I recently titled my "Recipe" board "To Make" because I love taking down pins of recipes I've already made. Checking things off of your To-Do (or in this case, to make) list is so satisfying.
That being said, this recipe is one that has been on my "To Make" board for about 6 months now. Banana cream pie became stuck in my head after hearing Mike and Tom talk about it on their podcast
"MATES." Since then, I had been dying to make one, and a Saturday night at home warranted the occasion.
Once you master making a custard filling, it opens up a door to a whole new world of desserts. The key to the perfect custard is to
go slow and
whisk constantly! If you boil the milk or add the warm milk to the eggs too quickly, you could risk scorching your milk or curdling your eggs (respectively). Keep your milk over medium-low heat and add it to your eggs about 1/4 of a cup at a time. It's incredibly trying on those of us who are not patient but believe me, you do not want to rush this. Also, make sure you're whisking constantly, even if it is a pain. This will keep your custard silky and smooth. I mean, who would want to bite into a lumpy custard? It makes my skin crawl just thinking about it...
Also, just a word of warning, when you have your milk/egg mixture over heat it's going to thicken up rather suddenly. I was lackadaisically swirling the whisk around the pot when I noticed a clump was starting to form in the middle of the pot. At that point, you want to make sure you're whisking consistently and somewhat rapidly. You want it to thicken up smoothly without any lumps.
I have to admit, when I was spooning the custard into a bowl I was a little skeptical. I had never made custard before, so I didn't know what to make of the smell and consistency of the goopy stuff I had just made. So I decided to have a little taste. At first, I didn't taste anything, but then this slightly sweet taste started to come, and before I knew it I was licking the pot clean. The custard is not eggy at all, and using brown sugar instead of granulated sugar makes for a very rich custard.
The pie is just lovely. For a cream pie, it's not heavy at all, and the custard is so silky and decadent. Also, there's nothing quite like homemade whipped cream, and with this recipe, you'll have some left over for dipping fruit in and putting on your ice cream. The strawberries are such a nice touch to the pie since they add a tiny bit of tartness. This pie was wonderful and I know it will make an appearance again this summer. Or maybe even as early as Mother's Day.
Strawberry
Banana Cream Pie
Yield: 1 9-in. pie
Prep Time: 45 min + 1 hour (at least) in fridge
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2 c whole milk
- 6 large egg yolks
- ½ c brown sugar
- 1/3 c cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
extract
- 3 tbsp unsalted
butter
To assemble the pie:
- 1 graham cracker
pie crust
- 2 bananas, sliced
- ½ lb
strawberries, sliced
For the topping*:
- 2 c (1 pint) whipping
cream
- 4 tbsp powdered
sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
extract
Directions
To make the filling, bring the milk to a slow boil in
a small saucepan over medium heat.
In a separate, larger saucepan (not over heat), whisk
the egg yolks together with the brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt until well
blended and thick. Drizzle about ¼ of
the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to warm the eggs
slowly. Slowly add the rest of the milk
in a steady stream, whisking constantly.
Be careful not to let the eggs curdle.
Place the saucepan with the egg and milk mixture over
medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Allow the mixture to boil, still whisking,
for 1 minute and then remove from heat.
The mixture should be thick and creamy.
Whisk in the vanilla extract and then let stand for 5
minutes. Whisk in the butter, stirring
constantly until the butter is incorporated.
Transfer the custard to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, allowing
the plastic wrap to touch the surface of the custard so a skin doesn’t form on
the top. Refrigerate until cold
throughout (at least one hour but preferably overnight).
To assemble the pie, layer the bananas and then the
strawberries along the bottom of the graham cracker pie crust. Mash the left over banana slices and stir
into the custard. Pour the custard into
the pie shell and smooth. Cover with
plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
To make the whipped topping, beat the whipping cream
until it starts to thicken. Add powdered
sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Store in the refrigerator if not serving
immediately.
When ready to serve the pie, spread the whipped
topping on the pie and top with any left over sliced strawberries. Serve pie immediately or refrigerate. Pie will last 2 – 3 days.
*Note: this makes more whipped topping than you will
need for the pie, but you can always use it as a topping for fruit, ice cream,
pastries, etc. or store in the freezer for use later.
Serves
2
