Caramelized Banana Meringue Pie

I was too busy to cook much last week and eggs piled up on our counter.  (We have our own hens and since we collect often, we don't wash and refrigerate the eggs.  They have a natural coating that preserves them well at room temperature.  However, I would not leave a store bought egg to spoil on a counter!)

I was thinking of making a lemon meringue pie, just a lot less sugary and more meringue-y than normal.  My husband dearly loves lemon meringue.  However, brown spots were multiplying on the bananas next to the eggs on the counter, so I came up with this instead.  It's vaguely reminiscent of tiramisu.  The crust is a bit like an almond sugar cookie and is the only really decadent part of the dessert.  The bananas are heavily caramelized so they are almost unrecognizable.  The topping has no corn syrup, corn starch or dairy products.  It is almost entirely meringue, either folded into a small amount of custard or piled high on top of the pie.  Consequently, this is a pie that is best brought to the table and presented whole to your fellow diners.  Once you cut into it, or once it has cooled, it will start to deflate.  Make sure you refrigerate this pie and eat it within a couple of days - if you can hold back that long.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a deep spring-form cake (preferred) or deep pie pan.

Almond Cookie Crust
1/2 c. whole wheat flour (I use stone-ground, malted)
1 c. almond flour
1/4 c. dark brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 tsp. almond flavoring

Mix the above ingredients.  Pat the cookie crust only into the bottom of a deep spring form (preferred) or pie pan (which will look more traditional but will be harder to get the finished product out of!).  Cook approximately 15 minutes until browning at edges, but start peeking in the oven at about 10 minutes.  You want this to start firming up enough so you can place the bananas and custard on top without it getting soggy, but you don't want it to cook so much that the next trip into the oven will cause it to scorch.   Let cool while you prepare the bananas.
Turn oven off. 

Caramelized Bananas
3 tbsp. butter
5 large spotty bananas

Cut the bananas into slices and cook in a fry pan over medium heat, turning every couple of minutes or so.  At first the bananas will release some juices.  Then the juice and butter will reduce and the bananas will need to be watched and stirred carefully.  You want the bananas to be definitely brown and the sauce very thick and almost gone; the bananas can even be a little blackened on the edges.  Do not let them outright burn, though.  Spread the caramelized bananas over top of the crust.   (Disclosure:  the pie in the photo contains only 2 tbsp. butter and 3 bananas, but it just wasn't enough because the bananas shrink in the cooking.  However, you won't need to increase the butter proportionately because some of the butter is to lubricate the pan.)

Custard get the ingredients together while you are caramelizing the bananas.
6 egg yolks
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1 stick butter
1 tsp. almond flavoring
1 tbsp. instant coffee

Mix the above ingredients with a whisk in the top of a double boiler but do not begin to cook until you can devote reasonably full attention to it because once this thickens, it forms lumps pretty quickly.  Heat, stirring nearly constantly over medium heat, until thickened and smooth.  Remove from heat and allow to cool just long enough to make the meringue.

Turn oven on to 325 degrees.

Meringue get the ingredients together while you are caramelizing the bananas.
6 egg whites
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
pinch of salt

Beat the egg whites until very soft peaks form, then add the brown sugar, cream of tartar and pinch of salt.   Beat until peaks hold nicely, then fold 1/3 of the meringue mixture gently into the custard mixture to lighten it.  Carefully spoon this custard/meringue mixture on top of the bananas, which should now be on top of the crust.  Then return to the meringue and add:

1 tbsp. instant coffee
1 tsp. almond flavoring
2 tbsp. brown sugar

Beat meringue just a few moments longer, until the above are incorporated.  Be careful not to over-beat because the egg whites may start to separate.  Spoon this meringue on top of the custard mixture.   Be gentle so you don't mash the air out of it as you swirl a design in.  Then place back into the oven and cook for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve immediately, intact, to oohing and aahing friends and family.