Banana Cream Pie

I must be going bananas as this is my second recipe of the week featuring them.  I couldn't let summer slip on by without making a pie and while I do love myself a peach pie or a strawberry pie, I really wanted a cold slice of banana cream pie.

The crust and the pastry cream were directly out of Martha's Pies and Tarts.  This is one of my favorite go to books for pies.  The crust aslo known as pate brisee was simply amazing; it's practically fail proof.  One thing that disappointed was the pastry cream.  I thought it would set up a bit more but it never did.  So, it ended up more like pudding.  The two other times I made a banana cream pie, one with pastry cream and one with  pudding, I didn't have this problem at all.  Regardless, it tasted spot on.

Happy Pi Day!

I absolutely love pie.  Especially after  I finally mustered enough courage and learned to make my own pie dough from scratch.  Below are a few of my favorite pie recipes in honor of "Pi" Day!

Apple Pie Bars

Cherry Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Banana Cream Pie

Peach and Raspberry Crumb Pie


Peach and Blueberry Crumb Pie


Pecan Topped Pumpkin Pie 
 

Pecan Pie Bars

Cherry Pie

When we were still getting rain the first weekend of June, out here in the Bay Area, we thought summer was never going to happen.  Now that it's officially here and hitting us with record high temperatures, we wish it would tone it down a notch or two.  Go figure!

Nothing more classic than a cherry pie to kick start my summer baking repertoire.  Last year, I went a bit crazy with the pies when I realized how satisfying it was to make one from scratch using seasonal fruits and a basic pie crust.  I made strawberry rhubarb, a peach and blueberry crumb, peach and raspberry crumb, banana cream pie, and banana pudding pie in a span of a few weeks!

I received the Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts cookbook for my birthday and this cherry pie was one of the many recipes I bookmarked.  The possibilities are endless now that I have this book in my possession.  I hope everyone is ready to eat a whole lot of pies this summer.

Best of 2010

Seeing everyone's best of 2010 posts this week inspired me to take a trip down memory lane myself.  For my year end round up, I decided to feature a few of your favorites as well as a few of my favorites for 2010.

Fans Favorite Five Posts

1. Oven Baked Apple Donuts

2. Hello Kitty Cake

3. Best Brownies

4. Chocolate Cupcakes - Two Ways

5. Banana Pudding Pie

My Five Favorite Posts

1. Chocolate Peppermint Whoopies: Chocolate and peppermint is one of my favorite dessert pairings.  This post was only my second tribute to Whoopie Pies.  I definitely need to tackle more Whoopie Pies next year.


2. Little Mermaid Cake: This cake led the way into cake decorating for me.  I knew nothing about how to stack a cake, how to fill a cake, nor how to work with a timeline when I cranked this cake out from start to finish in less than 24 hours.  It's crazy to think about how much I have learned and am continuing to learn since then.


3. Pralines and Cream Ice Cream: Receiving an ice cream maker for my birthday along with the Perfect Scoop changed my life.  Pralines and Cream was the house favorite but I've made everything from Mint Cookies and Cream to Rocky Road to Horchata Ice Cream.


4. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie:  After discovering the best pie crust ever, I finally tackled my first fruit pie.  It was the most amazing thing ever.  I couldn't stop making fruit pies for a straight month, almost.  I can't wait for next summer!


5. Lego Cake: This was one of my favorite Cake4Kids.org cakes.  Looking forward to more cake requests through Cake4Kids for foster children and children in need.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Pecan Topped Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie will never be the same in my house any more.  It will always be made with the pecan streusel topping as suggested by the recipe from the BH&G New Cook Book.

Only regret was not making my own pie crust.  Given this was the fourth pie I made this week, I think I'll let that slide.

Peach and Blueberry Crumb Pie

Ahh!  I told you I couldn't stop with this all of this pie making business.  Oh, I wish I got to eat this one though.  Instead, it was made for my brother to bring to a dinner party.

Exact same recipe as the Peach and Raspberry Crumb Pie I made earlier this week.  Started with a basic pie crust, added a filling of peaches and blueberries, and then topped of with a crumb topping.  Yum!

Peach and Raspberry Crumb Pie

Ever since learning that making your own basic pie crust is not only easy but tasty, I have not stopped making pies (and eating them).  Especially with so many fruits being available from strawberries to peaches to raspberries to blueberries to cherries.  I can't stop picking them up from the market!

This week's fruits of choice were peaches and raspberries.  For the filling, I used a recipe from The Ultimate Cook Book, which I had for a few years now but was never inspired by until now.  They have a section dedicated to fruit pies and you just mix and match the crust, filling, and topping.  How amazing is that!

Because I was using my tart pan, I went with the crumb topping found in my BHG New Cook Book instead of a double crust.  It only required brown sugar, flour, and butter.

Perfect combo of sweetness and tartness.  Gotta see how many more of these I can squeeze into the oven (and my pants) before the end of summer!

Banana Pudding Pie

I had a bunch of bananas on the verge of becoming overripe.  I could've made muffins like I normally do with them but my brain is stuck on pies lately.  To assemble, I covered my basic pie crust with alternating layers of banana slices and vanilla pudding (adapted from BHG New Cook Book).  Because this pie was just going to be sitting in the fridge for whoever wants a bite, I forwent making a whipped cream frosting.  However, my sister can attest that it was great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream instead.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Nothing says summer like a strawberry rhubarb pie.  So, for tonight's cookout with family and friends, I knew that that was what I had to make.  First I had to run to the store and grab baskets of strawberries and two stalks of rhubarb.  Then, I used my own basic pie crust and adapted the recipe from Beantown Baker.  I had to substitute the cardamom for nutmeg since I didn't have any in my pantry.

This was an amazing pie!  I've made my share of pies (ie. banana cream pie) but nothing to this caliber.  After today, I'm ready to tackle other seasonal fruit pies now.

Banana Cream Pie

Naturally, I offer to bring dessert to a dinner party at a friend's house.  I knew I wanted to make a banana cream pie after finding a basic pie crust recipe in my new cookbook, Ad Hoc At Home.  (Spent last weekend in Napa and was very fortunate to be at Ad Hoc on the day they were serving Chicken and Waffles.. best I ever had!  Had to pick up a copy of their cookbook which was already signed by Chef Thomas Keller but then Chef Dave Cruz signed and dated it that day as well.  So awesome!)  Already prepared with a bunch of bananas, a go to pastry cream recipe (adapted from All Recipes), and a go to whipped cream frosting recipe, this was very easy to put together the day of.

 

Bake a basic pie crust

Layer with bananas

Cover in pastry cream

Add whipped cream frosting