Momofuku Milk Bar's Banana Cream Pie

Yield
1 9-inch or 10-inch round pie

Note: Changes to the recipe - I've reduced the salt in the chocolate crumbs, made it in a bowl like Tosi did in Chang's show and skipped the additional sugar and salt when making the crust as I find them redundant (she didn't use them in the show either). Most people who tried this recipe complained about the pie being too runny despite having been in the fridge for hours. So I did a little bit of research and found that you actually need 3 sheets of gelatin (equivalent to 1 packet of powdered gelatin, 2 1/4 teaspoons) to set the pie (more than 2 cups of liquid) into something you can slice.

Chocolate Crumb

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup good-quality cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Crust

• 1 of the chocolate crumb recipe above
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of room temperature butter

Banana Cream

• 2 very ripe (black) large bananas
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 gelatin sheets (or 2 1/4 teaspoons powdered gelatin)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon yellow food coloring
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 ripe (dark yellow) banana, sliced

Make the Chocolate Crumb
Heat the oven to 300°F/150°C. Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk the ingredients to combine. Gradually add the melted butter and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon till the mixture starts to come together in small clusters. Spread the crumbs on a parchment line sheet pan. Bake till dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. Let the crumbs cool completely before using. (Refrain from snacking or eating the crumbs no matter how inviting they look, otherwise you will have a very thin pie crust.)

Make the Banana Cream
Meanwhile, make the banana cream. Combine the black bananas, 1/3 cup heavy cream and milk in a blender and puree until totally smooth. Add in the caster sugar, cornstarch, salt and egg yolks. Blend till smooth and pour into a medium saucepan. Clean out the blender. Bloom the gelatin. Soak it in a small bowl of cold water for about 3-4 minutes. To bloom powdered gelatin, sprinkle it evenly onto the surface of 1/4 cup of cold water in a small dish. Allow to soften for 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the contents of the pan and heat over medium-low heat. As the banana mixture heats up, it will thicken due to the cornstarch added. Bring to a boil and continue to whisk vigorously for 3-4 minutes to fully cook out the starch. The mixture will resemble thick glue, bordering on cement (like a thick crème pâtissière), with a color to match. Scoop the contents of the pan back into the blender. Gently squeeze to remove any excess water from the bloomed sheet gelatin and add it into the blender. Blend until smooth and even. Color the mixture with a bit of yellow food coloring until it is bright yellow. (Tosi says, "Banana creams don't get that brilliant yellow color on their own." I think a few drops wouldn't hurt.) Transfer the mixture to a heatproof container and chill in the refrigerator 60 minutes or until completely cooled.

Make the Chocolate Crust
While waiting for the banana cream to cool, make the chocolate crust. Break up the chocolate crumbs into a food processor and pulse till broken slightly. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and pulse till mixture is pliable, adding remaining butter if necessary. Press the crust mixture firmly onto the pie plate/pan, making sure the bottom and sides are evenly covered. I put the pie crust to set in the fridge while finishing the banana cream.

Assemble the Banana Cream Pie
Using a heady whisk or a mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the cream and powdered sugar to medium-soft peaks. Add the cold banana mixture to the whipped cream gradually and slowly whisk until evenly colored and homogeneous. Pour about half of the banana cream into the chocolate pie shell. Lay out the sliced banana evenly and then cover the pie with the remaining filling. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. Pie keeps chilled up to 5 days (good luck with that).

Do ahead
Chocolate crumbs can be made 2-3 days ahead, stored in an airtight container. The banana cream can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

White Chicken Chili

INGREDIENTSNutrition

SERVINGS 5UNITS US

• 11 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 11 medium onion
• 1 1⁄21 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 11 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 22 (15 1/2 ounce) cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 11 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
• 11 teaspoon salt
• 11 teaspoon oregano - Or I used Cumin and coriander
• 1⁄21/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄41/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 11 cup sour cream
• 1⁄21/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chilies

DIRECTIONS

1. In large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil til chicken is no longer pink.
2. Add beans, chilies and seasonings and chicken broth.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and whipping cream.
6. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti Sauce - Stephanie Pedroza

3 pkgs Italian Sausage (about 3 lbs total)
   cook, uncovered in a pot
2 big tbs minced garlic
4 heaping tbs basil
2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
2 28 oz cans tomato sauce
1 cup sugar
2 heaping tbs spaghetti sauce mix

Let simmer for 6 hrs uncovered

Baked Beans

Baked Beans

8 slices bacon
1 med onion, diced
1/2 med green pepper, diced
3 28oz cans pork and beans
3/4 c bbq sauce
1/2 c brown cugar
1/4 c cider vinegar
2 tsp dry mustard or 2tbs dijon

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Fry bacon in large, deep sauté pan skillet until bacon has partially cooked and released about ¼ cup drippings. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels.
2. Add onions and peppers to drippings in pan and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans and remaining ingredients bring to a simmer. (If skillet is not large enough, add beans and heat to a simmer then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients).
3. Pour flavored beans into a greased 13-by 9-inch (or similar size) ovenproof pan. Top with bacon, then bake until beans are bubbly and sauce is the consistency of pancake syrup, about 2 hours. Let stand to thicken slightly and serve.

