September 8, 2013

Individual Elvis Pies- Tailgating #SundaySupper

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Bacon Mini Pies


So, this week's #SundaySupper, hosted by Lane from Supper for a Steal, and it's about tailgating.

Which is a thing. That people do. Involving eating lots of food before watching sports. Right?

Obviously, it's not a thing that I do. Because sports and I, we're not the closest of acquaintances.
Source
But when I was thinking long and hard about it, I realized that the requirements for tailgate-party-type food were probably pretty similar to what I would serve at a tabletop game party. Finger foods, nothing that makes a mess, easy to eat, easy to clean, and won't get in the way of an epic D20 roll...

...Or, you know, a sort of sports type celebrating.

But when you think about it, there's not a whole lot of difference between gamers and sportsfans. I mean, fantasy football is totally just Dungeons & Dragons without the world building. Or different races. Or quest lines. Or treasure. So it's the boring version. And my brother even sent me the link to this Penny Arcade comic strip that explains football in gamer terms, and it makes so much sense now. See, if you can just figure out how to put it in the right terms, the gamers and sportsfans could totally get along.

(And now I've got that song from Oklahoma! stuck in my head, but instead of farmers and cowboys, I'm singing, "Ooooh, the gamer and the sportsfan should be frieeeeeeeeends....")

But one thing that definitely doesn't need translating: bacon.
Please note: I claim no affiliation to any football team. These are the things I stole from my family to take pictures. And my mommy knows Kellan Clemens.

I figured for that my usual cupcake fare wouldn't work too well for tailgating, (okay, so my brother told me that people don't eat cupcakes when tailgating. He also nixed the dragon and wizard decorating ideas. Spoilsport.) so I decided to manly it up. Bacon is robustly manly and quite a common ingredient in all the tailgate fare I've seen. I decided to turn the Elvis sandwich (peanut butter, banana, and bacon) into a hand pie.

And then all the custard kind of gooed out of the hand pies while baking. So I made them into tiny, adorable, individual pies instead. And I used a flower cookie cutter to do so because I thought it would be easier, and it made them more adorable in the process, and can we all just agree that manly is not my thing?
I'm not going to lie: the bacon is a little weird to encounter at first, but it all just kind of works together. The peanut butter and the banana. The banana and the maple syrup. The maple syrup and the bacon. All tied together with pie crust and a little sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top.

They're the most adorable manly dessert you'll ever find.
Individual Elvis Pies
Yield: Approx. 32 mini pies

Ingredients
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 bananas, ripe but firm, sliced into coins
1 tbsp. brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup, divided
3 eggs
½ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 slices cooked bacon, well drained and crumbled, plus more for garnish
Pie crust for 2 pies
Cinnamon sugar

Directions
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sliced bananas and brown sugar and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the bananas start to brown. Add 1 tbsp. of maple syurp, stirring until the bananas are well coated. Remove from heat, and mash with a fork (I prefer to leave some lumps).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and remaining maple syrup together until light and fluffy. In a saucepan over low heat, heat the cream until it just begins to simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming. Add the cream to the egg mixture one ladleful at a time, stirring constantly. When about half the cream has been added, stir in the peanut butter, then finish with the rest of the cream. Mix in the mashed bananas and crumbled bacon.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust. Cut into 5-inch rounds using a cookie cutter (I used a flower cutter). Place the pie crust in the muffin tin, and fill with the peanut butter custard. Bake about 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the custard is set. Top with more crumbled bacon and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, and allow to cool completely on wire racks.

Recipe by Kim
 

Gate your tails with the rest of the #SundaySupper group:

  Warm Ups (Appetizers):
Game Time (Main Dishes and Sides):
Overtime (Drinks and Desserts):
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