Banoffee Pie (Remix)

So it’s been awhile. A bit of an understatement, that. Am I back? Who knows, but I do have a high quality camera sort of at my disposal now, so that’s motivation if nothing else. Blah blah blah, straight to the recipe!

Banoffee Pie. I’ve wanted to make one of these for awhile now but I was always turned off by the thought of a “digestive biscuit” crust and a thick layer of caramel. Actually, I was turned off by the thought of making caramel, which I’ve done before and found tedious. And I’m not about to boil condensed milk for two hours in its tin can. I just won’t.



And then I realized that no one is stabbing me with hot pokers to ensure I follow the recipe exactly. I mean, my nature is to find recipes and then disregard them.

So I “remixed” the recipe to include chocolate, which automatically makes it better than the original.



Banoffee Pie (Remix):
1 pkge cinnamon graham crackers, crumbled (I used a hammer on the package. Opened it up, poured it in a bowl, threw away the wrapper—easy!)
6 tbsp butter, melted
3 ripe bananas, sliced
2 cups quality semi-sweet chocolate chips (like Guittard)
2 tbsp whipping cream
2-3 cups whipped cream
¼ c + 2 tbsp caramel sauce

Mix together butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press firmly into a large tart or cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap, weigh it down with a bowl or another pan, put into fridge.

Over a double boiler, slowly melt together chocolate chips and whipping cream. Pour over set crust, spreading evenly over bottom.

Pour ¼ c caramel sauce over the chocolate. Return to fridge and allow to sit uncovered for at least an hour. (The caramel sauce won’t set if it’s store bought but it’s only there for a light caramel-y taste anyway. I added too much sauce and it made the pie really sweet, so I had to cut the pie open and bleed out the caramel. If you want to leave out the caramel altogether, I’m all for it, but a little bit will add a nice dimension of flavor.)

Place sliced bananas over bottom of the tart, working from the outside in. Top with whipped cream and drizzle two tbsp warmed caramel sauce lightly over top. Slice, eat, enjoy!

Kimchi Fried Rice

I wanted to try kimchi so badly (I blame it on watching too many Korean dramas) and this seemed like the most user-friendly vehicle for it. And I love it! I think my apartment will be smelling spicy for the next six years, at least.

Kimchi Fried Rice:

1 cup kimchi, drained and chopped (reserve the liquid!)
3 cups cooked rice
¼ cup green onion, chopped
or
½ cup yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance vegan “butter”)
½ cup bacon, spam, pork, ham, whatever, diced (OPTIONAL)
3 tbsp kimchi…liquid (broth? Brine? Spicy bath?)
Eggs per person


In a large frying pan sprayed with cooking spray, cook onion, garlic and kimchi for a few minutes. (If using meat, add meat at this point and cook until done). Add butter, soy sauce, and rice. Mix well. Cook until rice is heated through. Add reserved kimchi liquid and salt to taste. Cover and set aside.

Fry one egg over easy per person.

Serve rice with one fried egg overtop.

Serves 2-3

You can always leave out the egg to make it vegan because the rice is good enough on its own. But I do admit, the egg adds a whole other delightful dimension. Yummmm~

And I demand you serve it in a bowl as cute as mine. (If you can find one, HA