to my leftovers.  I also had a full cup and a half of cream, a bowl of caramel from my Halloween apples last week, and a handful of cinnamon graham crackers.  Um, you do see how inevitable this all was, right?

Along with the leftovers that seemed to be directing my path towards banana cream heaven, I also thought recreating one of my favorite desserts would be the perfect way to christen my new tart pan, which I originally bought to imitate* yet another dessert from work (but more on that later).





* Like I said, this recipe is nothing more than my own, blind attempt to do just that - imitate.  Despite working near the pastry corner of the kitchen, I really have no idea what exactly goes into our caramel sauce or what exact proportions of crust : pastry cream : whipped cream are used, or where exactly we get our graham crackers from.  Were I to have access to the official recipe book and copy it verbatim onto this site, that would be as il-le-gal as can be.  But this is nothing more than an ordinary customer's innocent attempt to make a dessert that is very near and dear to her.  That is, if that customer spent at least 30 hours a week there, peeked over the glass all the time, had conversations with the pastry chefs on a daily basis, and had an uncanny obsession with figuring out what makes the smell of that graham cracker crust so intoxicating when it fills the kitchen.  But tomato, tomahto.



Banana Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

First off, THIS ISN'T NEARLY AS COMPLICATED AS IT SEEMS.  I just like to put in a lot of instruction and explanation.  Hopefully, it's more helpful than it is annoying.

Another quick note: If I end up giving in and buying individual tart pans in the near future, I'll post an edited version of this recipe that is tailored to making several smaller pies. Also, in the real one, vanilla beans are used, but I'm a little poor for that at the moment :)

For the vanilla pastry cream (adapted slightly from about.com):
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
1/6 cup golden brown sugar*
*I used Trader Joe's old-fashioned cinnamon graham crackers - which already very dark, buttery, and have molasses in them.  If you're using normal ones, like Honey Maid, I would increase the brown sugar to 1/3 cup.
6 tbsp butter, melted

For the caramel sauce:
2 tbsp of your favorite caramel sauce recipe.  The reason why I'm not posting one here is that I used one with a rather long ingredient list that was originally meant for caramel apples, and it's not necessary for you to use that one.  Because it was so thick, I thinned it out with some water until it was the consistency of a caramel sauce for a sundae, which yours should be, too.

For the whipped cream:
1 1/4 cup cold heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

You will also need:
One large block of bittersweet or dark chocolate
2 ripe bananas

1. Make the pastry cream. In a small saucepan, warm the milk over low heat until it is just hot enough to steam.  While the milk is warming, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and flour until the mixture is completely smooth.  Once the milk is steaming, add half of it, whisking constantly, to the egg mixture (this is called tempering the eggs so that you don't end up with scrambled egg in your dessert).  Add the milk and eggs back into the hot milk and continue stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan in a figure 8 until the custard reaches 170F on a digital thermometer and/or is very thick (the mixture will thicken more after it cools, so take it off when it's just runnier than the consistency of pudding).  Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and pass through a sieve into a heat-proof bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap so that the wrap is in complete contact with the surface of the pastry cream - this will prevent a skin from forming.  Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2. Make the graham cracker crust.  While the pastry cream is cooling, preheat your oven to 375F.  Place the graham crackers in a food processor, and run until they become fine crumbs.  Add in the brown sugar, and pulse the mixture as you slowly pour in the melted butter until the mixture clumps together.  (Alternatively, you can place the graham crackers in a double layer of ziploc bags, crush them, and them mix them with the sugar and butter in a large bowl until it holds together).  Place crumb mixture in a 9 inch tart pan (or springform pan) and use something with a round, flat bottom (I used a measuring cup) to spread and press it firmly into the bottom and around the sides.  The crust should cover the entire bottom of the pan and the sides, and everything should be packed very tightly so it won't come apart when baked.  Bake at 375F for 7 minutes and cool completely before carefully removing it from the pan.

3. Make the caramel sauce while your crust is cooling - if you haven't already.  Then cool it in the fridge.

4. Make the whipped cream.  In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a bowl with a hand mixer, combine the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.  Whip on high to stiff peaks.

5. Shave your chocolate.  Place your block of chocolate(I got the "Pound Plus" bar of 72% dark chocolate at Trader Joe's) upside down on a cutting board, and keep a plate lined with parchment paper to the side.  Using a large knife, shave your chocolate using the method demonstrated in the awkward video below (thanks to my roommate).  Use your knife to scrape the shavings onto the parchment paper, then reserve in the refrigerator until ready to use.  You'll need about a half cup of these babies.

6. Assemble! Slice your bananas into 1/4 inch pieces and cover the bottom of your crust with a single layer.  Drizzle the caramel sauce evenly over the bananas.  Spread the pastry cream over this; careful not to cover those pretty scalloped edges of your crust. Dump that whipped cream on top and carefully spread; don't fret if doesn't look perfect because it's not supposed to.  Now for the best part - take out your fancy schmancy shavings from earlier and cover it all with a generous rain of chocolate.  Try to do this relatively fast without touching them too much so you don't look like this.