My Recipe

So, my dish for Jessica's farewell lunch is a banana cream pie.  I'll be honest that I've never made this particular recipe, so I hope it's a good one!  But I trust the book, so I feel good about it.  This recipe says it's for a deep dish pan.  I found it filled a regular size pan just fine.

The crust recipe is mine.  This recipe actually called for a graham cracker crust, but I like pastry crusts better.  I have enjoyed using coconut oil in place of shortening.  I figure that if I'm going to ingest straight fat, I might as well ingest something that occurs in nature!

So, enjoy!

Over the Top Banana Cream Pie

Crust:

2 c. flour

1 c. shortening (or coconut oil)

1 scant tsp. salt

1 scant tsp. sugar

½ c. milk

Prebake the crust and let it cool.

Filling:

¾ cup plus 2 TBSP granulated sugar

1/3 c. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

3 c. whole milk or light cream

3 large egg yolks

3 TBSP unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 ½ tsp. vanilla

Topping:

1 c. cold heavy or whipping cream

¼ c. confectioners’ sugar

3 medium-large ripe bananas

Combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-size, heavy saucepan.  Whisk in milk and egg yolks.  Place over medium heat and cook, stirring more or less continuously, until the mixture thickens and bubbles, 5 to 7 minutes.  Continue to cook, whisking continuously for about 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, and the vanilla.  Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell.  Gently press a piece of plastic wrap against the filling to help keep a skin from forming.   Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to finish assembling the pie, make the topping.  Beat the cream until it won’t quite hold soft peaks.  Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until it is stiff but not grainy.  Smear a thin layer of the topping over the filling, using nor more than half of it.  Cut the bananas into quarters lengthwise, then cut them crosswise into small chunks, letting them fall over the pie.  Arrange the chunks in a more or less single layer, then mound the remaining topping over the top.