Banana split ice cream cake

I found today's recipe at FamilyFun.com. This dessert take a couple hours to completely make, but it is totally worth the wait.

As is the recipe is fairly straightforward. However, I will suggest a few additions as I get to them.

What you need:

• 2 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 c. melted butter, plust 1/4 c. butter
• 4 to 5 medium bananas, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 1/2 quarts strawberry ice cream, softened
• 1 c. chopped walnuts
• 1 c. chocolate chips
• 1 c. confectioners' sugar
• 1 c. evaporated milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 (8 oz.) container whipped topping

Putting it together:

1. In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and the melted butter. Set aside half of the mixture, and press the rest into a 9x13 inch pan.*
2. Place the bananas in a single layer over the crust. Spread the softened ice cream over the top and smooth. Sprinkle the nuts on the ice cream, then cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.
3. In a saucepan, melt the chocolate chips and the remaining 1/4 c. butter and stir until smooth. Add the sugar and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until slightly thickened and smooth, about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool the mixture, stirring occasionally. Pour over the ice cream and freeze until firm.
4. Spread the whipped topping over the chocolate layer and sprinkle with the reserved crumbs. Freeze for at least 3.5 hours. Remove the dish from the freezer 10 to 20 minutes before slicing.

* Even with the 2 cups of crumbs, I was barely able to cover the bottom of my pan. If I did this again, I would probably up the crumbs to 3 cups and use 3/4 cups of melted butter, or possibly even double those ingredients. If you don't mind a thin crust, leave it as is. If you want it thicker, increase those ingredients.

Orange Meringue Pie

Tonight I present a recipe for orange meringue pie. This is most definitely the most ambitious dessert I have tried yet. I found this over at allrecipes.com and made it in an evening. Here's what you will need.

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

When I made the crust, I just bought a box of graham crackers and hand crushed them. Try to make sure there are not any big pieces. Combine the crumbs with the sugar and mix it together. After it's mixed, stir in the butter. I made the mistake of only using softened butter, so it was almost like trying to cream the butter and sugar together. After it's all mixed, press onto the sides and bottom of a 9-in pie tin. You will want to bake it at 375 F for about 10 minutes, or until it's lightly browned.

To make the filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 1 tablespoon butter

To begin, combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk in the orange juice and water until it's smooth. Cook it over medium heat until it's thickened and bubbling. Once it starts bubbling, reduce the heat and stir for 2 minutes.

This next part I did while the filling was on the stove. You need to separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. The whites are used later. For this, I used a two bowl method where I broke the egg into a bowl and scooped out the yolk and let the white kind of drain off. I then put the yolks in a separate bowl and beat them. After the mixture on the stove has been heated, take 1 cup of the filling and mix it with the egg yolks and then return it to the pan after it's mixed. Then bring the filling to a gentle boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Next mix in the lime juice, orange peel, and butter and pour it into the pie crust. The original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons lime juice and 4 teaspoons of grated orange peel. I used 3 or 4 tablespoons of lime juice because I didn't have the proper tool for zesting an orange. So I had about 2 teaspoons of the grated orange peel.

To make the meringue:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 6 tablespoons sugar

This part was a bit tricky. You can do this by hand, or use this handy guide I found over at thekitchn.com to do it with a mixer. Basically mix it until it starts to get foamy, then add the cream of tartar. Keep mixing and once it hits the soft peak stage, add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. After the sugar is added, mix until you get stiff peaks.

Once it's done, spread it over the filling so it seals the edges of the pie to the crust.

Putting it all together:

Once it's all together, you want to bake it at 350 F for around 15 minutes or until the top starts to have a golden color. Cool it for an hour and refrigerate before serving.

All in all, this turned out pretty well. The original website says that it should take about an hour total, but that might only be true if you have done this a few times. It took me about 2 hours total to make this dessert, but it was worth it.