Cabernet Braised Short Ribs

I recently read the book Heat: An Amateur's Adventure as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany, by Bill Buford. The author waxed poetic on the short rib's recent rise in popularity. After reading about them, I was curious to try a recipe. I found an old Cooking Light clipping for this recipe. I adapted the recipe to use the crock pot, so I could submit it to Joelen's blog for the October Tasty Tools event. Also, the crock pot doesn't heat up the kitchen as much as the oven, which is nice since the weather turned warm again.

I had to cook them much longer in the crock pot than it would've taken in the oven. It was well worth the wait. The meat was incredibly tender; it nearly melted in your mouth. The short rib was similar in texture to pot roast, but with a richer taste. If you have an extra day to prepare this, I would recommend chilling the juices overnight, and then separating the fat. Reduce the juices, reheat the meat, and serve.

Cabernet Braised Short Ribs
loosely adapted from Cooking Light
March 2008

2 Tbs canola oil
3 lbs beef short ribs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
2 c low sodium beef broth
1 ½ c cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine
3 Tbs tomato paste
3 celery ribs, sliced into 1-inch chunks
3 carrots, sliced into 1-inch chunks
6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 rosemary sprigs
3 Tbs all purpose flour

4 c hot, cooked wide egg noodles
Chopped parsley (optional)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil, heat until hot. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Add ribs to pan, and brown on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove pan from heat. Place short ribs into a crock pot. Add beef broth to the pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Add wine and tomato paste to the broth, whisking to combine.

Add celery, carrot, garlic, onion, and rosemary to the crock pot. Pour broth mixture over the crock pot contents. Cover and bake on medium, about 6 hours, until ribs are fork-tender.

Uncover crock pot. Remove ribs carefully and set on a plate. Strain the broth mixture through a sieve over a bowl, reserving the liquid. Discard the remaining solids. Separate the drippings from the fat using a fat separator. (If a fat separator is not available, use a zip-top plastic bag, letting the drippings settle, snipping a small hole in the bottom corner, and draining the drippings. Stop draining when you reach the fat, which should have risen to the top.) Discard the fat.

Pour drippings into a small saucepan. Add flour, and stir well with a whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes, or until thickened.

Serve ribs on a bed of noodles, and pour gravy on top. Garnish with parsley.

Chipotle Shrimp

This was the second recipe we tried from the book, Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen, Capturing the Vibrant Flavors of a World Class Cuisine. It was surprisingly quick and easy to make. I say surprisingly, because a lot of the recipes have many steps, and involve a lot of planning ahead. I don't mind this, but it's been tricky lately to cook intricate recipes. Since the chicen tacos ended up being spicier than I anticipated, we were more careful about the heat index, and added the chipotles a little at a time. They ended up a great balance of spicy and sweet.


Chipotle Shrimp
adapted from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen
by Rick Bayless


4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 small white onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
6 oz. fresh plum tomatoes
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs finely chopped canned chipotle chiles (drain before chopping)
Salt
1 ½ lbs medium shrimp

On a heavy skillet over medium heat, roast the garlic cloves, turning occasionally until soft. They will blacken in spots. Cool and peel. While the garlic is roasting, lay the onion on a small square of foil, set in the skillet, and let sear, brown, and soften.

Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet under a broiler until blackened in spots and soft, about 6 minutes. Flip and roast on the other side. Cool and peel, collecting all the juices with the tomatoes.

Combine all the roasted ingredients in a blender, along with the black pepper, cloves, and ¼ c water. Process to a medium-smooth puree. In a very large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the puree; stir for several minutes as the mixture sears and darkens. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring regularly, until very thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in chipotle chiles, a tablespoon at a time, until the salsa reaches your desired spiciness. Season with salt, and remove from heat.

Peel and devein the shrimp. Return the skillet with the sauce to medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, then slowly stir and turn for about 3-4 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. The sauce should nicely coat the shrimp.

Macarons - 5th time's a charm (October Daring Bakers)

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

This was my first time making macarons, and it involved a steep learning curve. My first batch of macarons looked like this:

By the end of the day, I think I had them figured out.

It only took 5 batches.

Batch 1: a big runny mess (see above). The cookies didn't hold their shape from the get-go. I think it was a combination of things - not letting the egg whites get stiff enough, not using aged egg whites (especially in Florida's humid climate), and overmixing the batter.

