Foodie Friday

Foodie Friday

My friend Ryan, who you all know, gave me some great advice the other day (and not just the advice I mentioned in my amazing and spectacular blog entry of Oct 13). I was saying how I was finding it a bit tough to meet my goal of 3 blog entries a week, and he suggested having a theme day where I write on a set topic. This relieves me of the task of having to come up with something every freakin’ time, which is hard even for a super super super super super amazing and brilliant mind like mine (I’ve had way too much coffee. And crack.). So welcome to the my first in a series of themed blogs:

Foodie Friday.

I know. I wish I could come up with a better title, too. But it’s really early in the morning and Ryan is probably busy and my mom would just tell me to write whatever I want because she’ll just print it out and put it on the fridge regardless.

So I’m going to write about food, recipes, restaurants, grocery stores, allergic reactions, and so forth, every Friday. Until Ryan tells me not to*.

Grandma Reid’s Banana Cream Pie (with additions from me)

My Grandma Reid was an amazing cook and baker. She won all sorts of prizes at fairs and baking contests in the Selkirk area. One of my favourite recipes of hers is her banana cream pie recipe, which, probably, is not much different than most other banana cream pies, but because it was my Grandma’s recipe, it must be the best, right?

My Grandmother was 90 pounds soaking wet. 

Grandma Reid with her two ungrateful grandchildren

I never saw her soaking wet, nor did I ever weigh her soaking wet, so this can not be verified. Yet she always had cookies and pie and handmade chocolates in her house. I suppose I inherited my sweet tooth from her, but not her pixie like frame.

For this recipe you’ll need a double boiler, a candy thermometer (unless you are an expert at knowing when milk is at the scald point - I am not), a pie plate (or frozen crusts, thawed) and a bunch of ingredients. For the pastry, I added a little white chocolate to jazz it up a bit, because it just WASN’T SWEET ENOUGH. Shudder. I have no appreciation of subtlety in food, I fear. 

Pastry (or you can buy your pastry at the store already in pie pans. I won’t tell anyone)

The recipe make several crusts that can be used right away or frozen after rolled out and put into pie plates. So if you’re only making one pie, then hell, just buy the crusts and save yourself a lot of heartache).

1 lb lard

5 C flour

1 egg 

2 tsp vinegar

water 

1 tsp salt

1.Measure flour and salt and mix together in a large bowl

2. cut in lard with a pasty blender

3. beat egg in a one cup measuring glass until slightly frothy

4. add vinegar to egg mixture

5. add water to egg and vinegar mix to make 1 Cup of liquid

6. Add liquid to flour and lard mix and mix gently til  you have a smooth dough.

7. Roll out on a cold, floured surface and fit to pie plates.

You will only need one pie crust for this recipe. You can freeze the other crusts for a later use.

preheat oven to 375. Prick crust with fork in several places.

bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

allow crust to cool completely.

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Banana Cream Part

2 C milk

2/3 C sugar

1/3 C flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, separated

vanilla

1 banana

1.Scald milk in a double boiler, saving out 1/4 C of scalded milk to mix with egg mixture

i have to use a thermometer because I am a spaz

1. Mix thoroughly the sugar, flour and salt.
2. Beat yolks of eggs and add to the flour mixture along with the 1/4 C of scalded milk.
3. Add flour mixture to scalded milk and stir
4. Stir with whisk, in the double boiler, over low heat, until mixture is thick

1. Chill completely
2. Add 1 tsp vanilla and sliced banana

Melt 2 square of white chocolate. 

melt white chocolate. I use Canadian made Paderno pots.        http://padinox.ca/

Pour into bottom of cooled, baked pie crust. Pop in the freezer for 5 minutes to harden. 

(You can forgo the white chocolate and it’s just as good)

Spread banana cream mixture over chocolate layer in crust.

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Meringue

Beat 2-4 egg whites (I use 4), gradually adding 4 Tablespoons of white sugar until stiff peaks form. Be sure to use the hand mixer you got in 1985 when you moved out and got your first apartment.

egg whites whipped to form stiff peaks. I am saucy.

Spread meringue over banana cream layer.

A photo, in case you didn't know what spread meringue over pie might look like.

Top with meringue and bake for 15 minutes in 275 degree oven until tops are slightly browned.

I look like a turtle. Make up and the slightest bit of effort would help.

no pie for Sam

Chill and serve to amazed friends and relations.

*Ryan had a food blog a while back that was amazing. He needs to get back to it. Tell him, ok? He won’t listen to me.