Individual Banana Cream Pies

This is just one of the three dessert recipes I made for the Retro Bachelorette Party Weekend that my neighbor, Ella, recently hosted. There are a lot of steps to this recipe, so be patient, and set aside a couple of hours, if you decide to attempt it. Brenna did not make my life easy while I was making these. She insisted on being a brat, by opening all of the cupboards in the kitchen, and attempting to crawl in them. If you have a crazy feline that makes this recipe too time consuming for you, or if you like banana pudding, just make the Banana Cream Pie Filling, and divide it among several small ramekins or teacups.

Ingredients:

Coconut and Pecan Graham Cracker Crust:

1 1/2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 Cup Sweetened Coconut
1/2 Cup Pecan Pieces
8 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

Banana Cream Pie Filling:

2 Small Bananas
1 Cup Whole Milk
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1/4 Cup Corn Starch
1/2 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

Stabilized Whipped Cream Frosting:

1/2 Teaspoon Unflavored Gelatin
2 Tablespoons Cold Water
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Confectioner’s Sugar

Dessert Assembly:

1 Small Banana, Very Thinly Sliced
Caramel Sauce

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Fill cupcake pan with 14 foil cupcake liners.
Place all banana cream pie filling ingredients into a blender, process until smooth. Pour mixture into a saucepan over medium heat and cook until mixture starts to bubble, making sure to constantly whisk. Continue to cook mixture until it thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Place graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, pecans, and granulated sugar in a food processor and pulse till finely crumbled. Add the melted butter and mix to combine.
Evenly distribute crust mixture into cupcake pan liners. Use the bottom of a glass to press mixture down. Bake crust for 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown.
Place cooled banana cream pie filling back into a blender, and blend for 30 seconds.
Place one cookie scoop full of filling on top of each graham cracker crust, and spread out evenly with the back of a spoon.
Thinly slice additional banana, and place slices on top of banana filling. Distribute additional filling over the banana slices, and spread out evenly with the back of a spoon.
Drizzle the top of the filling with caramel sauce.
Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in a small bowl.
Scald 2 tablespoons of cream (this means you put the cream in a pan and bring it to a simmer on the stove); pour over gelatin, stirring until dissolved.
Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes. Then whisk, until mixture becomes smooth.
Add mixture to the remaining cream and sugar in a large bowl. Whip just until stiff peaks form, but be careful not to over beat.
Place whipped cream into a Ziploc bag, and pipe onto each pie.
Refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.

Suggestions:

Make sure your bananas are ripe.
If your banana filling mixture is too thick, after cooking, add a bit more cream to thin it out.
Use an open star decorating tip to pipe the whipped cream onto the individual pies.
Make sure to completely cover the layer of sliced bananas with filling, so they will not turn brown.
If you’re feeling lazy, don’t bother making whipped cream; use a store-bought version instead, right before serving. Cabot Whipped Cream is one of my favorites, and can be found at Trader Joe’s.

Improvements: