Dessert & Baked Goods » Banana Cream Pie
Fancy, intricate desserts can be pretty to look at, but rarely taste as good as a down-home classic. Pastry Chef Molly Hanson of Post 390 shares her secrets to the restaurant's best-selling dessert, the Banana Cream Pie. Start with a baked pie crust of your choice, then layer Molly's velvety vanilla pastry cream and sliced bananas. After the pie chills, top with pillows of sweet whipped cream. Simply heaven.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups whole milk
- ½ vanilla bean pod & seeds
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 sheet leaf gelatin + cold water to cover (optional but makes pie slices cleaner)
- 3 bananas
- 5 tbsp cornstarch
- 5 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 (9”) pie shell, baked according to pkg directions & cooled
Whipped Cream
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp sugar
How-to
Steep Milk & Slice Bananas
- Bring milk, vanilla bean and seeds, ½ cup sugar and salt to a boil in a small pot over medium heat. Turn off heat, cover and allow mixture to steep 20 minutes
- In a bowl of cold water, add leaf gelatin, soak 5 minutes, strain and wring it out. Set aside
- Slice the bananas into ⅛" thick slices and set aside
Make Pastry Cream
- Sift together cornstarch and remaining ½ cup of sugar. Whisk together with the egg yolks
- Bring milk mixture back up to a scald over medium heat and add it a little at a time into the cornstarch/egg mixture, whisking vigorously as to not scramble the eggs
- Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a new pot. Bring back to a boil again for 1 minute on medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent lumps or sticking to the pot
- Remove pastry cream from the heat and whisk in butter, warm gelatin and vanilla
- Add ¼ of the pastry cream to the baked and cooled pie shell and spread it into a thin layer. Cover completely with banana slices. Repeat with ¼ of the pastry cream and add a second layer of bananas. Top with remaining custard, making sure all bananas are covered to avoid browning
- Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and chill 2-3 hours in the refrigerator until completely firm
Add Whipped Cream & Serve
- Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until it is silky but with medium-firm peaks
- Place whipped cream in a pastry bag with a ½” straight round tip. Pipe onto the pie or spread across the top. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve
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