Jar’s banana cream pie
1hour, 15 minutes, plus 4 hours chilling. Serves 8
PASTRY DOUGH
2 1⁄4 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, plus more for rolling 1⁄2 cup sugar 1 cup ( 2 sticks) butter, cubed and chilled, plus more for preparing pans 4 egg yolks 4 to 5 tablespoons whipping cream Nonstick cooking spray
1. Combine the flour and sugar in a food processor or mixer. With themachine running, slowly add the butter, and process or mix until you have a fine meal. Mix together the yolks and the cream, and slowly add to the flour mixture. Process until the dough just starts to cometogether.
2. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface; work with the heel of your palm until it comes together flat and smooth. Form the dough into 8 small disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.
3. Butter 8 ( 4- inch) tart pans. ( If you only have 4 pans, you canmake 4 shells at a time.) Roll the disks out to1/ 8 inch thick. Form the dough into the tart pans. Use a rolling pan to roll over the tops of the pans until the excess dough drops from the sides. Press the dough gently to the sides of the pans. You must chill and weigh downthe dough. The easiest way is by spraying a coffee filter with cooking spray and filling it with dried beans, then placing it on top of the pastry dough. Chill the shells for at least another 2 hours.
4. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Bake the shells ( coffee filter bags and beans still on top) until they become light amber, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the coffee filters and let the shells cool to room temperature. Carefully remove the shells from the pans.
PASTRY CREAM
7 egg yolks 1⁄2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons flour 2 cups whole milk 1 vanilla bean
1. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture is pale and forms ribbons when the beaters are lifted fromthe bowl. Sift in the cornstarch and flour, mixing well.
2. Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Split and scrape the vanilla bean and place in the milk. Once the milk comes to a boil, remove the bean, then slowly whisk about1/ 4 of the milk into the egg mixture, then whisk rapidly to incorporate and not curdle the eggs. Return the mixture to the milk in the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook over medium- lowheat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick and bubbles, 6 to 8 minutes. Cover the cream with plastic wrap, pressing it flat across the cream’s surface so no skin forms, and refrigerate1 hour.
CARAMEL SAUCE
1 cup whipping cream 1⁄4 cup ( 1⁄2 stick) butter 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped 1⁄4 cup light corn syrup 2 cups sugar
1. Heat the cream, butter and vanilla bean in a saucepan over lowheat until the butter melts. Set aside.
2. Heat the corn syrup in a deep, heavy saucepan over medium- high heat until it just starts to bubble, about 3 minutes, then slowly sprinkle in the sugar, stirring with awooden spoon. Once the sugar has been incorporated, stir a bit slower, allowing the mix to becomea very light amber, then straw colored, about 8 to10 minutes. Remove fromthe heat.
3. Remove the bean from the cream mixture and discard; add the cream mixture to the corn syrup mixture, being careful not to burn yourself fromthe splattering. Return the sauce to high heat and cook until the sugar completely dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Pour the sauce into a heat- proof container, stirring once or twice over the next 5 minutes to prevent further cooking.
ASSEMBLY
Pie shells Pastry cream 1⁄2 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks, divided 4 ripe bananas, sliced 1⁄4 inch thick Caramel sauce
1. Place about 1 tablespoon of the pastry creamin the bottom of each shell. In a large mixing bowl, fold the remaining pastry creamin with 3/ 4 of the whipped cream. Gently fold in the bananas. Fill each shell just to the top. Place a large dollop of the whipped cream on top to cover.
2. Place the caramel sauce in a squeeze bottle, or use a metal spoon tomake a zigzag of sauce across each plate. Place the pies on top. Drizzle or squeeze the sauce in a zigzag on top of each pie.
NOTE: Adapted froma recipe by Suzanne Tracht, chef and co- owner of Jar in Los Angeles.