Post by wyomama on Apr 7, 2007 12:43:06 GMT -5
I have been working on perfecting my cream pie recipe. I think I have finally nailed it.
Last night's version: banana cream pie with freshly toasted coconut flakes (in lieu of whipped cream or meringue) I would have done whipped cream topping, but I didn't have the foresight when I was shopping, so improvise, improvise.
Pat-in pie crust, suitable for tarts or other pie bottoms.
This recipe requires a food processor with knife attachment & will fill a large pie pan. I imagine that after the apocalypse or marooned on a desert island without a food processor, I could make do with sharpened clam shells and an old board. Though if the desert island maroonment resulted from an airplane crash, I would probably want to spend my first afternoon building a dynamo to power the food processor (built on day two) out of the coils from the engine. Day two would be working on constructing the food processor. You could build one hell of a food processor out of a turbo prop. I almost look forward to it.
Preheat oven to 375.
Place in processor and blend: 2c flour 1 generous dash salt 1/4c sugar
In about 8 stages, add: 1 stick butter, chopped up thinly.
Add: 1 egg yolk 2 tbsp full fat (preferably) sour cream (daisy is really good)
Whiz till it goes from fine meal to looking like it is hinting at starting to come together as a dough. Do not let this happen! This is a pat-in type crust, and it is supposed to hold together only when you compress it. It will look a bit like coarse damp sand with some clumping. It should not look like cookie dough. Though if it does, don't panic. With that egg yolk and sour cream in there, there should be little gluten formation.
Dump the crust into your pie pan, and spread it evenly over the bottom. Shift a bit more towards the edges and start pressing it into pan. Around the edge I place a thumb over the lip, and press my fingers into the edge to make the rim. Smash it down with your fingers in the middle. It is perfect when it no longer looks granular -- it should finally look like tart crust. This dough is very resistant to over handling, but I suppose that you could have managed it if it starts to look translucent -- this means that the butter has started to liquefy = bad. Actually, a few spots here and there are no big deal. Turn down oven and bake at 350 till it looks dry and starts to color ever so slightly (10 to 15 to 20 minutes?) watch the bottom carefully after 10 minutes! The sugar will make it want to turn brown and taste roasted surprisingly quickly.
Cream filling: 2 1/2 c milk 3 1/2 tbsp corn starch 2 eggs 1 pinch salt 1 pat butter 3/4 c sugar 1 tsp vanilla
Use 1/4 of the milk to dissolve the corn starch, mix in the sugar, salt and eggs in a mixing bowl. Heat the remaining 2 1/4 milk to scalding. Add small amounts of hot milk to the eggs/corn starch/sugar mixture, beating furiously to avoid curdling the eggs, especially during the first few additions. Once the hot milk has been incorporated, return to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring very very often. I alternately use a rubber spatula and a whisk to make sure nothing is curdling at the bottom of the pan. Once the mixture has begun to boil, let it go for a few minutes, stirring constantly. You want the corn starch to cook or it will taste ... starchy. Unlike a traditional custard, you should not have much trouble with curdling as long as everything stays moving constantly. Ask Harold McGee, but I think the sugar and cornstarch help somehow. After it starts to look like it is thick enough, remove from heat, mix in the pat of butter and the vanilla, and transfer to a mixing bowl or large (4 c) pyrex measuring cup. After ten minutes or so, cover with plastic wrap in contact with the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to at least room temperature over an hour or two.
3 bananas: Slice the first one, cover with 1/3 of the custard, slice in another banana, repeat ending with a layer of custard. Cover with whipped cream or freshly toasted coconut.
Variation: instead of bananas, stir 1c of freshly toasted coconut into the custard. I particularly like Bob's Red Mill flaked coconut, but the shredded is ok too, at least on the inside. I particularly dislike the moistened sweetened garbage from the regular baking section. I would shell, peal, and grate a fresh coconut before resorting to such means. If you are lucky you will a few thousand to choose from.
Final notes: If marooned, I think pounded and dried manioc root or other starchy tubers (desert island flour substitute) probably does not have much in the way of gluten, so don't worry about the crust getting tough. With all those coconuts and bananas, you are going to have plenty of time to practice. Given the choice I highly recommend crashing in the South and West Pacific for good banana cream pie ingredients. If the Polynesians passed that way, you will be in good shape. Not sure what to recommend about their pigs though.
Grandma’s note: DD Sally and I would do the custard a little differently. We would add the eggs after cooking the cornstarch mixture, then merge in the egg as described and cook very briefly.
