When I was a kid, I spent many a winter and spring break with my maternal grandparents in Arizona. Oh, how I loved those vacations.
I loved the fresh orange juice my grandpa would squeeze for us each morning, playing with my brother at the pool, and shopping with my grandparents. I also loved everything my grandma made us to eat. (My parents owned a pretty fancy restaurant so at home we ate things like confit of duck and scalloped potatoes. At my grandparents we got to eat “normal” food: like tacos and banana cream pie!)
Recently, I was thinking about how much I miss my grandparents. Missing them made me crave banana cream pie something fierce, so I decided to make one.
My grandma made her pie with a store-bought crust and vanilla pudding from a box: I thought it was the most delicious thing ever, but I opted to make mine with whole foods ingredients from scratch. (I used the recipe in Joy of Cooking
because that’s where I turn for classic recipes.) My daughter helped me make it by slicing the bananas and placing them “just so”.
The verdict? It was pretty darn delicious and I will definitely be making banana cream pie again! Maybe next time I will change it up a bit, though…see the bottom of this post for some amazing-looking banana cream pie variations from fellow bloggers.
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More Great-looking Banana Cream Pies:
Bourbon Caramel Chocolate Banana Cream Pie from Use Real Butter
Honey Roasted Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie from Love and Olive Oil
Fluffy Banana Cream Pie from A Spicy Perspective
Recipe for Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients
For the crust:
- *1 1/2 cups fine graham cracker crumbs I used organic graham crackers and processed them in a food processor
- *6 tablespoons melted butter I used organic butter
- *1/4 cup sugar I used organic sugar
- *1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the pie:
- *2/3 cup sugar I used organic sugar
- *1/4 cup cornstarch look for one that's gmo-free if you prefer to avoid gmos
- *1/4 teaspoon salt I used fine sea salt
- *2 1/2 cups milk I used raw, organic milk
- *5 egg yolks I used eggs from my backyard chickens
- *2 tablespoons butter I used organic butter, cut into small pieces
- *1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the crust:
- 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- 2. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
- 3. Using your fingers, press the graham cracker mixture firmly against the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown, then cool completely.
For the pie:
- 1. In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk, then whisk in the egg yolks.
- 2. Bring the mixture just barely to a simmer while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
- 3. Remove from the heat and whisk until smooth, scraping the corners of the saucepan well.
- 4. Return to the heat and bring back to a simmer. Cook for one minute while whisking constantly, then remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and the vanilla. Allow to cool slightly (the filling does not need to be cool to fill the pie; in fact it is better if you do not allow it to cool too much).
- 5. Thinly slice 2-3 ripe (but not overripe) bananas. Spoon 1/3 of the filling into the crust and place 1/3 of the bananas on top. Add another 1/3 of the filling and then more bananas. Finish with the last of the filling and the rest of the bananas. You can top with homemade (or store-bought) whipped cream, if you like.
