Pioneer Woman Banana Recipes

BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• *Be careful with the open flame*In a heavy skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and stir together. Add cream and continue cooking, then stir in bananas and chopped walnuts. Mixture should be bubbly. (The steps so far should take less than 2 minutes; this is quick!)Pour in rum and stir to combine. Carefully tip the skillet slightly toward the open flame of the burner to ignite the alcohol in the pan, then let the mixture flame for 30 seconds or so (it should go out on its own.) You can shake the pan a bit to get it to calm down. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon.Serve sauce immediately over vanilla ice cream or French toast. (Sauce does keep in the fridge, though. Delicious!)* Note: You can omit the flame step altogether if you prefer. Just let the sauce cook for a minute or two--still utterly delicious!

THE BEST BANANA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter one 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
• Whisk together the flour, pecans, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, melted butter, buttermilk, brown sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl; stir in the mashed bananas. Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just combined (it's OK if there are some lumps).
• Pour the batter into the buttered pan and lightly tap the pan on the counter to evenly distribute the batter. Bake until browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out completely clean, about 1 hour. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

BANANAS FOSTER

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the brown sugar. Stir together and cook for a minute or two. Pour in the cream and stir it around to combine.
• Peel the bananas and slice them on the bias inside the peel. Drop the slices into the pan. Next, add the chopped nuts and stir them into the sauce. Then - and this is where you need to be a little careful - stir in the rum. Let it start to bubble, and then carefully use a long lighter to ignite it. (Be sure to have a lid handy in case you need to extinguish the flame.) Let the fire burn and go out (it'll only take about 30 seconds or so), and then stir in the cinnamon at the end. You may also cook the mixture without flambeing it.
• Spoon it over a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream and enjoy immediately.
• Spoon bananas Foster over French toast, waffles or crepes. Substitute peaches, pears or cherries for the bananas. Of course, then it probably wouldn't be considered bananas Foster.

BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Separate the yolks from the whites of 3 of the eggs; set aside the whites. Add the remaining whole egg to the yolks.
• In a saucepan, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in the whole egg and 3 yolks, and then stir in the milk. Cook uncovered, stirring often, until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Spread a thin layer of the pudding in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Arrange a layer of vanilla wafers on top of the pudding. Thinly slice the bananas crosswise, about 1/8 inch thick, and arrange a layer of banana slices over the wafers. Spread one-third of the remaining pudding over the bananas and continue layering wafers, bananas and pudding, ending with pudding.
• To make the meringue, beat the reserved egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the whites will not slide out of the mixing bowl when it is tilted.
• Spread the meringue over the pudding with a spatula, making a few decorative peaks on top, and bake until the meringue is lightly browned, 5 minutes.

CAMPFIRE BANANA BOATS

Steps:

• Split the bananas lengthwise, but don't cut all the way through. The goal is to create a boat to hold the ingredients. Load the bananas 1/4 cup each of the caramel bits, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Crumble 1 whole graham cracker onto each loaded banana. Wrap individually in 8-by-10-inch squares of foil, and then place near the campfire to melt the candies. Open up and eat with a spoon.

OLD-FASHIONED BANANA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the bananas, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on low speed until combined. With the mixer still on low, add the oil, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in the chopped walnuts, if using. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto a cooling rack, and cool completely.
• Spread the frosting thickly on the top of the cake and decorate with walnut halves, if using.
• Mix the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until just combined. Don't whip! Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

PIONEER WOMAN BANANA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine all the crust ingredients and pulse until the dough forms.
• Next, you want to place the dough on a pie plate and press evenly into the base and up the sides. Finish by smoothing and crimping the edges.
• Place the pie plate in the freezer for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Then, when the dough is chilled, poke some holes in it (to allow air to escape), line with parchment paper, and add baking weights (a cup of raw beans or rice will also work). Bake the pastry for 15 minutes, and then remove it from the oven.
• Remove the baking weights and parchment paper from the pastry and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Once it's done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
• Make the filling by heating the milk, cream, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Be careful not to burn the mixture.
• Whisk the egg yolks and flour together in a bowl. Slowly whisk in a ladle-full of the hot milk mixture to temper the eggs.
• As you whisk continuously, pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and allow it to thicken and cook. The mixture will thicken and shine after a few minutes.
• Go ahead and take the custard off the heat and pass it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove lumps. Whisk in the butter.
• Next, you want to spread 2 tablespoons of custard on the bottom of the pie crust. Follow with even layers of bananas. Top with the rest of the custard. Spray a parchment paper piece with cooking spray and place it on the custard surface to prevent it from sticking to the parchment.
• Place in the fridge to set for about 4 to 6 hours.
• When you're ready to serve, whisk the cream and sugar together until stiff peaks form. Top the pie with more banana slices and serve with whipped cream.

PIONEER WOMAN'S BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 F.
• Separate 3 of the eggs and set the whites aside.
• Add the remaining whole egg to the yolks.
• Stir 1/2 cup sugar with the flour and 1/2 tsp salt in a saucepan.
• Whisk in the whole egg and 3 yolks, followed by the milk.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer on the stove, whisking frequently until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes.
• Remove the mixture from the heat and add the vanilla.
• Spread the pudding in a 1-1/2-quart casserole dish in a thin layer.
• Arrange a layer of vanilla wafers on top of the pudding.
• Place the bananas on top of wafers after thinly slicing them crosswise, about 1/8-inch thick.
• Continue layering wafers, bananas, and pudding, ending with pudding, after spreading one-third of the remaining pudding over the bananas.
• Beat the reserved egg whites until stiff with the remaining salt to make the meringue.
• As you beat, gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and continue beating until the whites do not slide out of the mixing bowl when it is tilted.
• Place the meringue on top of the pudding and spread it over the top, making a few decorative peaks.
• Bake for 5 minutes, or until the meringue is lightly browned.
• Serve and enjoy.