For years, I never really cared for mangoes. To me, they weren’t very sweet, unless I baked them in something like my Mango, Coriander, and Almond Bread, in which the mango develops an almost jelly-candy sweetness. I was using green mangoes. Then a friend (who just happens to be the woman who started the Virginia Renaissance Faire- a little plug here!) introduced me to yellow mangoes, and now I can’t get enough of them! So I started experimenting with them, and decided to try them as a pudding. That let to mango pudding over bananas with a caramel sauce on top. Well, once my taste-testers tried that and couldn’t stop eating it, I knew I had to take the final step: Make the mango into a cream pie. Thus, Mango Cream Pie with Bananas and Caramel Sauce was born. By the way, want a lighter touch? Skip the crust, and put the bananas, mango pudding and caramel sauce in a dessert dish. YUM!
For a Gluten-Free Pie Crust, please see: Gluten-Free Pie Crust
THE INSIDE SCOOP
The recipe presents full instructions. I typically do not feel the need to restate the directions in a discussion section. However, in case anyone feels intimidated about making a pie crust, I am presenting a discussion, with pictures, about how to make the pie crust.
TO MAKE PIE CRUST DOUGH, A LITTLE ALCOHOL HELPS:
I use both water and alcohol in this pie crust. Pie crusts are meant to be flaky. This means that one wants to avoid forming gluten, which can make for a tough crust. Flour contains gluten proteins. Water attaches to the flour and hydrates the gluten proteins in the flour, thus aiding in gluten formation. Alcohol does not hydrate the flour’s gluten proteins and therefore does not aid in forming gluten. Therefore, substituting alcohol for half of a pie crust’s liquid contributes to an amazingly flaky crust.
Although not necessary, I like to “book” my pie crust dough for extra flakiness. To do so, cut a 20” long piece of plastic wrap; place the plastic wrap on a work surface. Lightly flour the plastic wrap. Place the dough on top. With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a long rectangle. Fold 1/3 of the dough into the middle. Fold the other 1/3 of dough on top. Turn and repeat. Fold the plastic wrap over the pie crust and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
ROLLING IN DOUGH:
After the dough has chilled, flour your work surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the pie crust. Pie crusts need to be rolled approximately 2″ wider than the top of the pie plate to ensure that the crust fits the plate properly. Trim off the excess dough; use this excess the make a dough rope. Moisten the top rim of the pie plate and press this dough rope onto the rim, patching as needed.
Fold the rolled out pie crust into quarters or roll it onto your rolling pin. (I have a marble rolling pin which is too heavy for me to be able to roll the dough onto it.) Moisten the top of the dough rope. Then place the crust dough into the pie plate, being sure to center it. Ease the pie crust INTO the plate, to reduce shrinkage. Press the edge of the crust and the dough rope together. Attaching the edge of the crust to a dough rope helps to reduce shrinkage and helps keep the crust in place.
MY PIE CRUST GOT KNOCKED UP:
“Knock up” the edge of the crust by taking a knife and quickly tapping small cuts into the edge of the crust. Finish the edge with your favorite design. I love the look of a scalloped finish.
LOVE A GOOD PRICK:
With a fork, prick holes over the pie crust to reduce bubbling. These holes will typically close as the crust “puffs” while baking. I also like to crumple a piece of parchment or baking paper, place it in the crust, and fill it with baking beads or dried beans. I have found this to be a very helpful additional step to reduce any shrinkage or bubbling.
GETTING COLD-SHOULDERED:
Refrigerate the pie crust while you preheat the oven. The colder the crust dough, the flakier the crust will be, because the very cold butter will generate more steam as it bakes and melts.
WE’VE GOT THE HEAT:
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust begins to turn a golden brown. If the edge of the crust is browning, but the middle of the crust is not, remove the parchment paper and baking beads and bake an additional 2 minutes, or as long as needed to achieve a beautiful golden crust throughout.
What a Mangonificent Fruit!
Mango is a fibrous fruit, and that fiber doesn’t make a very creamy pie. To get your mango sauce exquisitely creamy, puree the mango, then press the puree through a very fine mesh sieve. The creamy goodness will go through and the tough fibers will be left in the sieve. If a fine mesh sieve is not available, line a sieve with 3-4 layers of cheesecloth, and press the mango puree through it.
