Personal Banana Cream Pie

A personal banana cream pie is the perfect way to tell Dad how much you love him. All the delicious sweetness of a full size pie that he doesn’t have to share.

It’s a tradition in our house that my husband gets a banana cream pie at least twice a year, for his birthday in March and Father’s Day in June. For years I made it. When they got old enough, our girls took over, at least on Father’s Day. Now they both live away from home and it’s back to me again. Making banana cream pie is something I do willingly because the joy on his face is worth the time and effort.

This year, with only two of us at home, and one who doesn’t really eat sweet things much (me), I decided it made more sense to make a personal banana cream pie. Cut in half, it’s two very generous pieces and you can guess who enjoyed both of them!

When a whole 10-inch pie is just too much pie, downsize! If you want to make a full size banana cream pie.<click there.

Ingredients 
For the custard:
1/3 cup or 66g sugar
1/4 cup or 31g flour
Good pinch salt
1 2/3 cups or 395ml milk
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons butter

For a 7-in pie crust:
1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out
1⁄4 cup or 57g shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons cold water

To assemble the pie and serve:
2 medium bananas, ripe but not soft
3/4 cup or 180ml heavy whipping cream

Method
To make the custard:
In a large saucepan (no heat!) mix sugar, flour and salt.  Stir in milk until smooth.

Over medium heat, cook mixture, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and begins to boil (about 10 minutes). Boil one minute. Remove immediately from heat and set aside.

Separate your egg yolks from your whites, putting the whites directly into a sealable plastic container for the refrigerator. (You can make meringues or almond macaroons with these later.) Put the yolks in a bowl with enough room to whisk.

Beat egg yolks quickly with a whisk, while drizzling in about a 1/8 cup of the hot milk mixture. Quick beating and slow drizzling are essential so that you don’t end up with cooked eggs.

Slowly pour egg mixture into the saucepan, stirring rapidly to prevent lumping. I stopped whisking briefly to take the photo. You just keep whisking!

Over low heat, cook, stirring constantly, until very thick (do not boil) and mixture mounds when dropped from spoon.

Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.  Congratulations, you have made homemade vanilla custard.  Once the butter has melted and you've mixed it and the vanilla completely in, pour the custard into a metal bowl. Cover its surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, about two hours.

While the custard is chilling, we'll make the pie crust. Preheat your oven to 425°F or 218°C.

In medium bowl using a fork, lightly stir together the flour and salt.

With a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle in the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork after each addition until pastry just holds together.

Use your hands to shape the pastry into a ball. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Lightly flour your clean work surface. With lightly floured rolling pin, roll pastry into circle 1⁄8 inch thick and about 2 inches larger all around than pie plate.

Transfer the circle to your pie plate.

Fold overhang under; then pinch to make a decorative edge. Prick bottom and side of crust all over with a fork, to prevent puffing during baking.

Line the crust with a circle of baking parchment and cover with baking beads or dried beans.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove the baking beads. Set aside.

Once your custard is cool, you can peel your bananas. Cut them in half lengthwise. Spread a little of the custard in the bottom of your baked piecrust and then add a layer of bananas.

Spread the rest of the custard all over the bananas, making sure to fill in the gaps so that there is no air around the bananas.  This will prevent them from going brown.

Securely cover the custard with plastic wrap once more and put the pie back in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Just before serving: In small bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Heap cream on pie. One of my husband's policies is that there is no such thing as too much cream.

Enjoy!

Check out this great list of recipes from my Sunday Supper family! Everybody is sharing their dads' favorites today. Many thanks to our host this week, Sarah from The Chef Next Door.

