Dulce de Leche Banana Pie - Take Two!

A couple of summers ago I made a big recipe of Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie for a group of friends visiting the coast.  My husband was working out of town and could not join us and I just realized he had never had this pie.  As I searched my brain for a make-ahead dessert for our dinner, it popped into my mind because Cinco de Mayo (which is tomorrow) is always celebrated in our area.  This celebration of Mexican heritage always includes lots of yummy food so I was leaning towards finding something that might fit into such a celebration.  We live only 30 or so miles from the Mexico/Texas border...so we Caucasians are definitely in the minority here, but I try to embrace the culture of the area where I live because they have all embraced our family so very warmly.

I saw Marcela Valladolid make this on Food Network  back in 2011 and adjusted her recipe to suit our family.  This one is more like hers - the one I linked above was enlarged for a crowd!  I'll be serving it for dinner tonight after we get back from the beach - I have a roast in the slow cooker and this pie in the fridge... add some green beans, brown rice, and yeast rolls and our dinner will be a fast fix when we get back!

So, here's the smaller pie version of this delicious dish!

Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie Take Two
Adapted from Marcela Valladolid's recipe

Ingredients:

Crust:
Two 3.5 ounce packages of Maria crackers (I used a local store brand)
1 stick salted butter, melted (8 Tbsp)

Filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter, room temperature
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
One 13 ounce can Nestle La Lechera Dulce de Leche
3 medium bananas, sliced

Method:

First prepare the crust so it can chill.  Place the Maria crackers in the bowl of a food processor and process until well ground - I had to break a few cookies by hand to finish the process.  I tried to use the small bowl and blade of my KitchenAid food processor, but it wasn't a big enough blade to chop them all up... so I had to change bowls and blades (irritating).

Add the melted butter and pulse until well combined - scrape any butter that gets thrown on the side.  Pour the buttery crumb mixture into a glass pie dish, pressing the crust evenly across the bottom and up the sides with a flat bottomed metal measuring cup - it makes this a very easy process!  I held my fingers at the top of the pie dish so it didn't push up over the edge.  Be cautious not to over-pack the crust or it will be a challenge to cut through it when it is time to serve. 

Refrigerate for 20 minutes to solidify the butter.

Next prepare the cream filling.  I used my stand mixer.  Beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy with minimal lumps.  Add the powdered sugar and cinnamon, whipping at low speed, until combined.  Scrape the bowl with a spatula and hand mix any lumps you still see.  Add the cream to the butter/cream cheese mixture and put on your whisk and whip to soft peaks.  It's a thick concoction so don't expect a texture of whipped cream.

Open your can of Dulce de Leche and get a small offset spatula ready then get your crust out of the fridge to assemble the pie.  Begin by spreading the dulce de leche on top of the chilled crust.  I worked straight from the can and was careful to not "lift" the crust - it works very well with a cold crust and an offset spatula.

Once the dulce de leche is completely covering the bottom of your pie crust (and you have about 1/4 cup still left in the can for decorating the top), peel and slice your bananas, arranging them in an overlapping manner around the pie.  If you really love bananas, add a couple of more and make a double layer.  I kind of wish I had done another layer - I love the bananas in this pie.  

Next spread the whipped cream topping evenly over the banana layer being careful, again, not to pull the bananas up.  Another offset spatula, or even a rubber spatula, works perfectly for this.  

Place the remaining dulce de leche in a sandwich or piping bag and microwave it for just a few seconds until soft enough to squeeze.  Snip a bit off the sandwich bag and drizzle over the top of the pie.  If you don't think it is "drizzly" enough, you can warm the dulce de leche in a small pan on the stove top.  I was in a hurry and didn't get mine soft enough for the thin drizzle I desired.

Refrigerate and chill until set.  Remove from refrigerator 30-45 minutes before cutting - if the butter in the crust is slightly softened it will help the slices release from the pie plate.

This is a deliciously different banana cream pie - I hope you enjoy.  Thank you to Marcela Valladolid for such a wonderful recipe.  Her original version includes peanuts and you may find it on the Food Network website.

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

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