Last updated on March 4, 2019 by Liza Hawkins
Banana Cream Custard Pie? I’ll take a slice (or three)!
From the looks of all my friends’ posts on Facebook, it appears Thanksgiving was a raging success this year for everyone.
But, then again, when is it not? Lots of family, friends and some of the best food of the year.
Why we don’t roast turkeys more often is beyond me!
Anyway, my family was no different. We (all 15 of us) feasted at my parents’ farm, with turkey and all the trimmings (which includes several vegetarian favorites prepared by my herbivore sister and her boyfriend husband, and no green bean casserole).
Dessert included the banana cream pie I had been assigned to bring, as well as the standard pumpkin and pecan pies.
My dad and Cousin Kathryn nearly tackled me in the driveway for first dibs on the banana cream pie.
Its reputation preceded itself, and they’ve been talking about it for days! Don’t worry—I’ll share the recipe below.
Keep going…
Chatter, laughter, screaming kids, a hot kitchen, lots of dishes, led up to an old-fashioned good time and really full bellies.
Old dishes, like my late grandmother’s staple—sweet potato casserole, NO marshmallows, lots of brown sugary caramelized goodness…
…marry with newer favorites, like my sister’s homemade baked mac ‘n cheese, with crispy buttery edges.
Great conversation, so rowdy at times that you can’t hear across the table.
But that’s to be expected as part of the normal hoopla, right?
And this year? A DEEP FRIED TURKEY.
And a regular roast turkey too. What a treat!
But let’s not forget the end.
The end of the meal that involves dessert. AND PIE, to be exact.
Banana Custard Cream Pie
Banana Cream Custard Pie? I'll take a slice (or three)!
Ingredients
- 1 graham cracker crust for a 9″ pie plate, homemade or store-bought
- 2 cups (1-pint) heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 large whole eggs
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 8 ripe bananas, firm but ripe
Instructions
- Prepare a graham cracker crust in a 9″ pie plate, and set aside.
- Combine the cream, milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar, vanilla bean seeds and pod in a heavy bottomed 2-quart sauce pan. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer over medium heat, whisking often, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, cornstarch and 1 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Add 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking to combine. Add the milk and egg mixture all at once back into the sauce pan with the hot milk, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon over medium-high heat until the mixture thickens into a custard – about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Push the custard through a fine mesh strainer and into a clean medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, taking care to press the wrap down so that it’s resting on top of the custard – this will keep the custard from developing a skin on top while it cools. Discard the vanilla bean pod.
To assemble the pie:
- Slice the bananas in 1/2″-thick rounds. Spread 1/2 cup of the custard in an even layer on the bottom of your cooled pie crust. Arrange banana slices on top in 1 even layer, then top them with 3/4 cup of custard and spread it out smooth. Press down gently to make the layer dense, then repeat the steps twice more. End with a smooth layer of the custard, making sure that all the bananas are covered well so that they won’t discolor. Cover with plastic wrap, and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- Before serving, coat the pie with a generous slathering of whipped cream.
Notes
Allow the custard to cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Adapted from Emeril's recipe for banana cream pie.
