Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie - Deep Dish

By carvalhohm2

If you go bananas for classic cream pies then this old fashioned recipe is for you. A flaky crust is loaded with banana slices and a creamy custard topped with whipped cream and chopped nuts. Yum!

Ingredients

• 1 (9-inch) homemade deep dish pie crust, baked (you may substitute for a store-bought shell)
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract)
• 3 cups whole milk*
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 3 to 4 ripe bananas
• Optional toppings: sliced almonds, homemade whipped cream, meringue

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare and bake 9-inch pie shell; set aside to cool.

In a medium saucepan, add milk and vanilla. If you are using a vanilla bean, scrape well and add to pot, along with empty bean (you will remove this later).

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, flour and salt; If you used a vanilla bean, you may now remove it. Gradually stir in the scalded milk, whisking constantly.

Cook until thickened over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cooking times will vary, depending on your stove top. Once mixture thickens, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, separate your eggs.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the 3 egg yolks; DO NOT ADD to the saucepan yet, you will need to temper the egg yolks first! To do so, add the hot mixture a little at a time, stirring continuously (start out by adding a tablespoon at a time) and once you have added enough of the mixture to slowly bring the temperature of your egg yolks up, you may add the yolks to the saucepan.

Continue to cook for one minute longer, stirring constantly. Your mixture should look about the same thickness as this, and should be able to easily coat the back of a spoon without dripping off.

Remove saucepan from heat and blend in the butter.

Set aside and allow to cool until lukewarm; your mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.

When custard is cooled: slice bananas and layer in pie shell.

Pour custard over bananas.

Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours, or until custard is set. Top as desired.

* Whole milk is recommended; if you are using anything less (1-2%) I suggest substituting a portion of it with heavy cream to obtain the necessary consistency for the custard.