Monday, March 25, 2013

Banana Cream Pie

Finally some good news - I got a great job! I happily took a position doing PR at a physical therapy office.  It was a process getting this job - after I went through 5 rounds of interviews,  I learned that I finally had it.  It's a great office and the people I work with are amazing.  I look forward to going to work in the morning.  Nerdy, I know, but come on now, this shouldn't be something new at this point right? 

Last week was my first week and BP sweetly let me focus on getting myself into the swing of things and focus on work.  And to make it up to him, I asked him what he would like for me to bake for him over the weekend.  I thought it was going to be another chocolate pie, but he switched it up and asked for a Banana Cream Pie.....always keeping me on my toes he is.  I had to dig out all of my cookbooks that are still packed away to find my Martha Stewart's 'Pies and Tarts Cookbook' - the recipe I needed was in there......and of course the cookbook was in the last tote I looked in. 

Cookbook in hand, over to BP's for the weekend.  I couldn't wait to bake the pie for him......but BP kept me on my toes yet again and surprised me with us going to dinner with his dad (I asked BP to not tell me when I would meet his dad until we were on our way to him - his only responsibility was to make sure I looked presentable and not tell me until the right time).  Dinner was great and his dad is amazing - I can see where BP gets some of my favorite qualities about him. 

Finally, time to make the pie.  I miss baking - my new place doesn't really allow me the luxury of baking anymore.  Mainly because my roommate keeps all of her stuff out all the time and she works the night shifts so when I want to bake she is sleeping - and her room is right off the kitchen.  So all of my baking is mainly done at BP's. 

Nothing like a pie covered in
fresh whipped cream
 

Side shot of pie once cut - yes that's
a lot of whipped cream

BP has this pie all to himself, Banana Cream Pie is not my thing.  But the Peanut Butter Ice Cream we got last night is :)  So he had the pie and I had ice cream.  Lovingly got the thumbs up from him, and a text today saying that the pie is even better today. 

Banana Cream Pie
makes one 9" pie
 
1 Premade Pie Crust (I used a Nilla Wafer Crust)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • 3 ripe bananas, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  •  

    Directions

    1. Combine granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add egg yolks, and whisk until smooth. Bring milk to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup milk to yolk mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Pour mixture into pan with hot milk, and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to bubble and is very thick, about 6 minutes.
    2. Pour milk mixture through a large-mesh sieve into a bowl. Add butter, and stir until melted. Fold in bananas. Pour into crust. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of filling to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
    3. Make the topping: Beat together cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream over filling. Using a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon, shape topping into peaks.

    Sunday, March 10, 2013

    Snow storm, cookies and pudding

    This past week was a roller coaster to say the least.  Still looking for a job, constantly searching, setting up interviews and endlessly hearing 'I'll call you on Friday and let you know'.  I even got a 'Either way you have a job here and I will call you tomorrow night'.  Needless to say it's been a little frustrating when they don't or when I call them they never return my call.  And wouldn't you know it, there was a snowstorm that was coming right in the middle of the week. 

    Now, being from Massachusetts a little snow never bothered me.  But here in the DMV area, the mere mention of snow and things shut down - literally.  Schools get let out early and the government closes for the day.  So prepping for the snow, I went to BP's to whether the storm.  Now I'll admit it, Wednesday morning when we woke up, snow was coming down and the roads were not in the best conditions.  And everything was closed.  Everything.  So for us it was a day of movies and TV, and I made some Iced Pumpkin Cookies.  BP is a lover of anything pumpkin - and luckily he always has some canned pumpkin in his pantry.  Needless to say these cookies went over extremely well with him. 

    Not the prettiest icing job but damn tasty
     Some of you have been with me from the beginning of this blog, and I've mentioned a couple times about how the easiest things (i.e. instant pudding and instant rice) give me the most trouble.  Give me the hardest recipe and I can make it with ease.  But if you give me something that's instant, I can't do it.  It never comes out right.  In fact, my sisters have banned me from ever making instant pudding ever again.  But I was really in the mood for pudding and had to make it on my own.  I mean how hard can adding 2 cups of cold milk to a packed of instant pudding and whisk for 2 minutes be???

    Yep - it didn't set at all and it's runny - instant
    pudding = FAIL
    Apparently I still can't make instant pudding......it never set right and was runny and not thick like it should be.  Clearly the easiest things I still can't make, but I had to share with you guys.  It still makes me laugh that I can't make instant pudding.  Pudding from scratch, yes.  Pudding from a box, no.