Boozy Banana Cream Pie

Devastated by the cessation of Gourmet Food Magazine ( R.I.P. 2009), I found myself sitting on the floor of my room, clawing manically through precious stacks of old Gourmet magazines dating back over ten years. I needed to absorb all the recipes and beautiful photography I could, as if they too were in danger of disappearing.

I came across a recipe for banana rum cream pie, kept the magazine open on that page and put it on my desk. I would be attending - and participating- in a "Food Jam" later in the week. Every few months my mom's boyfriend, Trevor - musician and foodie - hosts a pot-lock style dinner where there is one certain dish, or a certain set of rules that apply to what everyone is allowed to bring. Then we eat and play music and basque in life. Friendly competition always results in marvelous creations, like chocolate chicken chili at a "Chili Cook-off" last year, or goat's milk ice cream rolled in blue cheese and walnuts at the "Size Matters" food jam- where 'contestants' were asked to bring 30 identical pieces of anything they wanted as long as it was 2x2 inches.

Yesterday was Possum Pie. Rules: It must be a pie...that is all.

There was Sheppard's Pie, Trevor's apple, lime and pepper pie, Meat pie, Venison pie, Mississippi Mud pie...in total about 10 completely different pies, all with incredibly different- but all delicious- flavor profiles.

I made my own version of Banana Rum Pie, inspired by Gourmet magazine.

Here is the recipe:

Sweet Dough- I had made this earlier in the week for the cheesecake, and still had lots left, so I decided to use this instead of Gourmet's graham cracker crust.
( I don't have a mixer, so I did this by hand, which is not so bad, but if you have a mixer, use it)

Mix together:
250g icing sugar
250g unsalted butter, slightly soft
2 large eggs
*if using a mixer, mix on 2nd speed for 2 minutes. If by hand, until all the ingredients are just combined.

Sift together and add to the above mixture:
500g bread flour
7.5g baking powder
*if using a mixer, mix on 1st speed for one minute. If by hand, mix until it forms pea-sized crumbs and sticks together with you squeeze a handful.

Do not over mix.
Put the mixture on your counter top and kneed gently just to incorporate everything. Form it into a round disk, about 1 inch thick, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Use within a week.

When dough has chilled, soften slightly by gently kneading the dough- just so that it doesn't crack when you roll it. Lightly dust your work surface and roll out a circle to about 2 millimeters thick, and about 12 inches in diameter.

Roll up loosely with your rolling pin and then lay the dough into a lightly buttered pie mould. Gently press the dough along the edge and use a knife to scrape away the rough bits at the top. Let this sit in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.

When ready, poke some holes in the bottom with a fork and bake at 350 F until lightly golden- about 15 minutes, but keep an eye on it.

While the crust is cooking...

Caramel Rum Sauce
In a small pot or pan, combine:
3 tbsp dark brown sugar
3/4 cup whipping cream

Let it bubble over medium heat until it is almost at caramel sauce consistency (mmmmmm)


Then, over low heat add:
1/4 cup of dark rum

Let it reduce slightly and thicken until it is a perfect rummy caramel sauce. Set aside.

Rum Cream Topping

Mix until fluffy:
8 oz cream cheese
the zest of one small orange
6 tbsp dark brown sugar
(shh! secret ingredient: 1 tsp curry powder!)


In a separate bowl, whip together to form soft peaks:
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp dark rum

Fold the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture, starting with a little to loosen the cream cheese, then the rest. Fold gently, but effectively. Keep the mixture in the fridge until you need it.


*CHECK THE PIE*

When the pie has been taken out of the oven, set it on a cookie rack to cool slightly. Then, brush the bottom layer with:

1/2 cup melted chocolate*

*I used chocolate chips, but you can use whatever type of chocolate you like. This is to prevent the crust from getting soggy under the bananas.

When the chocolate has hardened, slice on a bias:

4 large bananas

and arranged them evenly.



Then pour over your caramel sauce*
*If it is too thick to pour, no problem!- just add a little more cream or warm it up slightly.







To finish, pour the rum cream topping into the centre of the pie, then smooth out with a rubber spatula or a pallet knife, working clockwise ( or counter clockwise if you wanna be a rebel!) from the center outwards.

Most importantly, remember to TASTE every ingredient and every mixture, at every step of the recipe.