Momofuku Milk Bar Banana Cream Pie

Recently, I have been watching "The Mind of A Chef" on Netflix. Simply said, I am totally addicted to this show --- but that will be another blog post. The first season of this show follows David Chang, the chef behind Momofuku. In one episode, Chang's dessert/pastry chef, Christina Tossi, shows how to make a banana cream pie. Watching her segment was like love at first sight.

Although I love bananas, I'd never had a banana cream pie, After watching Tossi assemble this wondrous dessert, I was hooked on the idea. You could say that I became obsessed with this recipe. For a week, it was all I could think of and I finally caved. Lucky for me, I had some bananas that were going bad, so I took that as a sign that it was the perfect time to attempt this recipe. 

One thing I learned about making this Momofuku Milk Bar Banana Cream Pie: it's a lot harder and more time consuming than it looks! It took me a couple of hours, but it's totally worth it! I will warn you, it is mega sweet. I have a sweet tooth, but even I felt my eyes pop out of my sockets slightly. 

If I were to attempt this recipe again, I would try to cut down a bit on the sugar and I would consider increasing the amount of gelatin used for the banana cream. I found that my banana cream, even after sitting in the fridge for two days, was quite runny. Otherwise, this is a really yummy dessert and something I look forward to trying again! 

The recipe that I have written below is Tossi's original recipe. Hope you guys enjoy this treat as much as I did! 

Ingredients for Chocolate Crumbs
 - 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

for later:
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1~2 tablespoons of melted butter
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 300 F.

2. Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a bowl. Mix.
3. Add melted butter and mix until the mixture comes together. You want small chocolate granules. 
4. Spread the chocolate crumbs on a prepared baking pan. You can line the pan with parchment paper or a silicon mat, like I did. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minted, remove crumbs from oven and let them cool 
Ingredients for Banana Cream Filling:
- 2 VERY RIPE bananas (you want them brown and almost leaking)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 gelatin sheets or 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin*
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow food coloring**
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 normal banana, sliced
Directions:
1. Combine the two incredibly ripe bananas, 1/3 cup heavy cream, and 1/4 cup milk in a blender and mix until totally smooth.
2. In a bowl, combine: sugar, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks. Add to blender and blitz.
3. Once all combines, transfer banana mixture to a medium sauce pan. Clean blender. 
4. In a small bowl (or cup), bloom your sheet gelatin or melt your powdered gelatin.
5. Whisk banana cream over medium-low heat. As the banana mixture heats up, it will thicken. Bring to a boil and continue to whisk vigorously for another 2 minutes. 
6. Transfer the banana contents from the pan back into the blender. 
7. Add the gelatin and butter to the blender. Blend until smooth. 
8. To get a really nice bright yellow color, add a few drops of yellow food coloring. 
9. Transfer mixture to a container and chill in refrigerator for 30~60 minutes. 
10. In a separate bowl, whisk heavy cream and powdered sugar until well combined. 
11. Add the chilled banana mixture to the whipped cream and slowly whisk until combined evenly. 
Assembling the Pie
1. Break up the chocolate pieces as best as you can. Christina Tossi uses a food processor, which is a great idea. I didn't realize she did that until after I made this recipe.
2. Add sugar and melted butter to the chocolate crumbs.
3. Use your hands to need to chocolate crust and make sure it comes together. 
4. Transfer bits of chocolate to your pie plate and press the crust firmly down. Make sure your pie plate is covered evenly. 
5. Once your crust is set, take your "normal" banana and cut into bite sized pieces. 
6. Pour half of the banana cream into the chocolate pie shell. 
7. Add the bite sized banana pieces.
8. Add the rest of the banana cream and then you are done! 
I wouldn't serve this immediately since the pudding may run a bit. I would let this cool how a couple hours, maybe even overnight. 

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