Banana cream pie is my hubby's favorite pie and I try to make it every Easter and occasionally on Thanksgiving. His mom made a really good one and I also found a recipe for one in my old Aunt Myrtle's recipe boxes after she passed. I combined the 2 and came up with this great version.
I've also learned a good trick for those pie crusts that shrink up when you bake them. Not cool. I tried the following this year and it actually worked! Before baking the crust, put it in a glass or ceramic pie plate, poke it all over and then stick it in the fridge or freezer for a bit. Then, put parchment on top of the crust and form a couple layers of aluminum foil in the pie plate on top of the parchment. Then fill, the foil with dried beans to weight it all down. Mine took longer to bake than normal. When the usual baking time was up, I took all the layers off the crust and baked it a couple more minutes bare to finish baking the bottom.
Banana Cream Pie
One baked pie shell (see notes above for tips!)
Filling:
3/4 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. flour
1/4 t. salt
2 egg yolks. slightly beaten
2 c. milk
1 t. vanilla
1 T. butter
--------------------------
2 bananas thinly sliced
Heavy whipping cream, beaten with 1 - 2 T. powdered sugar
-------------------------
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt. Sift if there are lumps. Set aside.
Warm the milk in a sauce pan and slowly whisk the yolks in so they don't cook. Add the dry ingredients and cook over low-medium heat or double boiler until thick, stirring almost constantly. Once thick like a custard or pudding, remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla.
Cool completely.
Put the cooled filling in the pie shell. Make a layer with all of the sliced bananas over the top.
Top with the whipped cream so the bananas are completely covered.
Refrigerate.
---------------------------------
c = cup
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon
