Banana Cream Pie
Posted: September 5, 2011 Filed under: Pies | Tags: a Martha Stewart recipe, banana, cream filling, fruit, pie Leave a comment »
Ingredients:
1 9-in. pie crust dough (Click here for my favorite recipe!)
4 egg yolks + 1 whole egg, lightly beaten
3 c. whole milk
2/3 c. sugar
5 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
7-8 medium ripe bananas
1 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 12-in. round, a bit less than 1/4-in. thick. Fit dough into a 9-in. glass pie plate. Trim crust to a 1/2-in. overhang, then crimp edges. Prick dough all over with a fork. Brush the crimped edges with the whole, beaten egg. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Line chilled pie shell with parchment paper, leaving a 1-in. overhang. Fill with pie weights. Bake until the edges of the crust are just beginning to turn golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights, then continue baking until golden all over, another 15 to 20 minutes. Place on wire rack to cool completely.
Fill a large bowl with ice cubes for an ice bath, and set aside. In a large bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks. In a saucepan, whisk together milk, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a simmer (do not boil) and cook, whisking constantly, about 3 to 4 minutes. Pour about a quarter of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks to temper, then whisk in the remaining milk mixture. Strain into a clean saucepan, then cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until custard is thick and bubbly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Set the bowl in the ice bath until completely chilled, about 30-40 minutes. (You can keep the covered custard in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.)
Cut 3-4 bananas into 1/4-in. slices, slightly on a bias. Arrange the slices in the cooled pie crust, overlapping so as to completely fill the crust. Cover with the custard, smoothing into an even layer; place in refrigerator as you make the whipped cream. Combine cream and confectioners’ sugar in large bowl; beat until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream on top of custard. Refrigerate the assembled pie, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
Just before serving, cut remaining bananas in half crosswise, then thinly sliced lengthwise. Arrange in slightly overlapping rows on the top of the whipped cream.
Homemade Twinkies
Posted: July 16, 2011 Filed under: Cakes | Tags: cream filling, knockoff recipe, sponge cake Leave a comment »
Ingredients for the Cakes:
2 c. all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. whole milk
Ingredients for the Filling:
1/4 c. non-hydrogenated shortening
1/4 c. margarine
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
**Important to note: Twinkies have a very distinct shape. While you can bake it as a normal sponge cake (and make a giant Ghostbusters-worth Twinkie), you have two options for Twinkies molds: 1) purchase a Twinkie pan (only recommended for those of you who will be repeating this recipe frequently), or 2) follow these simple instructions to make DIY molds out of aluminum foil.
Make the cakes: Place rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray molds/pan with non-stick spray. (The recipe yields 12 cakes, so mold and spray accordingly.)
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute in between each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture alternately with the milk in 3 batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and beating until just incorporated.
Divide the batter between the prepared molds. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or until the cakes are just slightly golden and a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Make the filling: Beat together the shortening and margarine. Add the powdered sugar and beat until completely light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.
Fill the cakes: Fill a pastry bag with the cream filling and, using a medium-sized plain round tip, poke 3 holes in the flat side of the cake and fill until the cream just starts to explode from the cake. (This is hard to judge, and the first few cakes I filled were definitely lacking in their full cream capacity; so, my recommendation: err on the side of more.)
