A VALENTINE LOVE STORY & LOVE HANDLE PIE

In the spirit of love, this Valentines I wanted to share a Buffalo Love story with you, and a dessert that will bring the sweetness out in anyone!

 A BUFFALO LOVE STORY

A few months ago Dan and I moved all but seven of our buffalo on to their winter pasture in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. The seven left behind, consisted of a crippled up older cow with her calf, a calf-less cow, a young bull, and three older, big bulls, each with their own unique personality.

The cow and calf started to keep to themselves a few months earlier to stay out of harms way, which we were hoping for, as we wanted to keep a close eye on them during the colder winter months that lay ahead.  And, a few of the bigger breeding bulls had slipped away from the main heard, as they often do. The calf-less cow and young bull were a bit odd, or were they?

After a couple of weeks, the motherless cow had palled up with the three big bulls, and the younger bull stayed within a few hundred yards of the cow and calf. We monitored the cow and calf daily, ensuring that the mother was getting around to food and water. After a day or so of not seeing her, we set out in search for the trio, keeping our distance, so they would not feel pressured.

We found the two of them tucked into a hillside, where water flows from a spring year round.  The younger bull was just below, keeping his usual distance. We guessed that the young bull was one of her offspring from a few years back, and was doing his required hospice duty.

To insure that she wouldn’t have to roam for her food, Dan put out a two thousand pound round bale of grass hay that we had put up this past summer.  She died within the week in the comfort of her home, and as if on cue, the young bull took the motherless calf into his care, and slowly lead it to the others.

The separated small herd was now one, and I watched with binoculars from the window as the calf leaped around and frolicked between the massive bison bulls watchful eyes. The cow assisted too, nudging it now and then when it would lollygag behind.

In the early mornings and also just as the sun was setting, they would often stop by the hay to take a few bites. I snuck a little closer on a couple of those occasions, to try to get a few photographs.

The two-ton hay bale looked like a marshmallow next to their large frames.

Once I was noticed, the calf moved on with its loving family into the setting golden light.

DULCE DE LECHE BANANA PIE “LOVE HANDLE PIE ” Serves 16

Recently while in the panhandle of Texas, we stumbled upon this fabulous concoction at a restaurant in Lubbock. Encased in a thick graham cracker crust, was two inches of caramel, topped with bananas and brown sugared whipped cream. Oh my, who knew there was such decadence? I knew after one bite that I would have to try to duplicate it. Although I searched the web for something that looked like what I had consumed, the images and recipes came up short. Most recipes called for sweetened condensed milk, so I gave it a try, but also caramelized organic cream and sugar. There was no comparison, the fresh cream won hands down. I also doubled the cream & sugar amount, to achieve the gooey thickness, and instead of fresh bananas I prepared them Banana Fosters style. More decadence! You are going to love this pie.

Filling Ingredients: *Double if you would like thick caramel, but prepare in separate pans.

*2¾ – cup organic heavy cream
*1¾ – 2% organic milk
*1 ½ cups pure cane sugar

Crust Ingredients:
2½ – packages graham crackers
¼ – cup brown sugar
¾ – cup organic butter, melted

Banana Ingredients:
½ – cup organic butter
¼ – cup brown sugar
4 – bananas, sliced
½ – cup rum, dark preferred *I didn’t have dark rum, so used half Frangelico & half rum
¼ – teaspoon cinnamon

Cream Ingredients:
3 – cups organic heavy whipping cream
1 – teaspoon vanilla
¼ – cup brown sugar

Preparation:
1)   For filling, mix ingredients in a saucepan, and place over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a light boil.
2)   Reduce heat to low and place saucepan in a larger pan with water. *This will help it from scorching. Simmer cream, for 4 hours, stirring occasionally, and adding water, to water bath as needed.  Cream will slowly reduce and toward the end it will start to turn a light brown.
3)   After 4 hours, whisk in vanilla and butter. Increase heat to medium high, stirring constantly, until cream is thick and caramelized.
4)   While cream is reducing, make your graham cracker crust.  Place the graham crackers and brown sugar in food processor and process until finely crumbed.  Place cracker crumbs in 9½” deep pie pan and drizzle on the butter. Mix together in pan and press in bottom and up sides of the pan. Bake the crust at 375°, for 12 minutes. Remove crust form oven and refrigerate until needed.
5)   Once cream is thick and caramelized, remove the pan from the heat and allow caramel to cool to room temperature. Pour the caramel into the prepared crust and return to the refrigerator to set, at least 2 hours.
6)   For the banana layer, in a sauté pan over medium high heat, melt butter and the brown sugar together, whisking occasionally.  When mixture becomes bubbly, add the sliced bananas and lightly stir in to coat.  Add the rum and slightly tip pan carefully, or light, to ignite alcohol. Sprinkle the cinnamon into the flames and allow flames to dye out. Remove from heat.
7)   Scoop the bananas to one side of the pan, and pour the hot caramel into a bowl. Reserve for later use, to garnish pie.
8)   Spread the caramelized bananas on top of the caramel filled pie, and return to the refrigerator to set, about 30 minutes.
9)   While pie is setting, whip the cream. When the cream starts to thicken, add the vanilla and the brown sugar and continue to whip until the cream is stiff.
10) To serve, allow the pie to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Then cut the pie into 8 slices, plate, and top with the freshly whipped cream. Garnish with the reserved caramel sauce and sprinkles of brown sugar. Serve one piece per two people.
OMG fabulous!