Banana Cream Pie

This is my I'm-about-to-start-a-new-job banana cream pie. I also made this to allay my post-vacation depression. And because I have the new iPod, which happily contains a Bananarama record (really, how could I resist?). "Cruel Summer" perfectly captures my mood at the moment because it is so miserably hot here and I'm sadly missing someone far away. And did I mention Bananarama is super British? 

I'm not sure why I always double recipes - I don't need one pie, let alone two. However, this week, having an extra pie in my refrigerator was fortuitous (who has made-from-scratch pies just lying around with no one to eat them? Seriously.) I gave it to the x-ray techs who gave me a free x-ray on my foot, which I suspected I broke hiking in Scotland. Turns out it's just a stress fracture, and I'm a giant wuss. Whoops. Pie in exchange for the pointless use of medical resources seems like a fair trade, right? I think they got the better end of the deal because this pie was delicious.  

I bought two different pie crusts, but only got to try the graham cracker.

First, I separated ten eggs (for 2 pies).

I really tried to keep them all intact. But I'm a failure at food blogging.

Then I whisked together in a saucepan 1 1/3 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup cornstarch, and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, and gradually whisked in 5 cups of whole milk.  

Then vigorously whisked in 10 large egg yolks until no yellow streaks remained. And brought it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula until it got thick. This took about 40 minutes, in part because I doubled the recipe and in part because I was overly cautious about burning the custard.  

Then I removed it from the heat, scraped the sides of the saucepan, and whisked vigorously 
with my noodle arms until smooth (I count this as a workout). 

Then returned it to the heat until it simmered and whisked it for one minute. I removed it from the heat and whisked in 3 teaspoons of vanilla and 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. There was a lot of whisking involved in the making of this pie.  

Next, I sliced six bananas into about 1/4 inch thick slices.

Then I layered 1/3 of the filling into the pie tins and artfully arranged a layer of banana slices atop it. 

And added another layer of filling and another Martha Stewart layer of banana slices.

And another…

So that 1/3 of the filling was reserved for a top layer.

Then I covered it with plastic wrap and refrigerated it overnight. (Don't worry - the plastic wrap doesn't stick.)  

The next day, I turned on some Kylie Minogue, because I just spent two weeks listening to Nick Drake and 10,000 Maniacs while staring out of train windows at the rainy coasts of Scotland. Some days you just need some throwback slutty pop.  

And I made some stabilized whipped cream, which was a first. It's just whipped cream with gelatin in it that prevents it from going flat.

I poured 2 tablespoons of cold water over 1 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin in a heat-proof glass and let it sit for 5 minutes. 

Then I placed the cup in simmering water until the gelatin melted.

Once it melted, I set it aside to cool.

Meanwhile...

I put 2 cups of heavy cream into the wonderful KitchenAid mixer and turned it on medium-high speed. And while it mixed added 4 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. As the cream began to thicken, I added the cooled gelatin.

Which actually gave the whipped cream a weird consistency visually; although, it tasted smooth.

And grated some dark chocolate over the top to make it look fancy without the additional work and fuss of piping the whipped cream on.

Banana Cream Pie (makes 1 pie - adapted from The Joy of Cooking)

1 premade graham cracker crust (or Nilla Wafer crust, which I imagine is delicious)

Filling:

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups whole milk

5 large egg yolks

2-3 tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 

3 almost ripe bananas, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Whisk in a medium-heavy saucepan until well blended the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk. Vigorously whisk in the egg yolks until no yellow streaks remain. Stirring constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula, bring to a simmer over medium heat until it thickens. Remove from heat, scrape the pan, and whisk until smooth. Return to heat, whisking constantly, bring to a simmer, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla.  

Layer 1/3 of the filling into the crust, top with a layer of banana slices, top with another 1/3 of the filling, and repeat. 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon cold water

1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

Pour the cold water over the gelatin in a heatproof glass and set aside for 5 minutes. Bring water to a simmer in a saucepan and place the glass in the saucepan until the gelatin melts. Set aside to cool. Mix heavy cream on medium-high heat, adding sugar and vanilla as you go. As it thickens, add the gelatin. 

Spread the whipped cream over the pies and top with grated dark chocolate if you're so inclined.

Share & enjoy!