CARAMELIZED BANANA CREAM PIE RECIPES

Steps:

• For caramel sauce, combine brown sugar, half-and-half, butter, and salt in a large heavy saucepan. Place over medium-low heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until bubbly around the edges, whisking gently. Add the vanilla and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes more or until slightly thickened. Transfer to a serving bowl. Cover and chill up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before using.
• For tart shells, place cookie dough and flour in a bowl. Knead until combined. On a lightly floured surface, roll about half the dough at a time to 1/4-inch thick. Cut dough into 4 1/2-inch rounds using a fluted cutter, if desired. Press rounds into bottom and sides of 12, 4-inch pie or tart pans*. Bake in a 350°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown (dough will puff in pans, but fall during cooling). Cool completely on wire racks. Use a small sharp knife to loosen edges from pans; carefully remove from pans. Set aside until ready to assemble or store in airtight containers up to 2 days.
• For white chocolate cream, place white chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside. Combine egg yolks and granulated sugar in a separate bowl and whisk until pale in color, about 2 minutes.
• In a medium saucepan bring 1/2 cup whipping cream to simmering over medium heat. Slowly whisk the cream into the yolk mixture. Return to saucepan and stir until mixture coats the back of the spoon.
• Pour hot mixture through a fine mesh sieve placed over the bowl of chopped chocolate. Cover bowl with foil and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until nearly smooth (some pieces of white chocolate may not completely melt). Cool for 1 hour. In a separate bowl whip remaining 1 1/2 cups cream to almost stiff peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture to lighten and then fold this into the remaining cream. Cover and chill until set, about 1 hour.
• To assemble, slice bananas 1/4-inch thick and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the juice of one lemon and 1/4 cup of the caramel. Fill each tart shell with bananas, top with white chocolate cream, caramel sauce, and chocolate pieces.

Steps:

• For the pie:.
• In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, mix together the sugar, salt, cornstarch, and flour. Over medium-low heat, slowly whisk in the milk.
• In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks. Once the pastry cream starts to boil, transfer 1/2 cup of the pastry cream to the egg yolks and whisk to temper. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Continue whisking until the mixture coats the back of a spoon and is smooth and thick. Strain.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, and vanilla. Stir in 1 cup sliced bananas. Allow the mixture to cool.
• Stir the custard to loosen, if necessary. Cover the bottom of the prepared crust with more sliced bananas and drizzle with 1/4 cup Salted Caramel Sauce. Top with half of the sliced bananas, then 1 cup custard, covering the bananas completely. Repeat layering with the remaining bananas and the remaining custard. Chill the banana cream pie until the filling is set, about 2 hours.
• For the topping:
• In a medium bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form.
• Top the chilled pie with the fresh whipped cream. Drizzle with additional Caramel Sauce, just before serving.
• Perfect Pie Dough:.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt and vanilla; cut or work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers or a cold pastry cutter until you have large pea sized chunks scattered throughout. Alternatively, pulse the dough in a food processor, or mix in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed.
• Add the ice water slowly while stirring with a fork, or in the food processor or mixer, until just combined. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, flatten and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
• Roll out one chilled pie dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Reserve the second pie dough disc for another use. Transfer dough to pie plate, pressing the dough lightly into the plate; trim the edges. Dock the dough with the prongs of a fork evenly over the bottom of the pie plate. Line the docked dough with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
• Bake the pie crust until the edges are brown and golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the weights. Return crust to the oven to finish baking for another 5 minutes.
• Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie crust.
• Salted Caramel Sauce:.
• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to a boil without stirring. If necessary, use a wet pastry brush to wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble. Stir in the unsalted butter, and salt, to taste. Transfer the caramel to a dish and cool.
• Yield: 1 1/2 cups sauce.
• Cook's Note:
• This recipe will last in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Reheat before serving.