Butterscotch and Caramel Banana Pie

My Butterscotch and Caramel Banana Pie is loosely based off of a Banana Foster Pie. I based my caramel recipe off of this one at Evil Shenanigans.

Recipe:

2 or 3 Bananas
A pre-baked pie shell

Butterscotch Pudding: (any butterscotch pudding will do, but this is what I used.)

2 packets Dr. Oetker butterscotch pudding mix
4 cups milk

(Follow the instructions on the pudding mix box.)


Caramel Sauce:

1/3 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cream, or half and half

In a saucepan combine the butter and sugar and cook on medium low heat. Wait for it to boil until it turns brown and liquid, turn to low and keep cooking for another minute. Remove from heat, and stir in the cream or half and half.


Making the Pie:

(Note: Your oven is not needed in this recipe except to cook the pie shell.)
Slice the bananas into coins and place them evenly on the bottom of the pie shell. Pour caramel sauce over bananas, preferably so that every piece is covered. Pour the pudding over all. Cover the putting with plastic wrap, making sure all the pudding is touching plastic so it won't develop skin, and refrigerate for several hours. Enjoy!

Lemon Meringue Pie

This is my first attempt at a lemon meringue pie, and I am very happy with the way it turned out! I got a basic recipe from allrecipes, but modified it so that it was my own.

My Recipe:

1 pre-baked pie shell

Lemon Filling:
1 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons zested
2 1/2 lemons juiced
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks

Meringue:
4 egg whites
6 tablespoons white sugar
*1/2 to 1 teaspoon vanilla paste/extract (optional)*

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Filling:
In a saucepan, mix together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add in water, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Cook on medium-high, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Stir in butter. Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl, and slowly stir in 1/2 cup of the lemon/sugar mixture. Once mixed, add the yolk mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the lemon/sugar mixture. bring to a boil and keep stirring frequently for several more minutes. Remove from the heat, and pour filling into the baked pie shell.

3. Meringue:
In a glass or metal bowl, beat egg whites until they are foamy. Then add the sugar in slowly, and keep beating until the whites form stiff peaks. Spread the meringue over the pie, selling the edges at the crust. (Spatulas work best for this.)

*On Vanilla: When I used the vanilla , I used 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, and added it in when I started mixing in the sugar. Doing this caused the meringue to take a much longer time to stiffen, and in the end I never did end up getting the same consistency as normal meringue. Looking back, I would have added the meringue last once the desired stiffness was reached.

4. Bake in oven for 10 - 15 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.



When I first took the pie out of the oven and had a slice, the lemon mixture weeped a bit - the plague of all lemon meringue pies- but once it had been refrigerated for several hours it looked like this:



Voila! No more weeping! So, from what I've learned, if you want a slice right when it comes out, go ahead, but don't expect it to be completely firm until after it is chilled.

A new purpose

When I started this blog, I intended for it to be a place where I shared random things that I found and wanted to share. It was fun for a while, but then I realized a site had already been made for that exact purpose. The site's name was Facebook. After that, I did not post on Random Shell for a while, but now I have found a new purpose for it. I am going to post about all things food: recipes that I make, amazing meals I have had, and new products that I find. One thing about me is that I am Gluten Free, so all of my recipes will be tailored for the gluten free diner as well!