Coleslaw

Coleslaw

16 oz bag coleslaw mix
2 tbs diced onion
2/3 c miracle whip
3 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 c sugar
1 tbs white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Breakfast Casserole Muffins

Easy Breakfast Casserole Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 3-4 pieces whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces (enough to fill muffin tins almost to top)
• 3-4 slices deli ham (look for preservative-free)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper (or more or less to taste)

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 400°. Grease muffins tins well.

2) Drop bread pieces evenly in muffin tins until they come about 2/3 of the way up the tin.

3) Sprinkle ham pieces evenly in each tin.

4) Sprinkle cheese evenly in each tin.

5) Whisk together eggs, milk, ground mustard, and pepper.

6) Pour egg mixture evenly in each muffin tin.

7) Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through the middle.

Copper Onion Cauliflower

This is one of my favorite dishes at The Copper Onion in downtown Salt Lake (and actually, one of my favorite dishes in general). Caramelized cauliflower which is then covered in a rich, slightly tart mayonnaise-based dressing.

Here’s the recipe, graciously shared by The Copper Onion’s own Ryan Lowder

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
½ cup Best Foods mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. chopped capers
Splash Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. anchovy paste
2 garlic cloves minced
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

1. Blanch the cauliflower in boiling salty water until just tender
2. Mix the mayo, capers, garlic, anchovy, salt and pepper in a bowl
3. Place a pan on the burner and get really hot
4. Add the oil, then cauliflower
5. Season with salt and pepper and caramelize as many sides of the cauliflower as you can
6. Toss the cauliflower in the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix well

The caramelization is key to this recipe, and really adds another dimension to the dish. When I made it, I got my sauté pan up to about 330°, splashed in some grapeola oil, and tossed in the blanched broccoli. Sauteed until the cauliflower had touches of deep brown caramelization all over, then tossed in the dressing.

Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce

1 tbs good olive oil
1 c chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 c good red wine, such as chianti
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tbs chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in skilet
add onion and suate over medium heat until translucent 5-10 min.
add garlic and cook for 1 more min.
add wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates (3 min)
stir in tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper
cover and simmer on lowest heat for 15 min

Stuffed Spareribs

From Cook's Country | February/March 2014

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We’re used to barbecuing ribs here in the test kitchen, but in some circles, stuffing them like a Thanksgiving turkey is just as popular. We chose St. Louis spareribs for their more manageable size and kept the flavors simple with a rub of salt, pepper, and brown sugar. As for the stuffing,… read more

SERVES 6 TO 8

Try to buy racks of ribs of equal size for this recipe, and make sure they’re St. Louis–style. If any stuffing falls onto the baking sheet as you tie the racks together or flip them during cooking, stuff the filling back inside the bundle.

INGREDIENTS

10 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 cup pitted prunes, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground fennel
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) racks St. Louis-style spareribs, trimmed and membrane removed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325°. Pulse half of bread, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in food processor until finely ground, 10 to 15 pulses. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining bread, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and add to sheet. Bake crumbs until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through baking. Transfer to large bowl; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add apples, onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until apples are soft and onion is translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add prunes, sage, garlic, and fennel and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir apple mixture into bread crumbs until well combined.

3. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper in bowl. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and rub all over with sugar mixture. Lay five 20-inch-long pieces of kitchen twine about 3 inches apart crosswise on prepared sheet. Lay 1 rib rack, meat side down, across twine. Place stuffing mixture on top of rack and pack to uniform thickness. Place remaining rib rack, meat side up, on top of stuffing, arranging wider end of rack over tapered end of bottom rack to sandwich stuffing. Tie racks together and trim excess twine.

4. Roast ribs until tender and well browned, about 3 hours, flipping bundle halfway through roasting. Transfer ribs to carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut ribs between bones, creating individual stuffed rib portions; discard twine. (Alternatively, discard twine and remove top rack of ribs. Transfer stuffing to platter. Cut ribs in between bones to separate and transfer to platter with stuffing.) Serve.

STUFFED SPARERIBS? REALLY?

It sounds like an awkward operation, but our technique makes it easy:

1. We use two racks of St. Louis–style spareribs, with bone sides facing each other.
2. Racks are positioned wide end to tapered end.
3. Bread and fruit stuffing is sandwiched between racks.
4. Pieces of twine are placed about 3 inches apart and tied securely.

Spanish Rice

INGREDIENTS

• sweet yellow onions
• rice
• corn oil (or olive oil)
• water
• salt
• ketchup

PREPARATION

• Fry/toast the rice in the oil until browned…
• Mix 2tbs ketchup per 2 cups water…
• Add water to rice…
• set onion wedges on top of rice…
• Cover and cook for 12 minutes or until rice is cooked…