I have succumbed

I have become obsessed with cream pie over the last few months (really, I think it is my secret obsession with sweetened condensed milk). Did I read too many articles toward the latter part of last year that forecasted food trends for the upcoming months, and did I take in that subliminal message that pies were going to be all the rage for 2012? It is so not like me to succumb to trends and fads; I usually run in the opposite direction of the masses finding comfort in the space left unoccupied.

I have been part of trend for eating and sourcing foods locally for some 10 plus years – when it was edgy. I have not run from that as a matter of fact I relish the company I keep within this trend. Markets have cropped up everywhere and variety is booming, and I due believe this is a direct result of not just myself and another militant food compatriots looking to secure foods regionally, but every sector of the city seems to have canvas bag in tow.  Though I do wish the trend was more focused on bringing these options to the food deserts that exist throughout our country.

 

Now, a fad I understand clearly – they come and they go. Does a trend have the possibility of disappearing as well?  Shouldn’t it just be a fact that we are all having access to eat healthy, nutritionally vibrant foods always, without the prognosticators hoping it will be?  How many pies need to be consumed this year to make this trend an established fact and what about the adage, “American as apple pie?” can something so iconic be a trend? 

Banana Cream Pie – yields 8-inch pie

¾-cup ground vanilla wafers

½-cup grated, dried coconut

1 egg white

2 ripe bananas

14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

6 egg yolks

2-teaspoons vanilla extract

Pre-heat to 350 degrees.

Lightly oil an eight-inch pie pan with butter or canola oil.

Mix the grounds wafers, coconut and egg white together, and press evenly into an 8-inch pie pan. Make sure you come about half way up the sides of the pie pan.

Bake the crust for 10-minutes in the oven on the middle rack.

Remove the pie shell, and cool. Lower the oven temperature to 325-degrees.

In the meanwhile, blend the condensed milk, egg yolks, bananas and vanilla extract in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Pour in the sweetened condensed milk mixture into the cool pie shell, and return to the oven.

Bake for about 45 minutes until the center of the pie is just set. Shut off the heat and allow the pie to cool completely in the oven. Then place in the refrigerator for a few hours to cool before serving.