Batch 2: Instead of aging the whites, I nuked them in the microwave for 10 seconds, then another 8 seconds, as recommended by Helen of Tartlette. Unfortunately, the whites never got past the soft peak stage. I think there was some residual oil from the previous batter.

Batch 3.0: I overcooked the egg whites in the microwave by 2 seconds, and scrapped them before they even saw the inside of the mixer.

Batch 3.1: I got distracted by the squirt, who was in a fussy mood, and by the time I returned my attention back to the egg whites, they were most definitely at the stiff peak stage. Probably over-stiff. Here's what cookies from an overmixed batter look like.

Batch 4: The eggs were at the perfect stiff-peak stage, the batter piped like a dream, and they maintained their shape after the drying period. Unfortunately, I turned the oven to "broil" instead of "bake," and ended up with flat, underdone cookies. But hey, at least they had feet!

Batch 5: By this time it was 9 p.m., and I seriously debated whether or not to make another attempt. The squirt settled down after being fed, so I decided to go for it. This time, I double checked everything. I held my breath when I opened the oven....and success! There were these perfectly shaped, slightly poofy cookies with the little crusty bottom.

5th time is a charm!

The next day, I whipped up a vanilla cinnamon white ganache, and assembled the macarons. I have an almost full bag of almond meal, so some macaron experimentation may be in my future.

The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe.

Macarons

Confectioners’ (Icing) sugar: 2 ¼ cups (225 g, 8 oz.)
Almond flour: 2 cups (190 g, 6.7 oz.)
Granulated sugar: 2 tablespoons (25 g , .88 oz.)
Egg whites: 5 (Have at room temperature)


1. Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C). Combine the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour in a medium bowl. If grinding your own nuts, combine nuts and a cup of confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor and grind until nuts are very fine and powdery.

2. Beat the egg whites in the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer until they hold soft peaks. Slowly add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture holds stiff peaks.

3. Sift a third of the almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold gently to combine. If you are planning on adding zest or other flavorings to the batter, now is the time. Sift in the remaining almond flour in two batches. Be gentle! Don’t overfold, but fully incorporate your ingredients.

4. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain half-inch tip (Ateco #806). You can also use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off. It’s easiest to fill your bag if you stand it up in a tall glass and fold the top down
before spooning in the batter.

5. Pipe one-inch-sized (2.5 cm) mounds of batter onto baking sheets lined with nonstick liners (or parchment paper).

6. Bake the macaron for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and raise the temperature to 375°F (190°C). Once the oven is up to temperature, put the pans back in the oven and bake for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or lightly colored.

7. Cool on a rack before filling.

Vanilla Cinnamon White Chocolate Ganache

4 oz white chocolate

1/4 c heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Place white chocolate in a small heat-proof bowl. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan until scalding. Pour cream over the chocolate, and let the chocolate melt. Add vanilla and cinnamon, and stir to mix. Let cool until the ganache is a spreadable consistency.

Tomatillo Chicken Tacos

I'm ashamed to admit that I never knew much about Rick Bayless until Top Chef. He guest judged during the Chicago season, and he was proclaimed Top Chef Master on that series. His food, especially the mole, looked amazing.

We got his cookbook at the library, and have been cooking our way through it. Everything so far has been delicious - lots of layers of flavor. The first thing we cooked were the chicken tacos. They turned out a tad too spicy for my taste, but that didn't stop me from gobbling them down. Perhaps if we had added the greens (as in the original recipe), the heat would not have been as intense.

My apologies for the unflattering picture - they tasted way better than they looked. I've been having some photography issues lately.


Tacos of Tomatillo Chicken
From Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen
by Rick Bayless

Tomatillo-Serrano Sauce:
8 oz. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 serrano chile, stemmed
1 ½ Tbs vegetable oil
½ medium onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
1 c chicken broth
1 ½ c cooked, shredded chicken
3 Tbs roughly chopped cilantro

12 corn tortillas
½ to ¾ c queso fresco, crumbled

For the sauce:
Roast the tomatillos and chiles on a baking sheet four inches below a very hot broiler until blackened and soft on one side, about 5-6 minutes. Turn them over and roast on the other side. Transfer (including all juices) to a food processor or blender.

Heat 1 Tbs oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until deep golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, and cook 1 minute. Add to the tomatillos and chiles. Process to a medium-coarse puree.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and set over medium-high heat. Add the puree all at once and stir for about 5 minutes, until noticeably darker and thick. Stir in the broth and chicken, partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. The sauce will be a little soupy. Stir in the cilantro and season generously with salt.

