I’ve made cajeta desserts, and I’ve done misugaru banana pudding desserts, and I’ve made banoffee pie desserts too. So I figured, why not combine all three? I mean for Pi Day, it just made the most sense to go with a pie that is an amalgamation of both banana pudding(custard, cream, wafers, and bananas) and banoffee pie(banana, chocolate, and dulce de leche). In place of the usual dulce de leche, we are using cajeta, which is Oaxacan caramelized goat’s milk, scented with cinnamon. I am also subbing out the chocolate with Valrhona’s yuzu inspiration chocolate, just to add more tartness to balance out the rich, stodgy, and sweeter notes in the dessert. I am using misugaru(Korean 7 to 23 grain blend that tastes like peanut butter) in the pastry, just to help give it a nuttier flavor, and also because I find that it almost evokes a Nilla wafer like taste, reminiscent of the banana pudding. I also topped mine with a quenelle of my sister’s homemade banana pudding ice cream and gold leaf, since it’s March, and St. Patrick’s day is around the corner. Between the Japanese yuzu, Mexican cajeta, and Korean misugaru, this dessert pretty much represents the hodgepodge that is my native Los Angeles, and I am living for that.

For the cajeta:
12oz evaporated goat’s milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup water

Stir everything, except for the water, in a large pot on low heat constantly for about 40 minutes. The end result will be a caramel, leather-brown paste. Take off heat and stir in the water to loosen your mixture. Keep warm for assembly. You will definitely have leftover cajeta, so I recommend using it on things like French toast or pancakes!

For the misugaru pastry:
1/2 cup misugaru
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup cold water

Mix all of the ingredients except for the water together, then pour in the water to form your dough. Chill this down for at least 20 minutes. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out four 4-inch disks using crumpet molds. Line the crumpet molds with oil and flour and place them on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Then place into the molds your disks. Line the sides of the crumpet mold with the dough, making use you have an even 1/4-inch thickness in width. Press the dough in the make sure it is sealed together properly. Prick the bottom of the dough. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove 10 minutes until the baking process and press down the centers of the tart using a metal spoon or measuring cup before returning to the oven for the remaining 5 minutes.

For the yuzu-banana pudding:
2 oz yuzu inspiration
2 oz dulcey
6 oz Korean Banana milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon gelatin powder
1 tablespoon yuzu juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
a pinch of salt

Combine all of your ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer while stirring until everything is dissolved and fully combined. Pass through a sieve to remove any lumps.

For assembly:
Fresh bananas
Gold leaf

Pour into your cooled down tarts a small layer(about 1 tablespoon) of cajeta. Then layer in slices of fresh bananas, then pour onto that the yuzu banana pudding. Freeze until set, about 1 hour, then finish with either cream or ice cream, and gold leaf.