Caramelized Banana Cream Pie

Mom's Banana Cream Pie recipe has all the creamy goodness you expect from this old-fashioned favorite. I use a touch of spice and lightly caramelize the banana slices to add a kick of flavor. You can use standard pastry crust or any crumb crust you prefer to line the pie plate, but I like to complete the banana pudding theme with a vanilla wafer crust.
Prep crust: 15 minutes Bake crust: 10 minutes at 350°F Prep filling: 40 minutes Chill: 2 hours Makes: 6 servings Pan: 6-inch pie plate Difficulty: intermediate

Ingredients

Vanilla Wafer Crust

  • 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup vanilla wafer crumbs (see "Tips")
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • Non-Stick cooking spray

Banana Pudding Filling

  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (29 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons (15g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Non-Stick cooking spray

Caramelized Banana

  • 1 small, firm banana
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Whipped Cream Topping

  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Directions

Making the Vanilla Wafer Crust

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
  • Melt 3 tablespoons butter and let it cool to lukewarm. In the small work bowl of a food processor, grind the vanilla wafers to fine crumb consistency. Transfer the cookie crumbs to a small bowl and add the salt and sugar. Drizzle the partially cooled butter (at least 2 1/2 tablespoons) over the crumb mixture, stirring frequently. The crumb mixture should have the consistency of wet sand and clump together when squeezed. It should not feel greasy.
  • Prepare a 6-inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray and wipe out any excess. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Tamp down the crust with the back of a measuring cup, spoon, or tart tamper. Refrigerate the crust for 5 minutes. Bake the crust for 10 minutes at 350°F on the center rack. Let the crust cool on a wire rack. Turn off the oven.

Making the Banana Pudding Filling

  • In the top of a double boiler, whisk together the sugar, salt, and flour. Add the milk gradually and whisk hard to avoid lumps. Cook and stir the mixture over boiling water until thick, about 8 to 9 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the heat. Vigorously stir a tablespoon of filling into the egg yolk. Slowly add the egg yolk to the filling, stirring hard. Turn down the heat so that boiling water will not touch the base of the double boiler top and return the pan to the heat. Cook and stir the filling for 3 more minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool while you prepare the bananas. Use non-stick cooking spray to lightly coat a sheet of plastic wrap and press it down on the surface of the filling to prevent "skin" from forming.

Caramelizing the Banana

  • Slice the banana into 1/4-inch-thick pieces (13 to 15 pieces). Melt the butter in a skillet on low heat. Add the dark brown sugar and stir together. Add the banana pieces in a single layer, cooking and stirring for 1 minute. Flip the slices and cook for 1 minute more until they are light golden and syrupy.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and let the banana pieces cool for 1 to 2 minutes.

Assembling the Pie

  • Place the banana pieces in a single layer on the base of the crust. Spoon the banana pudding filling over the top and spread evenly. Lightly coat a sheet of cling wrap with non-stick cooking spray and press it down on the surface of the filling.
  • Chill the pie for 2 hours before topping it with whipped cream.

Making the Whipped Cream

  • Chill a medium bowl, beaters, and the cream in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream evenly over pie.
  • If you serve the pie within 4 to 6 hours, do not cover it. After the first serving, cover the pie.

Tips

• You can substitute Mandy's Simply Sugar Cookie Thins (19 cookies) for the vanilla wafers. Alternately, you can use a prebaked 6-inch pie pastry shell.• To make the filling for a 9-inch pie plate, use 1/4 cup (51g) granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups whole milk, 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Double the crumb crust and whipped cream ingredients.
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