Banana Cream Pie
This layered concoction of pastry cream and sliced bananas topped with whipped cream is often delicious and sometimes sliceable, but we stabilized it with buttery pastry cream for a sliceable texture without being stodgy.
Ingredients
Instructions
Peel 2 bananas and slice into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sliced bananas and cook until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, bring to boil, and boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 40 minutes.
Whisk granulated sugar, egg yolks, and salt together in large bowl until smooth. Whisk in cornstarch. Strain cooked half-and-half mixture through fine-mesh strainer into yolk mixture; do not press on bananas—and whisk until color lightens. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened to consistency of warm pudding (180 degrees), 4 to 6 minutes. Off heat, whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Transfer mixture to clean bowl, lay sheet of plastic wrap directly on surface, and refrigerate pastry cream for 1 hour.
Peel and slice remaining 3 bananas into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and toss with orange juice in bowl. Whisk pastry cream briefly. Spread half of pastry cream over bottom of cooled pre-baked pie crust, arrange sliced bananas over top, then spread remaining pastry cream over bananas.
Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip cream, confectioners' sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Spread whipped cream evenly over top of pie. Refrigerate pie until filling is chilled and set, at least 5 hours or up to 1 day. Serve.
Recipe from Cookbook Hub - www.cookbookhub.org