Banana Cream Pie

For Pi day my first choice was banana cream pie. It helped of course that Chris had already chosen pecan pie since pecan and banana cream are pretty much my favorites. I'm not a huge pie person to begin with, but of all the pies in the world the top of my list would definitely have to be pecan and banana cream.

Fruit pie just doesn't really do much for me at all. Of all the fruit pies in the world, the only one that can get me excited is strawberry rhubarb... I've made (badly) apple pies and blueberry pies (which was a disaster), and I've tasted other people's well-made apple pies and blueberry pies, and they just aren't something I would generally spend calories on.

No, I like the rich pies. The maple cream pie I got from Smitten Kitchen is amazingly good. The maple walnut pie I've blogged about is also quite wonderful. My friend JB made a butterscotch pie and told me about it and that sounds like something right up my ally.

For this particular pie I used Dorie's standard pastry cream and upped the ante a bit by adding rum to it because to me rum and bananas just go together. Basic pie crust that tasted rich and buttery, topped with rum-infused pastry cream, layered with bananas, and then topped with whipping cream... yum.



Ingredients:

One fully baked pie crust

3 or 4 ripe, but still firm bananas.

Pastry Cream:
2 cups whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 tbsps corn starch, sifted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsps good quality rum
3 1/2 tbsps unsalted butter, cut into bits, at room temp

For the Whipped Topping:
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tbsps powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsps sour cream

To make the Pastry cream:
Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar, cornstarch and salt until thick and well blended. Whisking without stopping, drizzle about 1/4 cup of the hot milk -- this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they won't curdle -- then, still whisking, add the remainder milk in a steady stream. Put the pan over medium heat, and, whisking vigorously, constantly and thoroughly (making sure to get into the edges of the pot), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the vanilla and rum. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky. Scrape the cream into a bowl. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the custard until cold or; if you want to cool it quickly -- put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water, and stir the pastry cream occasionally until it is thoroughly chilled, about 20 minutes. Can be made 3 days in advance and kept in the fridge. Just stir thoroughly before using.

To assemble the pie:
Take the fully baked pie crust and put a thin layer of pastry cream on the bottom. Add a layer of sliced bananas, then another layer of pastry cream until you use both up -- finishing with pastry cream.

To make the whipped topping, whip the heavy cream in a mixer with a whisk attachment until it starts to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla and whip until it hold firm peaks. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the sour cream. Top the pie with the whipped cream evenly. Serve or refrigerate until ready to eat.