Good Food! unResolution Month Post #12: Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie
Banana Cream Pie

Last night’s foray into Boston cream pie got me thinking about other uses for pastry cream like, say,

Banana Cream Pie 

You know, I like Boston cream pie a lot, but nothing, and people I’m being serious here, nothing beats a banana cream pie when it comes to members of the cream pie family.  Plus, it’s so easy to make banana cream pie look beautiful.  See the pic up there, it’s restaurant quality.  You can do that in your own home.  So simple.  So delicious, so good.

Plus, since I’m all about gilding the lily a bit, I think I’ll serve my banana cream pie with a layer of white chocolate.  What do you say?

Banana Cream Pie Recipe

So like last night, this recipe is about the elbow grease, especially if you want your pie to look like the pic.  Fortunately, banana cream pie is one of those things that tastes almost as good as it looks.

You will need:

  • 3 extra-large egg yolks , at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
  • 1 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream (divided)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cognac or brandy
  • 1 regular or graham cracker crust
  • 2 cups white chocolate chips
  • 8 bananas (divided)
  • Whipped cream
  • Chocolate savings

Like last night, this will be a five step process.  One, make the pastry cream by following this Oprah link.  (I chose that link since it’s Ina Garten’s recipe and the woman knows pastry cream.  Don’t worry, the ingredients are in the list above.)

Two, bake the pie shell for 8-10 minutes or until well browned.  Set aside.

Three, pour the heavy cream and white chocolate in a sauce pan and stir constantly until the white chocolate has melted.

Four, slice 4 bananas into rounds and 4 into long slices.

Five, assemble by first pouring in some white chocolate, then the pastry cream, then the banana rounds.  Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.  Finally, lay the long banana slices on top of the pie and use a brulee torch to caramelize.

Now, what are you waiting for?  Enjoy!

Thanks to stu_spivack for that picture.

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