Banana Cream Pie
Banana Cream Pie, with loads of ripe bananas folded into a rich pastry cream and then covered with sweetened whipped cream is always a family favorite. I added some white chocolate curls on top for a finishing garnish. Use bananas that are at the peak of ripeness but before they are turning brown and over-ripe.
Recipe type: Dessert | Cream Pie | Fruit Pie
Serves: 6 to 8
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Recipe Notes
Pan: One 9 inch Pie Pan Pastry: Flaky Pie Pastry Pastry Prep: Baked Starting Oven Temp: 425° Storage: Cover and Refrigerate
Help: Flaky Pie Pastry
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Help: Flaky Pie Pastry
TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,
accurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.Ingredients
Pastry: Flaky Pie Pastry for one 9-inch single-crust pie, blind baked.
Cream Filling:
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 cups milk (preferably whole milk)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 large or 4 medium ripe bananas
Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1½ cups whipping (heavy) cream
- ¼ cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
Garnish:
- About 1 ounce white chocolate for curls
Instructions
Pastry:
- Prepare Flaky Pie Pastry, blind-bake the pie crust. Set aside.
Cream Filling:
- In a small mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, ¼ cup sugar, and salt; whisk together to mix. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks then add the cornstarch mixture and whisk until thoroughly blended. Set aside.
- In a medium, non-reactive, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, combine the milk and remaining ¼ cup sugar. Bring the milk mixture to a simmer stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, remove from the heat.
- Temper the eggs: Very slowly, in a thin stream, pour about ½ cup of the hot milk mixture into the beaten eggs while quickly whisking the two together with a wire whisk. Return the egg mixture back to the rest of the hot milk, pouring back slowly while quickly whisking the two mixtures together. Return to medium-low heat, constantly whisking quickly with the wire whisk and scraping over the bottom of the pan, cook until the mixture just comes to a boil, continue to cook while whisking constantly for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add the vanilla extract and butter and stir until melted and completely blended.
- Pour the cream filling into a medium-sized bowl and place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface while the filling is cooling to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool about 10 minutes.
- Peel the bananas, slice in half lengthwise, and then cut crosswise into slices about ¼ inch thick. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the banana slices into the still warm filling.
- Pour the warm filling into the baked pie crust. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the filling. Refrigerate about 4 hours or until filling is set.
Whipped Cream Topping:
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer beat the whipping cream until soft mounds form; gradually add the powdered sugar, continue beating until barely stiff peaks form. Tip: the cream will whip easier if the mixing bowl and beaters are first chilled; place in the refrigerator to chill until ready to whip the cream.
- Spread the whipped cream over the pie filling using a rubber spatula, offset spatula, or the back of a spoon to form attractive swirls and peaks.
Garnish:
- Sprinkle white chocolate curls on top. Tip: Use a vegetable peeler to shave curls from a block or bar of room temperature chocolate.
- Serve: Cream pies are best served immediately or served the same day. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigerate leftovers.
Adapted From: Yard, Sherry, The Secrets of Baking, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 2003; Stewart, Martha, Baking Handbook, Clarkson Potter, New York, 2005; Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts, Clarkson Potter Publishers, New York, 2011; Baking Illustrated, by the editors of Cook's Illustrated, 2004