For the tacos:
Steam the tortillas in a steamer or in the microwave. Spoon a portion of the filling into a warm tortilla, sprinkling with cheese and folding it over.

Soup In A Pumpkin

Part two of my pumpkin phase...soup baked in a pumpkin.

Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of soon-to-be-defunct Gourmet magazine, was recently interviewed on NPR's "Fresh Air." Terry Gross asked Reichl what some of her favorite cold weather foods were, and Reichl described making a soup in a pumpkin almost exactly like this one. Gross was skeptical about the soup, but I knew what Reichl was talking about.

Back in college, I briefly lived with two girls who I did not get along with. It seems like everyone goes through it - you are friends with someone, decide to be roomates, and find out that you are not at all compatible to share an apartment. They never wanted to eat anything that I made, including this soup. Granted, once the soup comes out of the gourd, it is not all that attractive. But it is difficult to resist its bubbly cheesiness and savory aroma.

I had written down this recipe long before I started blogging and crediting recipe ownership. I wish I could remember where I had found this recipe.

I included a picture of the pumpkin with the bottle of wine, to give you an idea of the size of a 6 lb pumpkin.


Soup In A Pumpkin
Source unknown

2 c fresh breadcrumbs
2 c minced onion
4 oz butter
A 5-6 lb pumpkin
1 c coarsely grated swiss cheese
½ c dry white wine
1 ½ qt chicken stock
½ tsp dried sage, or 2 tsp fresh chopped sage
1 c heavy cream
Handful of chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread crumbs on a baking sheet. Dry crumbs in the oven, about 10 minutes. Slowly cook onions in butter over medium heat until tender but not browned. Stir breadcrumbs into onions, and cook for 3 minutes. Heat chicken stock in a separate pan until simmering.

Increase oven temp to 400 degrees. Cut a neat hole out of the top of the pumpkin. Scrape out the insides. Rub inner walls of the pumpkin with butter. Turn the breadcrumb mixture into the pumpkin. Stir in the swiss cheese and white wine. Pour hot chicken stock in the cavity and fill to within 2 inches of the top. Season with salt, pepper, and sage. Place pumpkin in a baking dish. Bake pumpkin for 1 ½ hours, until the pumpkin has softened. Just before serving, gently stir in the heavy cream and chopped parsley. Ladle soup into hot bowls or mugs, scraping off some flesh from the inside of the pumpkin as you go.

Maple-Rum Pumpkin Pie

I'm on a pumpkin kick! Yes, the weather turned cooler, and we've been cooking up lots of comfort food.

In honor of fall's arrival to Florida, I've been making lots of pumpkin goodies. I had heard about a supposed pumpkin shortage in stores, so I made my own pumpkin puree for this pie. Homemade pumpkin puree is pretty easy - cut open the pumpkin, scoop out the guts, bake in the oven until the flesh is soft, and then blend in the food processor.

The original recipe calls for swirling the lumps of cream cheese to give the pie a marlbed look. The clumps that I ended up with were not nearly soft enough to swirl. I left them where they landed, and rather liked the pockets of cheese. If you want to try swirling the cheese into the filling, I would up the amount of maple syrup added to the cream cheese to give it a thinner consistency.

One more note: the pie is a little less sweet than the normal tasting pumpkin pie. That suits us fine, but if you'd like a sweeter pie, add more brown sugar.


Maple-Rum Pumpkin Pie
Adapted from Cooking Light
December 2001

Pie dough for a single crust pie

¾ c evaporated milk
½ c maple syrup
½ c packed dark brown sugar
3 Tbs dark rum
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
1 ¾ c of pumpkin puree (or a 15 oz can of unsweetened pumpkin)
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 Tbs maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fit the pie dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Flute the edges. Place pie plate in the freezer until ready to use.

Combine milk and the next 9 ingredients (through pumpkin puree) in a large bowl. Stir well with a whisk; set aside. Combine cream cheese and the 2 Tbs maple syrup in a small bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth.

Pour pumpkin mixture into the pie crust. Drop cream cheese mixture by small spoonfuls into the filling. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes clean, about 45-55 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Parmesan Croutons

Autumn is almost here in FL. We had a 4-day respite, where the temperature dipped below 90 degrees and the humidity dropped. During those balmy days, I rushed out to get some squash, and roasted it to make this soup. I had just enough time to eat it and pretend the weather was crisp and chilly, before the heat outside returned.

