Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie

The pudding and crust is all from scratch. The banana pudding is light with cream and a rich banana old-fashioned pudding.

Ingredients:

•     1/2 cup sugar

•     2 1/2 cups whole milk (for a richer pie add 1/2 cup heavy cream instead of  1/2 cup milk)

•     1/4 cup cornstarch

•     4 egg yolks

•     1/4 teaspoon salt

•     2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

•     2 tablespoon butter

•     4 peeled and sliced bananas

•     1 (9-inch) baked pie shell recipe below or use a graham cracker crust recipe below

•     3 cups Heavy Cream Whipped and sweetened with sugar (saving 1 cup for the filling)

•     sugar to taste

•     1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

    Pudding:

1.     In a nonstick 1-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk.

2.     Scald mixture.

3.     In a small mixing bowl, whisk the remaining 2 cups of milk and cornstarch together to make a slurry.

4.     Whisk egg yolks with salt in a medium bowl.

5.     Temper yolks by adding 1/2 cup scaled milk mixture to yolks and whisk well.

6.     Add yolk mixture and put back into milk mixture and whisk vigorously over medium heat until thickened about 3 to 4 minutes.

7.     Remove from heat, and add vanilla and butter.

8.     Note: if not using right away add a piece of wax paper on top to avoid skin forming.

9.     Whisk until uniformly incorporated.

10.     Add sliced bananas to the pie shell.

11.     Pour 1 cup of the whipped cream into the filling folding gently, and pour into the prepared pie shell over the bananas. ( use either crust recipe below)

12.     Cover the pie with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator.

13.     Slice bananas and place them in lemon juice for garnishing to prevent browning.

14.     Chill the pie completely, for about 2 hours.

15.     Cover the pie with whipped cream and sliced bananas on top.

    Baked Graham Cracker Crust :

1.     1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs

2.     1/3 cup white granulated sugar

3.     6 tablespoons melted butter

4.     optional 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

5.     Mix everything into a bowl, and press the mixture into a deep-dish pie plate.

6.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

7.     Bake crust for 7 minutes.

8.     Cool the crust completely before filling.

9.     For just a chilled crust, refrigerate the crust for 1 hour before using.

    Pie Crust Shell:

1.     2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface rolling

2.     1 tablespoon sugar

3.     1 teaspoon salt

4.     3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

5.     6 to 7 tablespoons ice-cold water

6.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

7.     In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well.

8.     Add the shortening and mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

9.     Add the water and let sit for 1 minute.

10.     Either using a fork or your hands, carefully press the mixture together to form a softball.

11.     Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

12.     Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface.

13.     Roll the dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick.

14.     Gently fold the circle of dough in half and then in half again so that you can lift it without tearing it, and unfold it into a 9-inch by a 2-inch deep-dish pie pan.

15.     Crimp the edges and chill again for 30 minutes before baking.

16.     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

17.     Bake pie shell until golden, about 25 to 30 minutes.

18.     Remove from the oven and cool completely before filling with banana pudding, top pie with whipped cream and banana slices if preferred.

    For Heavy Cream Whipped:

1.     Place mixer bowl and whisk in the freezer for at least 20 minutes to chill.

2.     Pour heavy whipping cream, sugar to taste, and  1 teaspoon of pure vanilla into the cold bowl and whisk on high speed until medium to stiff peaks form, about 1 minute. Do not overbeat.