Appetizers, Snacks and Beverages

• Best Popcorn Ever (with Nutritional Yeast!!) by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Bourbon Sweet Tea Cocktail by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Easy Homemade Pretzel Recipe by April Golightly
• Nana’s Pimento Cheese by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Breakfast

• Dad’s Favorite Blueberry Pancakes by Family Around The Table
• Steak & Egg Breakfast Skillet by Caroline's Cooking

Condiments & Sauces

• Beerinara by What Smells So Good?
• Homemade Refrigerator Pickle Relish by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures

Side Dishes

• Chipotle Lime Cole Slaw by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
• The Ultimate BLT Pasta Salad by Cooking with Carlee

Main Dishes

• Bacon Patty Melts by Cookin’ Mimi
• BBQ Salmon Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing by PancakeWarriors
• Beef Shepherd’s Pie Casserole by Cooking Chat
• Buffalo Chicken Tacos by Palatable Pastime
• Carolina-Style BBQ Burger by The Redhead Baker
• Coffee-Rubbed Prime Rib Roast by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Fried Chicken by Tramplingrose
• Grilled Chicken and Beef Stir Fry by The Freshman Cook
• Grilled Filet Mignon with Zip Sauce by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Italian Sausage and Peppers by Monica's Table
• Moroccan Preserved Lemon Chicken Tagine by Curious Cuisiniere
• Philly Style Slow Roasted Pork Sandwich with Broccoli Rabe and Provolone by The Hungry Goddess
• Sharp Cheddar and Crispy Onion Burgers with Horseradish Sauce by A Mind Full Mom
• Skillet Spaghetti and Meatballs by From Gate to Plate
• Spicy Fish Tacos with Garlic-Chive Aioli by Wholistic Woman
• Turkey Chorizo Burgers with Guacamole by Books n’ Cooks
• Vegetarian “Philly Cheesesteak” by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Walnut Cauliflower Zucchini Boats by Beauty and the Beets

Desserts

• Apple Crisp by Ninja Baker
• Banana Berry Bread by Desserts Required
• Blackberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream by Simple and Savory
• Black Bourbon Walnut Brownies with Maple-Candied Bacon by The Crumby Cupcake
• Blueberry Ice Cream Cookie Bars by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Cherry Garcia Bars by Pies and Plots
• Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes by Crazed Mom Lifestyle & Recipes
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake by Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Coconut Cream Pie by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Tempura Strawberries by Baking Sense
• German Chocolate Brownie Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Graham Cracker Chocolate Chunk No-Churn Ice Cream by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Grilled Fruit Kabobs with Fresh Whipped Cream by Helpful Homemade
• Peach Crumble Bars by The Finer Cookie
• Personal Banana Cream Pie by Food Lust People Love
• Strawberry Rhubarb Pie by The Chef Next Door
• Maizena Tamal by Basic N Delicious
• Mom's Carrot Cake by Jennifer Cooks

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Nordic Walnut Cake with Coffee Icing #FoodieExtravaganza

Nordic Walnut Cake is loaded with finely chopped walnuts that, along with the butter, give it a lovely richness. It’s perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. 

So what’s Nordic about this Nordic Walnut Cake? Our Foodie Extravaganza host, Laura of Baking in Pyjamas set us a theme of Midsummer Eve Desserts this month, which made me think of the northern European celebrations around the time of the summer solstice. A quick search revealed many traditional recipes from countries that celebrate, including Sweden and the like.

I decided on this walnut cake from a website called Nordic Recipe Archive for two reasons. First, the method of making the batter by mixing the other ingredients and then folding in the stiffly beaten egg whites intrigued me. I wondered if a batter filled with chopped walnuts could be lightened. I've baked with ground nuts before and the result is always a dense, rich cake. Secondly, that coffee icing! I am a sucker for all things coffee. I’m not much of a sweet eater, but add coffee and I’ll give your cake a chance.

This cake did not disappoint on either promise. While still rich, the walnut cake is much lighter than my other bakes with ground nuts. And I could have eaten that very simple coffee icing with a spoon!

Ingredients
For the cake:
2/3 cup or 150g butter plus more for greasing the pan
2/3 cup 132g sugar
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
3 1/2 oz or 100g shelled walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup or 83g flour plus more for coating the pan
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the coffee icing:
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup or 95g icing sugar

For garnish:
2 1/2 oz or 70g walnuts, roughly chopped

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your loaf pan by buttering it and then coating with lightly with flour.

Use a food processor to finely chop the walnuts for the cake batter.

Melt the butter and the sugar in a small pot over a low heat. Gently bring the mixture to the boil and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring continually. Do not let it brown or burn. At first the butter doesn't seem to want to mix in but just keep stirring. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. We are going to be mixing the egg yolks in and you don't want them to cook upon contact.

