vegan banana cream pie with aquafaba cane syrup meringue

Hi! I decided to bring the blog over here, since it seems like a more fun place currently to go on about aquafaba and whatnot (and I'm not really committed enough to blogging to justify paying WordPress’ $50/year for no ads).

Torn about if I'm going to go for a fully written-out recipe vibe here or not, but honestly I am supposed to be doing my homework (menu mix percentages and contribution margins lol), and would rather lay out a general framework with links to already perfect recipes when possible. So here we go! A vegan banana cream pie with ideal flavor and texture in my omnivore opinion.

You will need:

1. Your favorite vegan pie crust. Mine is the King Arthur Classic Single Crust with Miyoko's European-style salted butter and Spectrum shortening. I strongly prefer Stella Parks’ blind bake directions. Please note that while the King Arthur crust recipe only has a 30 minute minimum rest, the blind bake directions take a little longer than usual (minimum two hour chill and one hour bake).

2. Fresh bananas. (Or any other fruit that you would put in an icebox pie, a thin layer of preserves, etc.)

3. Your favorite vegan creme pat. I like this one from Addicted to Dates. One batch is enough along with the bananas and meringue topping.

4. Aquafaba meringue. I used a quart of leftover cane syrup meringue (it freezes wonderfully) and added a pureed half banana, inspired by Kelly Field's

   banana pudding recipe. The meringue is based on Lyndsay Sung’s maple Italian meringue buttercream from Plantcakes, which I use constantly! The main changes here are: using cane syrup 1:1 for maple syrup, using 15 oz chickpea cans instead of 19 oz (I tried adjusting the whole recipe, but found it didn't really matter), and the addition of banana puree. Please note that the reduced aquafaba needs to chill overnight.

   If you don't have cane syrup or time for the overnight chill, here is an aquafaba meringue recipe from Nik Sharma which doesn't require either. I do think cane syrup adds a nice depth to this pie though.

To assemble: Add sliced bananas to the cooled pie crust followed by the cooled pastry cream and chill overnight. Whip meringue and spread or pipe onto pie, torch if you want and serve immediately.

Banana-cane syrup aquafaba meringue

2 cans (15 oz each) unsalted chickpeas (you will have about 1 1/3c or 320g liquid total)
1/2t cream of tartar
1.5c (480g) cane syrup (Poirier's if you can)
Pinch of salt
One banana

1. Reduce chickpea liquid on the stove by half so that you have roughly 2/3 cup liquid. Chill the reduced aquafaba overnight.

2. Beat the reduced aquafaba and cream of tartar to stiff peaks. This may easily take 15 minutes. (Per J. Kenji López-Alt, aquafaba takes longer to whip, but on the upside, you can't overwhip it. I prefer to not rush vegan meringue and block out this time for coffee and dishes.)

3. Heat the cane syrup to 240F (115C) in a 3-quart stainless steel saucier. (Per Stella Parks, this is about the size you need to account for the tendency of natural sweeteners to foam. I live dangerously with my 2-quart saucier which I find more maneuverable. Choose your own adventure!)

4. Carefully pour the hot syrup into the running mixer and whisk on high until mixture has fully cooled, about 15 minutes.

5. Add pinch of salt and pureed banana and whip until smooth.

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Let me know what you think please! Leaving y'all with some reading and watching from this week.

Iliana Regan's Fieldwork: A Forager's Memoir audiobook in Libby. Fine and rural dining and queer embodiment in nature… so grateful Libby is helping me catch up on some wonderful books!

Shu Lea Cheang’s Fresh Kill (1994). Lesbian sushi chefs eco cybernoia… I feel that if you have found my blog, you will also like something here. Bummed to miss her screening with Annie Sprinkle at the Roxie tomorrow (10/12), but Cheang will also be at BAMPFA for the 10/16 showing of UKI—hope to make that!

Paige Emery’s The Banana Leaf is a Container Technology, on Gan Chin Lin’s recommendation.

Through Kamayan as container, the banana leaf creates space in a topography for relation. A meal is shared without separate plates in a gesture of togetherness. Food and flowers are arranged like a tapestry; for me this has always been an act of beauty to celebrate being together in community, an interconnectedness called kapwa. Beauty emanates with the force of vitality; attracts pollinators to help plants reproduce, draws lovers to coexist with each other, slows down time to give attention. There is an urgency to find ways to endure in the present moment. The word endurance often has masculine connotations of strength, but I think endurance comes from the way we gather in solidarity, the tenderness of beauty, the practices of connection.