To simplify the recipe, you can skip roasting the squash, but the flavor is just not the same. If I have any extra mushrooms or leeks hanging around the vegetable bin, I throw them in the pot as well. The homemade croutons totally make the soup.

On a side note, the squirt turned 1 month this week. He continues to gain weight, and tipped our kitchen scale, which only weighs up to 7 lbs. It's nice to see that his saggy, baggy arms and legs are all filled out.

Two weeks ago:

Yesterday:

(that's Hubs hiding behind the baby)

Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Parmesan Croutons
From Real Simple
December 2004

3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes
4 Tbs olive oil
3 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 Tbs chopped fresh sage (about 6 large leaves)
6 cups chicken broth
½ c freshly grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the squash with 2 Tbs of the olive oil, 2 tsp of the salt, and pepper. Place squash on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn the cubes over and continue roasting another 15 minutes or until they are caramelized. Set aside.

In a dutch oven, heat the butter and the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and sage. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are translucent and tender, about 10 minutes. Add the squash, broth, and the remaining salt and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the liquid is flavorful. Remove from heat.

In a blender (or with a handheld immersion blender), blend the soup in batches until smooth. Return to the pot and keep warm. Top with croutons (recipe follows) and grated parmesan.

Sage and Parmesan Croutons

5 thick slices of rustic bread, torn into pieces
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbs finely chopped fresh sage (about 6 large leaves)
3 Tbs olive oil
½ tsp salt
2 Tbs finely grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl, making sure bread is well coated. Spread bread evenly on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown.

Baby Back Ribs

Yet another pork recipe! This was one of the last times we used the grill during the official summer season. It is currently still reaching the nineties during the day, so we will most likely keep grilling well into November - one of the few perks to living in Florida.

Baby back ribs is a dish whose success has eluded us. We have tried a few times before. They either ended up chewy instead of tender, or lacking the caramelized barbecue coating and therefore not flavorful enough. This time, the ribs scored on both counts. The recipe utilized oven for slow-cooking, and then the grill for the finish. One day I would like to find a satisfying recipe that uses only the grill, but these ribs work well enough.

Baby Back Ribs
From Meat
By John Harrison with Frederick J. Simon

1 rack of baby back ribs (about 1.5 lbs)
1 small onion, sliced
1 bay leaf, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ½ c barbecue sauce of your choice (we used Stubbs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place ribs in a large roasting pan and add enough water to come about ¼ inch up the sides. Add the onion and bay leaf to the water; season with salt and pepper. Tightly cover the pan with foil. Place the pan in the oven and braise for about 1 hour, or until the ribs are tender but not falling off the bone. Remove the ribs from the pan, drain on paper towels, and cut into smaller 3 or 4 rib mini-slabs. Discard the cooking liquid.

While the ribs are baking, prepare the grill. Brush the ribs with barbecue sauce and grill over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes on each side, until dark and crisp. Baste frequently with the barbecue sauce. Serve ribs with more barbecue sauce.

Coconut Curried Pork, Peas, and Mango

We never ate much pork in my house when I grew up. We had a lot of chicken, ground beef and turkey, and occasionally some fish. Pork was mostly served in the form of ham - in casseroles, or a baked ham for the traditional Easter dinner. Nowadays, I don't naturally gravitate towards pork when deciding on dinner options.

This dish was a great jumping off point in my efforts to cooking more pork. The tenderloin is very lean, and cooks quickly. I was afraid of overcooking it, ending up with tough, chewy meat, but all turned out well. If the mango you choose isn't fully ripe, cook it a few minutes longer to bring out its sweetness.


Coconut Curried Pork, Peas, and Mango
Adapted from Cooking Light
July 2007

1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 Tbs canola oil
1 tsp red curry powder
1 ½ c snap peas
1/2 c light coconut milk
1 Tbs fish sauce
2 tsp red curry paste
1 ripe mango, cut into ½ inch cubes
½ c sliced green onions, divided
2 Tbs shredded coconut

3 c cooked rice
Lime wedges

Cut pork into 1-inch cubes. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork evenly with curry powder. Add pork and snap pes to pan; stir fry for 3 minutes.

Combine coconut milk, fish sauce, and curry paste, stirring well. Add mixture to pan; bring to a simmer. Stir in mango and ¼ cup of green onions. Cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with remaining green onion and shredded coconut milk. Serve with rice and lime wedges.

Chocolate Swirl Banana Cake

I prefer my bananas slightly greenish.

