Boozy Banana Cream Pie

Talk about starting off my holiday mood early. Ever wonder what to do with left over banana? Banana is one of those fruit that when ripen it turns black really fast. So instead of letting it go to waste and tossing it out in a bin, try making some banana pudding, smoothie or better yet, give this pie a try. Whenever I think of a dessert with banana, it somehow ends up being something decadent and satisfying.

Here's a little secret too. I really love this fruit in almost any possible way you could think of adding to a treat. Banana splits, Pancake with sliced Banana, Bacon & Maple Syrup, Chunky Monkey Milkshake and how about a BOOZY BANANA CREAM PIE (a grown up version)?

Making this pie brought back some memories that I thought were long gone. Growing up I had a bunch of school friends that made rhymes out of my name and it happened to be "Anna-Banana". I mean, how on earth did they even come up with that? Looking back at it right now, it was certainly hilarious but I think maybe in away, there's an Anna-Banana in me. Whenever I go out with friends for some once a while indulgence, the first thing that attracts me on the menu is their smoothie, milkshare or a chocolate cake with fresh bananas..mMMmmmMmm.

Do not be fooled. This pie is light and I have always love a crumbly buttery textured almost like cookie shell. For this Boozy Banana Cream Pie, I use a left over pastry dough [rolled to 1/4 inch thick in between parchment paper], covered in a cling film and stored in a freezer. This shell is loosely adapted from Donna Hay which was originally use in my Peach Tart with Lemon Thyme Syrup.

After a slice, you would want more. Let me break it down, the bottom of the pie is glazed with soft caramel, then a layer of fresh thinly sliced banana, and filled with pure banana custard, lighten with some whipped cream, and with extra love added; Scotch Whiskey. Instead of drizzling chocolate glaze, I decided to shred shards of dark chocolate and lightly spinkled some cocoa powder for that extra pizazz. Chill it overnight and it tastes even better. Have a wonderful weekend ahead!

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Boozy Banana Cream Pie
by Chic & Gorgeous Treats

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*Makes a single 8 inches round tart.

*Makes 6 individual medium sized tarts.
*Non filled tart shell is best kept up to 2 days in an airtight container.
*If pie is refrigerated; thaw 5-10 minutes before serving.

^INGREDIENTS

Basic Sweet Tart Shell 125g unsalted cold butter, cubed 1 cups powdered sugar, sifted 3 egg yolks 1 1/2 cups plus extra all purpose flour, sifted 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 tablespoon ice cold water Boozy Banana Custard 1 cup milk 2 bananas, lightly mashed 3 bananas, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon corn flour 1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour 1 large egg yolk 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup heavy cream, whipped soft peaks 3-4 tablespoons Whiskey Caramel Glaze 1/3 cup butterscotch morsels 1 tablespoon butter 3-4 tablespoons milk To Garnish fresh whipped cream shredded chocolate cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS 1. Using a food processor, blitz flour, powdered sugar and cold butter until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the yolks one at a time mixing after each addition until well combined. Then add the pure vanilla extract and ice cold water. Mix for another 1-2 minutes or until the dough comes together nicely. Transfer sweet pastry dough onto a cling film wrap, shaping into a disk and chill in the fridge for an hour. 2. Preheat oven to 180°C. Thaw dough for about 10-15 minutes at room temperature. On a dry surface, sprinkle some flour on your work table, and on the rolling pin. Roll the sweet pastry shell to about ¼ inch thick circle. Grease the tart pan with a little butter and sprinkle some flour. Line the tart pan with the dough, repeating the same process, if making individual tarts. Then, transfer the dough back to the fridge and chill for 30 minutes. 3. Remove tart shell from the fridge. Line it with parchment paper; fill pie shell with dried beans or pie weights. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes, then remove the beans and liners and transfer back to the oven and bake for another 15 or until lightly golden brown in colour. 4. In a medium heatproof bowl, place egg yolk, sugar, vanilla extract, plain flour and corn flour and whisk to form a thick paste.  Add the milk and mashed bananas in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. While whisking egg and flour mixture pour the juice in a stream and continue to whisk to combine. Pour the custard mixture back into the saucepan and place back over the heat and lightly whisk constantly until the mixture comes to a boil then cook a further few minutes or coats the back of a wooden spoon. This pastry cream should be very thick. Take pastry cream off the heat, and mix in the whisky. Press a piece of cling film onto the surface and refrigerate until cool. 5. To assemble, whip heavy cream until soft peaks and fold into Boozy Banana pastry cream. If Boozy Banana pastry cream is slightly firm, whisk it lightly to help loosen the pastry cream. Fold in whipped cream. Meanwhile, melt butterscotch morsels and butter for about 15-30 seconds on medium heat in a microwave. Careful to not burn the morsels. Add milk and whisk it until glaze comes together (it will split when milk is added, but continue to whisk mixture as it will become glossy and smooth). Spread a layer of caramel glaze at the bottom of tart shell. Layer with fresh banana, and spoon spoon pastry cream filling into tart shell.  Top with fresh whipped cream, sprinkle some cocoa powder and shred some dark chocolate. Serve immediately.  ENJOY!                                                             *basic sweet tart shell loosely adapted from Donna Hay

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