MINI BANANA CREAM PIE

MINI BANANA CREAM PIE image

Categories Fruit Dessert Kid-Friendly Backyard BBQ Banana Fall Summer

Yield 6 - 8 cream pies

Number Of Ingredients 23

Ingredients

Pie crusts:
12 graham crackers
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅓ cup pecans
½ cup white chocolate, chopped
¼ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
8 tablespoons butter, melted
Pastry Cream:
2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
6 large Davidson's Safest Choice Egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
3 large bananas
1 can caramel sauce (garnish)
Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish:
6 ounces white chocolate, shaved

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the pie crusts by breaking the graham crackers into a food processor. Pulse until the crackers are the size of large peas. Add sugar, cinnamon, pecans and white chocolate. Pulse again until mixture is like coarse sand. Drizzle in the melted butter and blend in evenly without over processing the graham crackers and fold in the mini chocolate chips. Press the graham cracker mixture into tartlette molds. The crust should be between ¼ and ½ inch thick. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until the nuts are toasted and the chocolate is melted. Check frequently. You will know they are done when you begin to smell the nuts. To prepare the pastry cream, pour milk into a sauce pan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk. Add the vanilla pods to the milk, as well. Bring milk to a simmer, immediately remove from heat and set aside to steep for 15 minutes. Beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch together until the egg yolks thicken and lighten in color. Temper the eggs by pouring about ⅓ of the milk into the eggs mixture while whisking vigorously. Pour egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture and return to medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is just about to boil. Quickly remove it from the heat. Stir in the butter. Strain the pastry cream through a fine sieve. Pour the cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The plastic should touch the entire surface of the cream so that it does not form a "skin" while cooling. Set the bowl in an ice bath until cool and then chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour or over night. Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla to soft peak stage. Chill until ready to use. Assembly: Spoon some of the pastry cream into the pie crusts. Slice the bananas over the cream. Drizzle with Dulce de Leche or caramel. Top with whipped cream. Garnish with shaved white chocolate.