Also, Harper agrees that one should be sure to use organic bananas. The regular kind taste of ethylene or possibly tarantula poison.
Last night's version: banana cream pie with freshly toasted coconut flakes (in lieu of whipped cream or meringue) I would have done whipped cream topping, but I didn't have the foresight when I was shopping, so improvise, improvise.
Pat-in pie crust, suitable for tarts or other pie bottoms.
This recipe requires a food processor with knife attachment & will fill a large pie pan. I imagine that after the apocalypse or marooned on a desert island without a food processor, I could make do with sharpened clam shells and an old board. Though if the desert island maroonment resulted from an airplane crash, I would probably want to spend my first afternoon building a dynamo to power the food processor (built on day two) out of the coils from the engine. Day two would be working on constructing the food processor. You could build one hell of a food processor out of a turbo prop. I almost look forward to it.
Preheat oven to 375.
Place in processor and blend: 2c flour 1 generous dash salt 1/4c sugar
In about 8 stages, add: 1 stick butter, chopped up thinly.
Add: 1 egg yolk 2 tbsp full fat (preferably) sour cream (daisy is really good)
Whiz till it goes from fine meal to looking like it is hinting at starting to come together as a dough. Do not let this happen! This is a pat-in type crust, and it is supposed to hold together only when you compress it. It will look a bit like coarse damp sand with some clumping. It should not look like cookie dough. Though if it does, don't panic. With that egg yolk and sour cream in there, there should be little gluten formation.
Dump the crust into your pie pan, and spread it evenly over the bottom. Shift a bit more towards the edges and start pressing it into pan. Around the edge I place a thumb over the lip, and press my fingers into the edge to make the rim. Smash it down with your fingers in the middle. It is perfect when it no longer looks granular -- it should finally look like tart crust. This dough is very resistant to over handling, but I suppose that you could have managed it if it starts to look translucent -- this means that the butter has started to liquefy = bad. Actually, a few spots here and there are no big deal. Turn down oven and bake at 350 till it looks dry and starts to color ever so slightly (10 to 15 to 20 minutes?) watch the bottom carefully after 10 minutes! The sugar will make it want to turn brown and taste roasted surprisingly quickly.
Cream filling: 2 1/2 c milk 3 1/2 tbsp corn starch 2 eggs 1 pinch salt 1 pat butter 3/4 c sugar 1 tsp vanilla
Use 1/4 of the milk to dissolve the corn starch, mix in the sugar, salt and eggs in a mixing bowl. Heat the remaining 2 1/4 milk to scalding. Add small amounts of hot milk to the eggs/corn starch/sugar mixture, beating furiously to avoid curdling the eggs, especially during the first few additions. Once the hot milk has been incorporated, return to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring very very often. I alternately use a rubber spatula and a whisk to make sure nothing is curdling at the bottom of the pan. Once the mixture has begun to boil, let it go for a few minutes, stirring constantly. You want the corn starch to cook or it will taste ... starchy. Unlike a traditional custard, you should not have much trouble with curdling as long as everything stays moving constantly. Ask Harold McGee, but I think the sugar and cornstarch help somehow. After it starts to look like it is thick enough, remove from heat, mix in the pat of butter and the vanilla, and transfer to a mixing bowl or large (4 c) pyrex measuring cup. After ten minutes or so, cover with plastic wrap in contact with the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to at least room temperature over an hour or two.
3 bananas: Slice the first one, cover with 1/3 of the custard, slice in another banana, repeat ending with a layer of custard. Cover with whipped cream or freshly toasted coconut.
Variation: instead of bananas, stir 1c of freshly toasted coconut into the custard. I particularly like Bob's Red Mill flaked coconut, but the shredded is ok too, at least on the inside. I particularly dislike the moistened sweetened garbage from the regular baking section. I would shell, peal, and grate a fresh coconut before resorting to such means. If you are lucky you will a few thousand to choose from.
Final notes: If marooned, I think pounded and dried manioc root or other starchy tubers (desert island flour substitute) probably does not have much in the way of gluten, so don't worry about the crust getting tough. With all those coconuts and bananas, you are going to have plenty of time to practice. Given the choice I highly recommend crashing in the South and West Pacific for good banana cream pie ingredients. If the Polynesians passed that way, you will be in good shape. Not sure what to recommend about their pigs though.
Grandma’s note: DD Sally and I would do the custard a little differently. We would add the eggs after cooking the cornstarch mixture, then merge in the egg as described and cook very briefly.
Also, Harper agrees that one should be sure to use organic bananas. The regular kind taste of ethylene or possibly tarantula poison.