Use hand held beaters or your stand mixer to beat the egg whites until stiff. Set aside.

Whisk the egg yolks and the vanilla extract in the sugar-butter mixture.

Mix in the finely chopped nuts.

Then the flour mixed with the salt and baking powder.

Gently fold the stiff egg whites into the batter a dollop at a time.

Pour the mixture into your prepared loaf pan.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the cake is nicely browned and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for a few minutes in the pan, then remove it to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the icing:
Melt the butter, milk and instant coffee in a small saucepan over a low heat. Mix in the icing sugar and vanilla extract.

Whisk until smooth.

Pour the icing over the cake on a serving plate. Top with the chopped walnuts while the icing is still soft. They set and stick as it hardens.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to Laura for this challenge. I’ve got to say that I have found a new favorite cake! I ate several slices before I finally shared with my neighbor and send the rest home with my mom.

Check out the rest of our Midsummer Desserts:

• Blueberry Slab Pie by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Carrot Vanilla Custard by Sneha's Recipe
• Chocolate Fondue with Strawberries by Making Miracles
• Dark Berry Gelato by Baking in Pyjamas
• Egg Free Mint Gelato by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Kladdkaka by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Mango Souffle by G'Gina's Kitchenette
• No Bake Lemon Cheesecake by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• Nordic Walnut Cake with Coffee Icing by Food Lust People Love
• Simple Peach Crisp by Cooking with Traci
• Swedish Cheesecake with Strawberries by Caroline's Cooking

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out here.

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Roasted Peach and Bacon Muffins #MuffinMonday

Roasted peach and bacon muffins are sort of sweet and sort of savory, really the best of both worlds. 

It’s Muffin Monday again! And also Memorial Day in the United States, which is the day we remember and honor those who have died in active service in any branch of the United States military. Many families take advantage of the three-day weekend to gather for reunions or to hold family celebrations. And, of course, this time of year is also all about graduations and graduation parties. So many opportunities to bake and share muffins with your friends and loved ones!

If you are a fan of sweet and salty treats, you are going to love these roasted peach and bacon muffins. Don’t forget to scroll down to see all the other bacon and peach wonderfulness that my fellow Muffin Monday bakers are sharing. We didn’t plan the theme but after everyone else had added their titles to our group, I was motivated to create a muffin that would fit in.

Ingredients
6 slices thick cut streaky bacon
2 peaches – just ripe but not soft
Pinch flakey sea salt
2 cups or 250g all purpose flour
1/3 cup or 66g brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup or 180 ml milk
1/3 cup or 80ml bacon fat (rendered from frying the bacon) plus extra for greasing pan (or use butter or oil)
2 large eggs

Method
Fry the bacon slices until crispy and remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Leave the bacon fat in the pan to cool.

Preheat your oven to 425°F or 218°C.

Cut your peaches in half and remove the pits. Slice them in wedges.

Place the wedges on a baking pan. Use a spoon to drizzle some bacon fat over each peach wedge. Sprinkle them with a pinch of flakey sea salt.

Roast in your preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes and then turn the wedges over and roast for a further 5 minutes.

After turning them over.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. They are going to be pretty soft at this point. Use a metal spatula to scrape them up. Reduce heat of the oven to 350°F or 180°C.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together.

Chop the peaches and the bacon into pieces, setting aside 12 bits of each for topping the muffins before baking.

Add your chopped peaches to the flour and use a fork to mix them in and separate them from each other, coating them with flour.

In another bowl, whisk together milk, bacon fat and eggs.

Add all the milk mixture to flour mixture.

Gently fold just until dry ingredients are moistened. There should still be some flour showing. Then fold in your bigger pile of bacon.

Generously grease cups (I used bacon grease but you can use oil or butter) and top of 12-cup muffin pan.

Divide your batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups.  Top each with a piece of the reserved bacon and roasted peaches.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden.

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before removing muffins from pan.

Enjoy!

If you are a fan of bacon or peaches, this is going to be your favorite Muffin Monday so far! Check out all the great combinations we have for you this month.

