Best Banana Cream Pie

When my cousin shared this recipe with me and promised it was seriously the BEST Banana Cream Pie, I was skeptical to say the least. I’m not even a big fan of bananas. I would never eat them plain as a snack. I might like them in ice cream with chocolate...maybe. She said she was the same before this pie. I took her at her word and made it last Thanksgiving. Even with 4 other pies, this pie was gone first…so dang good. From the Chew Out Loud blog (https://www.chewoutloud.com/best-banana-cream-pie-recipe/)

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold butter, cubed and chilled
4-6 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 1 rounded tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk
5 large egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in half
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ripe, but still firm bananas

For topping:

1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the crust: In a food processor, blend flour, sugar, and salt together until combined, 5 seconds. Add cold butter and pulse about 10 times or until it resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons ice water in, stir, and press dough together with a rubber spatula until dough comes together. If needed, add 1 tablespoon ice water at a time until dough comes together. Turn dough onto plastic wrap, flatten into 4 inch disk, and wrap tightly. Chill 1 hour.

Let chilled dough sit at room temp for 10 minutes and preheat oven to 375 with rack on lower middle position. Roll dough into a 12 inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto a 9 inch pie plate, with excess draped over edges. Gently press dough into plate and tuck/crimp edges. Cover and place in freezer 30 minutes.

Line edges of cold crust with foil to prevent burning and fill inside of plate with pie weights (I use a bag of beans in oven-proof bag) Bake 25-30 minutes. Remove weights and foil. Continue baking until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Make the Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in evaporated milk, egg yolks, and milk until smooth. Bring to simmer, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and becomes smooth, several minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Let mixture cool to warm, stirring often with wooden spoon, 5 minutes. *Do not stir again after this.

Pour half of warm filling into cooled pie crust. Slice bananas and lay over filling. Spread rest of warm filling over bananas. Lay plastic wrap over surface of filling and chill until set, at least 4 hours to overnight.

Topping: In a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until foamy, 1 min. Increase to high speed and whip until stiff peaks form, 3-4 minutes. Spread or pipe whipped cream over chilled pie. Keep pie chilled until ready to serve.