White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

          I think it is safe to say that the best part of Thanksgiving is the pie. Actually, dessert is really the only part that sparks my interest that day, because I am not a big fan of turkey.  I wanted to share this recipe with you ASAP, just in case you want to try it out next Thursday!
          Some of you may have heard of the restaurant The Blue Owl, a restaurant in Kimswick, Missouri that has some of the best recipes that even Oprah had to give them a visit. My mom’s favorite dessert from there is the White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie. I am not much into cream pies; I prefer apple or cherry, but my mom really likes this one. She actually likes it so much that she was contemplating ordering one from the restaurant to serve on Thanksgiving! Um…no. Not acceptable. I will be making the pies. J
          I ended up stopping by the Blue Owl to pick up their cookbook the other day, but I used a different crust than the one in the cookbook because I didn’t have any Crisco. And, I’m sorry, but crusts made with Crisco are never a good idea.

My poor attempt at a slice of the pie. I clearly cut

into it way before it was set... so be careful to let

it set overnight preferably

·         Easiness---5---This is time consuming, and the pudding is difficult to get to the right consistency. However, it is worth the trial and error!

·         Yumminess---9---I should have used more banana and white chocolate, but my family disagrees…so you better stick to the recipe

·         Repeat---10---Yes, I am planning to make it for Thanksgiving!

          Here is my version of the best banana cream pie you will ever try!!!

Adapted from the Blue Owl

INGREDIENTS

Pie Crust—No Rolling Involved

·         3 cups all-purpose flour

·         2 tsp. salt

·         4 TBS sugar

·         2 beaten egg yolks

·         1 cup vegetable oil

·         4 TBS cold milk

 

Pudding Filling

·         ½ cup sugar

·         ¼ tsp. salt

·         ½ cup cornstarch

·         4 cups milk (I used 2% and it was fine)

·         1 TBS butter

·         1 tsp. vanilla

·         4 oz. white chocolate chips (You could use up to about 6-8 oz. if you prefer)

 

Garnish and Assembly

·         2 bananas

·         2 oz. white chocolate melted

·         2 oz. dark chocolate melted

·         1 cup heavy whipping cream

·         ¼ cup (more or less depending on taste)

·         1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS

·         To make crust, sift flour, salt and sugar in your pie pan (9”). Combine oil and milk in a separate bowl and whip with fork until combined. Pour all at once over the flour mixture. Mix with fork until flour is completely dampened. Press evenly and firmly to line the bottom of pan, then press dough up to line the sides and partly cover the rim. Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. TIP: Cover lightly with a sheet of foil to prevent edges from burning.

·         For the pudding, in a saucepan, combine sugar, salt and cornstarch. Stir in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken (Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat and keep stirring until thick). Pour ½ cup of the hot mixture into beaten egg yolks while stirring to keep eggs from cooking. While stirring milk mixture in saucepan, slowly blend in egg yolk mixture and stir well. Continue cooking until pudding is think and bubbly. Remove pudding from heat and stir in butter, vanilla and white chocolate. Pour into a glass bowl, cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

·         After the pudding chills, thinly slice bananas and fold 1 ½ bananas into the pudding. Pour the pudding into the pie crust. Top the pie crust with the remaining ½ banana.

·         To make the whipped cream, beat heavy whipping cream on high for about 1 minute. Slowly add sugar while beating. Be sure to not add too much sugar, depending on your preference. Add vanilla. Keep beating the mixture until it is firm and fluffy.

·         For the topping, melt white and dark chocolate separately and spread on a flat plate. Chill until it is hard. Scrape off shavings for decoration. I tried to make the curls, but was unable to get it to work. Maybe someone can teach me! J

I melted my chocolate on a plate, but feel free

to do it however you like

·         Top the pudding with the whipped cream and sprinkle with the white and dark chocolate shavings. ENJOY!!!

I think it is the best looking pie!!

 

Creamy Apple Crumb Pie

          When you think of fall, what comes to mind? For me, it is colorful leaves, Starbucks coffee, pumpkin, and pie. When I say pie, I mean ANY pie. My first pie of the season is a creamy apple, and it is one of my favorites to make. My first taste of a creamy apple pie was at a Birthday party at my boyfriend’s aunt’s house. It was literally the best pie I had ever eaten. This isn’t the exact recipe, but it is pretty darn good. I hope you like it as much as I do! Here is the original recipe if you are interested, although I changed it a little bit.

I'm pretty proud of this pie :)

·         Yumminess---10---This is so incredibly good. It would be perfect for Thanksgiving…if you can wait that long!

·         Easiness---6---The only problem with pies is that they are quite difficult to make, especially the crust. This pie is totally worth the trouble though!

·         Repeat---10---I have made this twice already, so yes, I would repeat it.

INGREDIENTS

Crust

·         1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour

·         1 tsp Salt

·         2 Tbs Sugar

·         ½ cup Veg. Oil

·         2 Tbs cold milk

Pie filling

·         1/3 cup sugar

·         3 Tbs cornstarch

·         1 tsp cinnamon

·         ¼ tsp allspice

·         6 cups diced peeled tart apples (about 6 medium Granny Smith)

·         1 cup (8 oz) reduced-fat sour cream

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

Crumb topping

·         ½ cup all-purpose flour

·         ¼ cup brown sugar

·         ½ tsp cinnamon

·         2 Tbs melted butter

DIRECTIONS

·         Spray pie pan with Pam or other non-stick oil.

·         For the crust, sift flour, salt and sugar in a 9” pie pan. Combine oil and milk in measuring cup and whip with a fork and pour over the flour mixture. Mix with fork until flour is completely dampened. Press evenly and firmly into the pie pan. Then press dough up to line sides and partly cover the rim. (no need to roll this dough)

·         For the filling, combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and all spice. Fold in the apples. Combine sour cream and vanilla; stir into the apple mixture. Spoon into the pastry shell.

·         For topping, compbine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl; cut in the melted butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over filling

·         Bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake for 25-30 minutes longer or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.