• Bacon and Caramelized Vidalia Onion Corn Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Bacon and Roquefort Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Fresh Chive and Ricotta Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Roasted Peach and Bacon Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Peach Cobbler Muffins from Making Miracles
• Spicy Zucchini Bacon Cheese Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

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Coronation Chicken Deviled Eggs

These coronation chicken deviled eggs combine the British classic coronation chicken salad with the American classic deviled eggs for a cross-cultural potluck dish that is sure to please on both sides of the Atlantic.

Not familiar with Coronation Chicken? Read my post all about it here.

A number of weeks ago we were invited to a Champagne tasting at a friend’s home. He holds them about once a year, quite casual evenings with good food and good friends. We taste and rate the various Champagnes – the theme this time was rosé - first with appetizers and then we drink the balance of the many bottles with our meal. Of course, my first question is always, “What can I bring?” When the response came back “appetizers,” I knew I wanted to make deviled eggs but not plain Jane ones. Something unusual but still delicious. Where I come from we put eggs in both our chicken salad and tuna salad so adding eggs to coronation chicken seemed like a fine idea. And making it all into something handheld like deviled eggs was ideal for appetizers.

This week my Sunday Supper family are sharing our best recipes for a potluck so those coronation chicken deviled eggs came to mind. Like all deviled eggs, they are the perfect dish to bring along to share with friends and family. Make sure you scroll down to the bottom to see our wonderful link list of all of our best potluck recipes. Many thanks to our host today, T.R. of Gluten-free Crumbley!

Ingredients
For the deviled eggs:
10 eggs
1/2 cup or 70g chopped, cooked chicken
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons curry powder, plus a little to sprinkle for garnish
3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon spicy chutney
1/2 tart apple
Good squeeze lemon juice (to keep the apple from browning)
2 tablespoons pomegranate arils, plus extra for garnish

For garnish:
Curry powder
A little chopped parsley
Extra pomegranate arils

Method
In a pan where they can sit in in one layer, cover the eggs with cool water and bring to the boil over medium heat. Cover the pan, remove it from the stove and set a timer for 10 minutes.

Drain and cover the eggs with more cool water.

When they are cool enough to handle, peel the eggs. Cut them in half and put the yolks in a mixing bowl. Cover the whites with cling film so they don’t dry out, and refrigerate them.

Use a fork to mash the egg yolks until they are a fine crumble.

Add the chicken, salt and curry powder to the egg yolks and mix well.

Add three tablespoons of mayonnaise, two tablespoons of Greek yogurt and one of spicy chutney to the egg mixture. Mix well again.

If the mixture seems dry, add the final tablespoons of mayo and yogurt. Mix again.

This looks about right!

Squeeze some lemon juice into a small bowl. Peel and dice your half apple, pushing the pieces off the cutting board and into the lemon juice as you cut so they don’t turn brown.

Add your apple and pomegranate to the mixture and, you guessed it, mix well.

Lay your egg whites out in a serving dish.

Spoon the egg mixture into the egg whites or put it into a Ziploc bag and cut off the corner so you can squeeze the filling into the whites.

Decorate them with a sprinkling more of curry powder, some pomegranate arils and some chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

How many invitations do you have for potluck get-togethers this summer? I hope you didn't answer too many, because we've got you today covered with 47 recipes perfect for potlucks.

Appetizers

• Calamari salad with Fennel and Avocado by Caroline’s Cooking
• Coronation Chicken Deviled Eggs by Food Lust People Love
• Creamy Ranch Tortilla Pinwheels with Roasted Red Peppers by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
• Roasted Corn Salsa by Casa de Crews
• Walnut Grapes by Eat, Drink and Be Tracy
• Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese and Mint by April Golightly

Sides and Salads

• Amish Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad by My World Simplified
• Antipasto Pasta Salad by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken by Hardly A Goddess
• Cheddar Bacon Ranch Potato Salad by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Chopped Caprese Salad by Angels Home Sweet Homestead
• Crunchy Coleslaw by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cumin Scented Quinoa with Black Bean and Corn Salsa by The Hungry Goddess
• Easy Summer Chickpea Salad by She Loves Biscotti
• Elotes by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Frog Eye Salad by Turnips 2 Tangerines
• Gluten Free Grilled Corn Salad by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Layered Salad with Green Goddess Dressing by Delaware Girl Eats
• No Mayo Potato Salad by Simple and Savory
• Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad by My Life Cookbook
• Spaghetti Salad with Italian Dressing by Kitchen Gidget
• Summer Grain Salad by Pook’s Pantry
• Summer Tortellini Salad by Palatable Pastime
• Tarragon Marinated Brussels Sprouts by Beauty and the Beets