I like the firmer texture and less sweet flavor of them when just bordering on unripe. Smeared with peanut butter, bananas are one of my favorite snacks. Undoubtedly, they ripen faster than I can eat them, and I'm left with speckled bananas that are too mushy for my taste. I'm constantly trying to find ways to use up this overripe fruit.

This cake solves that problem nicely. It is a tasty alternative to banana bread, and it satisfies my frequent chocolate craving.


Chocolate Swirl Banana Cake
From Mrs. Fields Cookie Book
By Debbi Fields

2 ¼ c all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 ¼ c firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ c salted butter
½ c sour cream
1 ½ c mashed banana (about 3 large)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ c semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Ganache:
½ c heavy cream
2/3 (4 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preaheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan.

In a medium bowl combine flour and baking soda. Mix well with a wire whisk. Set aside.

Blend sugar and butter in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Scrape sides of bowl. Add sour cream, banana, egg, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the flour mixture and blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in melted chocolate and stir just until a marbled pattern develops.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack and cool to room temperature.

For ganache: Scald cream in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Cover pan with lid and set aside. After 15 minutes, stir until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Turn cake right side up onto a serving plate and frost liberally with the ganache.

Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Our little squirt has been with us for over 2 weeks, and we decided to venture out on our own for an afternoon. Hubs' mother lives in town, and has already asked to be the first-call for babysitting.

For our first post-baby date, we went to the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. This is one of our favorite theme park events. The festival lasts from the end of September until mid-November. During that time, there are cooking demonstrations, wine and food tastings, special tasting events (The Party of the Senses), celebrity chef appearances, an "Eat to the Beat" concert series, and multiple kiosks set up around the World Showcase which feature food from different countries around the world. The kiosks are our main focus when we go. Luckily, we are able to gain admittance to the park for free (thanks, Candlelight Show!).

There are about 25 kiosks, each with about 3 different menu options. Our game plan consisted of this: we would skip stuff that we would easily be able to get at a local restaurant; we would skip stuff that we have tried in previous years; and we would share dishes. Even with all these strategies, we only got a little over halfway around before getting full. Our first stop was Chile, where we had this tasty rock shrimp ceviche topped with popcorn.

Here is a montage of the other dishes we had. Clockwise from the top left:

crab cake with cabbage slaw and remoulade

chicken sausage with sweet corn polenta

lamb slider with tomato chutney

paprika beef stew with a bacon dumpling

gulab juman with rose syrup and pistachios

seared sea scallop with vegetable slaw and lemon oil

seared beef tenderloin with sweet potato puree

lobster and scallop fisherman's pie

center: sachertorte

There are still about seven more dishes that I want to taste, so hopefully we will be able to go back before the festival ends. Maybe next time, we'll be brave enough to take the squirt with us.

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

My parents came to visit about a month ago, which is no easy feat for them. My dad suffered a stroke a number of years ago, and is wheelchair bound. He also has no movement in his left arm. A two-hour drive for them is quite an undertaking, but they really wanted to see our new house. We ate my favorite pad thai for lunch, and had this pie for dessert.

The recipe is originally from Cooking Light, and had a number of modifications to make it healthier. I've made the recipe as it had originally appeared (lightened version) and thought it was just okay. I tried it again, adding some of the fuller-fat counterparts of the ingredients, and liked it much better. In this case, I'd choose flavor over health. It's not like I eat banana cream pie every week, right?


Black-Bottom Banana Cream Pie
adapted from Cooking Light
November 1998

1 9-inch single pie crust
3 Tbs cornstarch, divided
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa
Dash of salt
1 1/3 c whole milk, divided
1 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 Tbs butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 oz block-style cream cheese
2 large bananas, sliced
2 c whipped cream, homemade or pre-made

Prepare and bake pie crust.

Combine 1 Tbs cornstarch, 2 Tbs sugar, cocoa, and the dash of salt in a small, heavy saucepan. Gradually add 1/3 c milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook 2 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in chocolate, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Spread chocolate mixture into bottom of prepared crust.

Combine 2 Tbs cornstarch, 1 c milk, 1/2 c sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, eggs, and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add vanilla.

In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add 1/4 c hot custard mixture to cream cheese, and beat until just blended. Stir in remaining custard.

Arrange banana slices over the chocolate mixture in the pie plate. Spread custard over the bananas. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the custard. Chill for 4 hours. Remove plastic wrap, and spread whipped cream evenly over the top. Chill until ready to serve.