Double Banana Cream Pie

Who doesn't like banana cream pie?! I guess you could call this a "healthy" dessert since you have fruit in it. :-) Who am I kidding, with that rich cream on top, not much healthy going on here. That's okay though, it's still a really yummy treat that the whole family can enjoy.


Double Banana Cream Pie

1 single pie crust
4 large ripe bananas
2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into small pieces
Coffee Whipped Cream, recipe follows

Heat oven to 375 degrees F, arrange rack in upper third, and place a baking sheet on
rack while oven heats.
Transfer dough to a 9 1/2-inch pie dish and trim edges so there is a 1/2-inch overhang. Use excess dough to press crust into pie plate. Fold edge of crust back on itself and press, as desired, into a decorative crust. (Can be made 2 days ahead and kept covered in refrigerator until ready to use.) Pierce bottom and sides of crust all over with a fork. Bake as directed on package for a pre-baked crust. Remove to a wire rack and let cool a few minutes before filling.
Meanwhile, peel 1 banana and place in a blender with milk, egg yolks, cornstarch,
sugar, vanilla, and salt and process until smooth. Pour into a small saucepan, bring to
a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until mixture bubbles and is
thick, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, a few pieces at a time,
until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
Pour in filling into the pie shell and evenly smooth with a spatula. Slice remaining 3
bananas into 1/2-inch pieces and arrange on top of custard. Smooth whipped cream
over top, loosely cover in plastic, and set in refrigerator until cool and set, at least 3
hours.

Coffee Whipped Cream:
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
**3 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)

Place very clean glass or metal bowl and metal whisk in freezer just until cold, about 5
minutes. When everything is cold, place cream in bowl and begin to whisk until it froths up and
starts to thicken, about 1 minute. Whisk vigorously until soft peaks form (the cream will
hold a point when the whisk is lifted but will fall back into the bowl almost immediately), about 1 minute. Add the liqueur and whisk until stiff peaks just form (the cream stays put on the whisk
when it is lifted from the bowl), about 1 minute. Store covered in refrigerator until ready
to use.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

**To make this liquor free, use 3 T. cold brewed coffee and 2 T. powdered sugar. You can also use any flavoring that you choose, but remember that extracts are strong with flavor and you won't need to use as much.

Donuts Galore

My youngest granddaughter is a donut queen! She just loves donuts, guess she gets is honestly from her Mom and Grandmother! :-) So that being said, here's an easy to make donut recipe, that I saw in a recent email, that can be made right in your own home. This will save you time by not having to go to Dunkin' Donuts for your treat. Make donut holes too!


Buttermilk Doughnuts
48 Servings Prep: 20 min. + chilling Cook: 5 min./batch

Ingredients
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups buttermilk
Oil for deep-fat frying
Additional sugar, cinnamon-sugar or confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions
In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until light and lemon-colored. Add butter and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; add to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 3-in. doughnut cutter. In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, for 1 minute on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Roll in additional sugar if desired.

Taste of Home http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Buttermilk-Doughnuts

A New Treat

It's been awhile since I last posted. No real excuse, just time slipping away much too fast. But I'm back with a really delicious and easy to make dessert for the whole family (which means no alcohol included).

Coconut & Orange Tart

1 pie crust (either your own recipe for a single crust or a pre-packaged rolled crust)
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons instant coffee powder or granules
1 container (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 cup Sweet Orange Marmalade
2 teaspoons baking cocoa
3/4 cup sweet flaked coconut, toasted *
Orange slices

1. Heat oven to 450°F. In 10- or 9-inch springform pan, press pie crust evenly on bottom and 1 inch up side. Generously prick crust with fork. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, at least 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix cheese, nuts, powdered sugar and coffee granules. Gently fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping (fold in slowly to avoid breaking down the whipped topping). Spread evenly over crust.
3. In another medium bowl, place remaining whipped topping; gently fold in marmalade until well mixed (again, fold in slowly). Spread evenly over cheese mixture.
4. Using fine-mesh strainer, sprinkle cocoa over whipped topping mixture. Sprinkle with coconut. Refrigerate at least 1 1/2 hours until chilled.
5. Remove side of pan; place tart on large round serving plate. Garnish with twisted orange slices. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

*To toast coconut, spread in ungreased shallow pan; bake uncovered at 350°F 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from pan to plate to cool.

This recipe is now on the rotation list of desserts for Heidi's Honeymoon Grill. Enjoy!