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!

Fettuccine Experiments #1--Mushroom Chicken Fettuccine

I’ve started falling in love with fettuccine pasta. That and Target sells whipping cream in tall plastic bottles.

This recipe is basically me pulling a good old-fashioned “by-the-seat-of-my-pants” meal and creating something sinfully delicious.

And oddly enough, there’s no sugar. Could it be that there is sin sans sugar?

Fine, No Sin Sans Sugar (Or Whipping Cream). All better.



Mushroom Chicken Fettuccine:

½ lb fettuccine pasta
2 thinly-sliced chicken breasts (or 1 large), cut into chunks
½ onion, diced
1 ½ cups mushrooms, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup tomato/pasta sauce
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
½ tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta according to package directions.

In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-heat. Fry garlic, chicken, mushrooms, and onion until chicken is cooked through (about 3 minutes). Add in the remaining ingredients, stirring thoroughly. Heat another 2-3 minutes.

Either mix cooked fettuccine into sauce or serve fettuccine in bowls, topped with sauce.

Serves 2-3.

--Jirafa

Bento #1--Teriyaki Beef

Sometimes I'll be posting images of my bentos just for fun and recipes if they're relevant. My classes end after 1 this quarter so I usually just head home to eat and don't bother with a bento but tomorrow I'm donating blood on campus so fortifying bento it shall be!

Top tier: White rice with teriyaki beef mixed with celery and onions.
Bottom tier: Peach yogurt, cheddar cheese, mini-chocolate.
Side car: Cucumber slices mixed with lemon, salt, and pepper.

--Jirafa

Vanilla Whipped Cream

Just a quick but necessary recipe post. Everyone should make their own whipped cream. I mean everyone.


So deliciously sweet and simple. I brought it to one of my roommates over top of lime Jell-O and he said he'd rather have a bowl of the whipped cream alone.


Yes. It's that good.



Lime Jell-O+vanilla whipped cream+Prince Caspian DVD=best Wednesday night ever.



Vanilla Whipped Cream:

1 pint whipping cream
1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl mix whipping cream and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar in batches, beating on medium-high speed in between additions. Be sure to taste it while it's still in liquid form; once it starts forming peaks you won't really be able to sweeten it. Continue mixing on medium-high speed (for a long, long time *cough*) until whipping cream becomes solid and forms peaks.

Serve over top of nearly any dessert! It's also delicious on cakes as a substitute for frosting!