Banana Custard (Pie)

I wasn't really feeling like more pie -- having just recently finished leftovers from apple and pumpkin pies from Thanksgiving! :) -- and generally, cream pies aren't my favorite anyway; but I had a bunch of bananas leftover from a previous recipe which would have gone bad soon. So...I just baked the recipe in a casserole dish for a custard on it's own. It's not a recipe I'll probably do again; doesn't look much like a banana cream/custard pie, with or without the pie crust. It tasted alright -- served with whip cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon --  but the consistency was odd (mealy).

Ingredients:
3 bananas
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp ginger
¼ tsp salt
4 eggs
½ C milk
½ C heavy cream
1/3 C light brown sugar

And, to make it a banana cream pie: 1 unbaked pie shell


Directions:
Peel and cut bananas in thirds, place in blender with lemon juice, vanilla, ginger and salt. Process until smooth. Beat eggs lightly with fork. Add milk, cream, sugar and do not over beat. Fold into banana mixture, turn into unbaked pastry shell. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake 50 minutes until custard is set.

Traditional Apple Pie

Ingredients:

½ - 1 C flour

5-6 medium apples, cut into thin slices

1 C white sugar

1 C brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbls butter

pie crusts (2)

ice cream (optional) for serving à la mode.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Line a 9” pie pan with unbaked crust. Trim to fit pie plate. Dock with a fork.

In a medium bowl, combine apples and sugars. Add ½ cup flour and cinnamon, continue mixing—adding additional flour as needed, up to 1 cup, until apples are well coated. Add apple filling into pastry lined pie plat. Cut butter into small pieces; dot randomly on top of apple filling.

Dampen edges of bottom pie crust. Place top crust over apple filling, gently pressing to dampened edge of bottom crust to seal. Trim off excess crust. Crimp or pinch edges as desired. Dock top crust and/or cut small slits to allow steam to vent while baking.

Bake 45-50 minutes.

Optional: Cover the edges of the crust with foil to prevent over browning. Remove foil after 25 minutes so crust edges will lightly brown.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 C mashed pumpkin, fresh or canned

1 C sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 egg & 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 C half-&-half

¼ C butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground ginger

pie crust (1)

whipped cream & extra cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional) for topping.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Line a 9” pie pan with unbaked crust. Trim to fit pie plate; if desired, pinch and crimp edges to make a decorative pattern. Dock the dough randomly; bake about 15 minutes, until dough just begins to brown. Remove from heat; let stand while preparing filling.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin and beat until combined. Add sugar and salt, stirring to mix thoroughly. Add egg and yolks, half-&-half, and melted butter; beat until combined and creamy. Add vanilla and spices, beat until incorporated.

Pour filling into the prepared pie crust; bake 50 minutes, or until center is set (no longer jiggly). Cool on wire rack to room temperature.

Serve topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches

My nephew's request for his birthday dessert: "Moo-wiches" -- that's what the dairy women call them at their delicious ice cream booth at our local fair every summer. He had a list of different cookie and ice cream combinations to suggest... I managed to pull off three kinds of cookies (chocolate chip, peanut butter, and M&M cookies) all filled with either vanilla or vanilla chocolate-sauce-swirled ice cream. PB cookies rolled with chocolate sprinkles, the M&M cookies rolled in rainbow nonpareils, the chocolate chip cookies remain just 'classic' cookies and ice cream. No real 'recipe' for this one; it's fairly obvious:

Bake your favorite cookies and let them cool completely. Place a scoop of slightly softened ice cream on the underside of one cookie, top with another and press gently. Roll, if desired, in decorative sprinkles, colored sugars, mini-chips, mini-M&Ms, etc. Serve immediately, or--usually a better option--return to freezer so they can really 'set', and take them out just before serving.

These flavors were, of course, specifically to please my nephew (your birthday = your choice). :)  Chocolate cookies and vanilla ice cream is probably the most traditional of ice cream sandwiches, but I'd love to try other combinations: I have a recipe for a green apple sorbet that I think would be delicious sandwiched between molasses cookies. Sugar cookies and any berry flavored ice cream (or frozen yogurt, gelato, etc.) sounds good to me. Lavender shortbread cookies with vanilla bean ice cream or a light lemon gelato... endless possibilities!

Photo #2: I tried some new flavors for my niece's birthday ("moo-wiches" were her choice too): more of the 'classic'  peanut-butter chocolate chip with vanilla bean ice cream, some green apple sorbet sandwiched between molasses cookies, and a mixed berry gelato between chocolate cookies.