Monkey Taters Recipes

MONKEY TAILS

Steps:

• Insert 1 pop stick into the cut end of each banana. Place the bananas on a wax paper covered baking sheet and freeze until the bananas are frozen, about 2 hours.
• Melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for 1 to 3 minutes (depending on your microwave).
• Dip the frozen bananas in the melted chocolate, spooning the chocolate over the banana to cover it completely. Roll in coconut if desired. Place the dipped bananas on the wax paper-covered baking sheet, and freeze until the chocolate is firm.

HOMEMADE TATER TOTS

Steps:

• In a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, heat enough canola oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot, to 375 degrees F.
• Finely shred potatoes on a fine box grater. Season the potatoes with 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Put the potatoes into a kitchen towel and squeeze out the excess liquid. Put the potatoes into a medium-sized bowl along with the egg and mix well. Add the flour and stir to combine. Stir in the cayenne, smoked paprika garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste. The mixture should be workable but dry. Form the potatoes into balls or tots and fry, in batches, until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from fryer and drain on a paper towel lined tray. Immediately season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

MONKEY BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and peanut butter until blended. Gradually beat in egg, banana and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, mixing well., Spread into an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar.

MONKEY TATERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Mix together diced onion, sour cream and cream of chicken soup.
• Add partially thawed tater tots and mix well.
• Top with cheese.
• If tater tots are still frozen, cover with foil before baking. Check after 60 minutes and adjust the remainder of the cooking time as needed.
• Bake for approximately 45 minutes.
• Top with green onion before serving.

CHUNKY MONKEY BANANA TART

Steps:

• For the tart crust: Pulse the walnuts and sugar in a food processor until they are finely ground, about 6 pulses. Add the cold butter and pulse until the walnuts and sugar come together with the butter, but the mixture is not homogenous. Add the flour and salt and pulse again until the butter is the size of small peas. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead until it just comes together. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Lightly flour the dough and roll it between 2 pieces of parchment or plastic wrap to about 1/4 inch thick. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, patching any holes. Use a fork to gently prick the crust, ensuring that steam can escape while it bakes. Freeze until hard, 6 to 8 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the tart crust until pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• For the pastry cream: While the tart crust dough is chilling, bring the milk, vanilla bean paste and salt to just under a boil in a medium pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks in a medium bowl until smooth and combined. Whisking constantly, ladle half the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, one ladle at a time. Continue until all the hot milk has been whisked in and the egg mixture is now warm.
• Return the milk and egg yolks to the pot and cook over medium-low heat, whisking, until thickened to a pudding consistency, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately strain through a chinois or fine-mesh sieve into a large airtight container. Stir the butter cubes into the pastry cream until melted and combined. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the pastry cream, and refrigerate until chilled through, about 2 hours.
• For the assembly: Spread the fudge sauce over the cooled tart shell and top with an even layer of thinly sliced bananas (using about half). Add a layer of pastry cream (about 1 cup) and smooth into an even layer; reserve the remaining cream for another use (see Cook's Note). Top with the remaining sliced bananas, shingling them slightly and arranging them in a concentric circle. Sprinkle the sugar over the bananas and brulee with a kitchen blow torch until golden brown. Garnish with some chopped walnuts.

MICHAEL'S GRANNY'S SOUR CREAM TATERS

Steps:

• Mix the package of Original Ranch mix into the sour cream. (If this is made a day ahead, it gets even better!).
• Wash the potatoes, and cut them into halves if they are very large new potatoes.
• Boil the potatoes in salted water, until soft (about 10-15 minutes).
• When potatoes are soft, drain them in a colander.
• Put the potatoes back in the pot after draining, add the butter, the evaporated milk, salt and pepper to your taste, and stir together.
• Add in the sour cream mixture, and the chopped green onions.
• Cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
• Heat over a medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until all is hot again.
• Serve.