The Main

• Steve’s Fried Chicken by Monica’s Table

Desserts

• Blueberry Ginger Parfaits by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Blueberry Slab Pie by The Chef Next Door
• Caramel Icebox Cake by Cookin’ Mimi
• Caramel “Doughnut” Cake by What Smells So Good?
• Cherry Crumb Bars by The Redhead Baker
• Chocolate Eclair Cake by Tramplingrose: Cooking, Baking & Ranting in Small-Town South Dakota
• Coconut Lime Ice Cream by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Cookie Butter Caramel Swirl Brownies by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Double Chocolate Blondies by Family Around The Table
• Frozen Champagne Salad by Moore or Less Cooking
• Lemon Icebox Bars by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Mini Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisps with Coconut by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• No-Bake Summer Berry Cream Cheese Tarts by Magnolia Days
• Peach Dumplings by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Peanut Butter Bars by Confessions of a Cooking Diva
• Pineapple Summer Cake by Asian In America
• S’mores Blondies by Alida’s Kitchen
• Strawberry Pretzel Pie by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Summertime S’Mores by The Freshman Cook
• Triple Peanut Butter Cookies by Cooking With Carlee
• White Sheet Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Whole Wheat Strawberry Galette by The Bitter Side of Sweet

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Pear and Preserves Tart #FridayPieDay

Freshly sliced pears and your favorite fruit preserves, mingle with browned butter in a puff pastry crust to create this tasty, easy pear and preserves tart. 

It’s Friday Pie Day once again! We celebrate on the last Friday of every month by baking. This week I’m doing my annual doctors' visits and trying to work from home. It’s been crazy busy so I sent my daughter out to the grocery store and said, “Check out the fruit and bring me something I can bake into a pie, please.” She returned with four beautiful fat pears, not quite enough for a full size pie but plenty for a puff pastry tart, and then some.

Ingredients
1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry - Mine weighed 8.6 oz or 245g.
2 large pears, sliced thinly1/4 cup or 60g unsalted butter
About 1/4 cup or 120g preserves of your choice (I used my cherry lemon preserves.)

Method
Thaw your puff pastry if it’s frozen and then lay it out flat on a piece of baking parchment or a silicone liner.

Preheat your oven to 425°F or 218°C.

Score your puff pastry with the tip of a sharp knife about 1 inch or 2.5 centimeters from the edge.

Slice the pears into thin wedges and then remove the seeds.

Start laying the pear slices inside the scored line on your pastry, overlapping as you go. Depending on the size of your puff pastry sheet (and pears) you might not need all of the slices. I used about 1 1/2 pears.

Heat the butter in a small pan until it starts to bubble and foam rises to the top. Skim the foam off as it forms. Continue to heat the butter until it starts to brown and then remove it immediately from the stove. We want browned butter, not burned butter and it will continue to darken from the heat of the pot.

N.B. It was too dark in my kitchen to take decent photos but I wasn't at all worried because whenever I use browned butter in a recipe, I like to send folks over to my friend, Kayle, the Cooking Actress. She's got a great how-to for browning butter.  She puts browned butter in All The Things, both sweet and savory.

Use a spoon to drizzle the browned butter all over the pear slices.

Spoon the sweet preserves of your choice over the pears.

Bake in your preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until the pastry is puffy and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 20 minutes before serving, to allow the sweet runny juices to thicken up. My puff pastry somehow sprung a leak and some of the sticky juice ran out onto the silicone mat, which is why we use those things or parchment. They make clean up so much easier!

Enjoy!

My friend and creator of Friday Pie Day, Heather, over at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen has made a gorgeous blushing apricot pie with fresh apricots and strawberries to share today. You need to go and see that beauty!

I am pleased to join her on the last Friday of each month for pie and crust recipes, techniques, tools of the trade, and other inspiration.

For more information and recipes, please check out her #FridayPieDay page!

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