When cooking the mango pudding, it is important to cook on low heat and stir CONSTANTLY, especially along the sides and bottom of the sauce pan. Sadly, the mango pudding will burn quickly if it is not stirred constantly. But, all is not lost if it does burn. Remember your fine mesh sieve? Press the mango pudding through it! Any burned particles will stay in the sieve, and you will be left with just the the creamy pudding.
A luscious Mango Pudding in an incredibly light, flaky, flavorful crust, and topped with caramel sauce. Warning: Take one bite and you will want it all! To Make the Pie Crust: Fit a food processor with a grating attachment. Grate the butter. Remove the grating attachment. Fit the food processor with the pastry cutter. Place the lard or shortening, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of the food processor with the butter. Pulse 3-4 times for 1-2 seconds each until the butter and lard are the size of small peas. Combine the water and alcohol or juice in a mixing cup. While pulsing, add the liquid through the feed tube; pulse until the dough just begins to come together to form a ball. The dough will look shaggy. Remove the dough from the bowl of the food processor and form the dough into a ball; flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle that is 2” wider than the top of the pie plate. Trim off the excess dough. Use the excess dough to roll a long rope of dough to fit the rim of the pie plate. Dampen the rim of the pie plate with water. Press the dough rope onto the rim, patching and joining as needed. Dampen the top of the dough rope with water. Fold the pie crust dough into 1/4ths and fit into the pie plate, easing the crust into the center of the pie plate and patching if needed. Trim any excess dough. Press the edge of the pie crust and the dough rope together. Scallop the edge of the pie crust. “Knock up” the edge of the crust. To prevent air bubbles from forming in the crust, use a fork to prick holes in the bottom and sides of the pie crust. Refrigerate while preheating the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a baking sheet on the middle rack. Once the oven is hot, remove the pie plate from the refrigerator. Optional: To further prevent bubbling, crumple a piece of parchment paper, place it on the pie crust, and fill with baking beads or dried beans. Place the pie plate on the baking sheet and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown. If the edge of the crust is browning but the center is not, remove the parchment paper and baking beads and bake an additional 2 minutes, or until golden brown all over. Remove the pie plate from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and cool completely. To Make the Mango Pudding: In a blender or food processor, puree enough mango to equal at least 2 ¾ cups of puree. Press the puree through a fine-mesh sieve or a larger-hole sieved lined with cheesecloth, to remove any mango strings and tough fibers. Place the egg yolks in a small mixing bowl; whisk until smooth. Set aside. In a 3-quart saucepan, whisk together the sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Whisking continuously, add the orange juice until mixture is smooth. Add 2 ½ cups of the sieved mango puree, whisking constantly until mixture is smooth. Cook and whisk over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Slowly stream at least 1 cup of the mango filling into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then slowly stream the egg and mango mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Reheat the mango filling on low until the pudding mixture begins to bubble, whisking constantly. Gently boil for an additional 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the butter. Partially fill a medium bowl with ice water. Place the bottom of the saucepan in the ice water bath to cool the pudding quickly. (Do not get any water in the pudding.) Slice 3-4 bananas onto the bottom of the cooled pie crust. Dry the bottom of the mango pudding-filled saucepan so water does not drip onto the pie crust or bananas. Gently pour the cooled mango pudding over the bananas. Note: Pudding should NOT reach the top of the crust. Cover pudding with waxed paper, pressing waxed paper onto the pudding to prevent a “skin” from forming. Refrigerate until mango pudding is completely set. To Make the Caramel Sauce: Place the unwrapped caramels and milk in a small saucepan. Cook on LOW heat until caramels melt, stirring frequently. Continue cooking and stirring until caramels and milk form a smooth sauce. Cool 5 minutes, then pour the caramel sauce over the top of the mango filling, being careful not to let the caramel sauce spill over the top of the pie. Refrigerate until set. Enjoy! *For a Gluten Free Pie Crust, please see Gluten-Free Pie Crust. Use Caramel Vodka, Plain Vodka, or Orange Juice in the pie crust. **Lard with make a flakier crust than vegetable shortening. ***Fully ripened green mangoes can be used instead of yellow mangoes. However, yellow mangoes will make a sweeter, milder pudding. Note: If any of the mango pudding sticks to the saucepan and burns, press the pudding through the sieve to remove the burnt pudding. Mango Cream Pie with Bananas and Caramel Sauce
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