Banana Cream Pie

Happy National Banana Cream Pie Day!!

Hello to Fox19 viewers!!  The recipes from today are below...  Enjoy!

Banana Cream Pie

Blue Ribbon Kitchen, Karri Perry

 Wafer Cookie Crust

·         1 ½ cups vanilla cookie wafers-crushed (I used Nabisco Nilla Wafers)

·         1 tablespoon granulated sugar

·         1 pinch of salt

·         4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Directions:

Crush cookies, either using a food processor or a rolling pin and a zip-top bag.  Add sugar, salt and melted butter to the crushed cookies.  Fill an 8-inch pie plate with the cookie mixture.  Press crumbs into the sides and bottom of the pie, creating a uniform crust.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 7 minutes.  Remove from oven and let the crust cool before adding the warm filling.

Filling:

·         2 medium-sized ripe bananas, sliced

·         1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

·         1 ½  teaspoons vanilla extract

·         1-2 teaspoons dark rum-optional

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·         ¾  cup granulated sugar

·         ¼ cup cornstarch

·         ¼  teaspoon salt

·         2 cups milk (whole or 2%)

·         4 large egg yolks

Directions:

In a medium saucepan off of the heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.   Add the egg yolks to the milk and lightly whisk to combine.  Add the milk/egg mixture to the sugar/cornstarch/salt and stir well.

Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.  The mixture will begin to thicken as it is heated.  Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Boil for one minute.  Turn off heat.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter vanilla and rum.

Stir until all of the butter has melted and the mixture is glossy and smooth.  Let cool for 5-7 minutes.

Pour ½ of the vanilla/rum filling into the prepared pie crust.  Add the sliced bananas on top of the warm filling, making an even layer.  If necessary add a second layer of bananas.  Pour the remaining ½ of the filling over the sliced bananas.  If necessary smooth the filling with an off-set spatula.

Chill the pie in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours, overnight is best for a well set pie.

Topping:

·         1 ½  cup heavy cream

·         ¼   cup confectioner’s sugar

·         ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

·         ½ teaspoon dark rum-optional

Place heavy whipping cream into a medium bowl with vanilla and sugar.  Mix on low for 3 minutes, increasing speed until thickened.  Fill a piping bag with a decorative tip and pipe whipped cream onto pie. 

Garnish with reserved cookies, cookie crumbles, or dried banana chips.

And for the month of March....

Baked Ruben Dip with Shamrocks

Blue Ribbon Kitchen, Karri Perry

1 cup sauerkraut –drained well

1/2 pound shaved or chipped deli corned beef

8-ounces cream cheese -softened

1 TBS spicy brown mustard

2 TBS ketchup

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, reserve a handful to sprinkle on top before baking.

1/2 cup sour cream

Mix the cream cheese and the sour cream until smooth. Add the ketchup and mustard, and mix well, finally mixing in the corned beef, sauerkraut and ¾ cup of the Swiss cheese.  Place mixture into a small baking dish and sprinkle with remaining Swiss cheese. Bake for 25-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until mixture is hot and the cheese has melted.  Serve the Ruben Dip with rye bread cut into shamrock shapes, or use green spinach tortillas cut into shamrock shapes.

Shamrock Rye Bread:

Using a shamrock cookie cutter, cut shapes from the rye bread.  Lightly coat the rye shamrocks with melted butter and toast on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes.