Last night was Kris’s birthday so we had our friends Rindy and Aaron over for dinner to celebrate. It was a wonderful evening. Great food and company! For the main course we had halibut in parchment along with coconut milk rice and sauteed asparagus. Tasty!
And for dessert? Banana cream pie. This was my second attempt at banana cream pie, 1st try was not very successful. It was more like banana cream soup:) Well this time it turned out great! Even Rindy was impressed and now she can no longer make fun of my banana cream pie skills.
The pie turned out just like the picture I found online. It was an interesting recipe but it did include chocolate so it had to be good. I found this recipe at gfjules.com – and just made a couple modifications.
Not too many ingredients but is was quite a process, basically 3 steps. 1st – you make the filling 2nd – make the crust and finally the meringue. It took awhile but was well worth it.
Using a blender or large food processor, peel and add 2 bananas, coconut milk, egg yolks, Betty Crocker Gluten Free Flour, sugar, vanilla and salt and process until smooth.
Pour blended mixture into a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally until it thickens and begins to bubble, about 12-14 minutes. Once boiling, stir constantly for 1-2 minutes to continue to thicken, then remove from heat. The mixture should be thick enough that as you stir it, the spoon leaves a wake behind it.
Remove from heat and stir in cut pieces of butter, until melted. Set aside to cool slightly, then transfer to a glass or metal bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, laying the wrap directly on top of the mixture so that it will not form a “skin.” Refrigerate while preparing the crust.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Lay a piece of aluminum foil on the baking rack.
Using a food processor, grind GF shortbread cookies until fine, pulsing as necessary to remove any larger chunks. Measure crumbs to be sure you have 2 cups of crumbs.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in melted butter, starting with only 4 tablespoons or approximately 70 grams. Stir with a fork until all the crumbs are wet with butter and they begin to hold together. Add more melted butter as necessary, until the crumbs can be pressed against the side of the bowl and retain their shape, as would a crust.
Press crumb mixture firmly onto the bottom and up the sides of a deep 8-inch or 9-inch pie plate.
Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. The crust will looks slightly bubbly but should not be browning yet.
Melt chocolate chips in a double-boiler or in the microwave in a glass bowl, stirring often to prevent it from burning. Once melted, spoon onto the top of the baked crust and smooth with a rubber spatula. Set aside to cool.
When the pie plate is cool to the touch, slice one large banana horizontally and arrange on top of the chocolate.
Pour filling on top and smooth with a rubber spatula.
Prepare the meringue by beating the egg whites with the whisk attachment of an electric mixer at high speed until foam, at least 5 minutes. Add cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form.
Turn mixer on again to medium speed and add sugar while beating, one tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form and the sugar has been fully integrated.
Spread meringue evenly over banana filling, spreading all the way to the edge of the pie plate and sealing the edges.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until meringue peaks are lightly browned. Remove to cool on a wire rack until completely cool to the touch. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if desired.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, until very cold. The pie may still be a bit runny when sliced, until it has set overnight.
Serve it up and enjoy. Cheers!!
Ingredients:
Filling
2 Large Ripe Bananas
1 Can Full Fat Coconut Milk, Shaken
6 Large Egg Yolks
1/4 Cup Betty Crocker All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
3/4 Cup Granulated White Sugar
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/4 Cup (4 Tbs.) Butter, Cut Into Small Pieces
Crust
2 Cups Crushed Gluten-Free almond shortbread cookies
4-6 Tbs. Melted Butter, Cut Into Small Pieces
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 Large Ripe Banana
Meringue
4 Large Egg Whites
1/4 Cup Granulated White Sugar
1/4 Tsp. Cream Of Tartar
We went old school for our turn of ‘friends for dinner’ this week. Growing up in Iowa this dish was called Tater Tot Casserole but here in Minnesota it is a ‘Hot Dish’ so we will go with the locals on this! Kris came up with the idea a couple weeks ago and we could not wait to try this out.
Cook for a few minutes to heat the soup a bit then pour the mixture into a large baking dish. Top the mixture with cheese (pepper jack and cheddar) then add the tots. I arranged mine in nice rows but you can do this however you like!
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, until the tots are golden brown. Grab a plate and some hot sauce and you are set!! Cheers.
