Banana Cream Pie For The Long Lazy Weekend

Last weekend I ended up with way too many bananas that were dangerously getting darker and darker by a minute almost. I was meaning to have morning smoothies, but that did not work out, bake a banana bread maybe? No not really...I needed something summery, creamy, with different textures and I needed to use some whipping cream that I had in my fridge.....I remember making a banana cream pie before and it was pretty good. I think I used a store bought crust then, which I stopped doing after discovering how much better home made crusts are and all the effort is definitely worth the final outcome.

I was also inspired after watching Master chef, in which the competitors were making a fruit tart- crusty shell, creamy custard and fresh fruit. I was definitely in a mood for this dessert. Somehow I needed to incorporate bananas into it.

After doing some research and finding recipes for the original and authentic banana cream pie with store bought crusts I was utterly disappointed.

Until I found a recipe that spoke to me in Bon Apetit.

The chocolate crust and the custard with a hint of rum sounded delicious. The only thing I could not do was caramelize sugar on top of the bananas- I do not have a torch, which yes, it is on my list to buy.

The result was amazing. Chocolate and bananas are a perfect combination, the hint of rum made the custard interesting and it was not too sweet. Instead of caramelizing bananas I used some whipped cream on top of the pie. Heaven!

Banana Cream Pie

Custard 

1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups whole milk

4 large egg yolks

1 vanilla bean

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon dark rum

 

Crust

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup unbleached bread flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, diced

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon (or more) ice water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

7 bananas (about), peeled

Additional sugar

Whipped cream (optional)

Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

The custard: place the sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt and milk in a pot and heat while stirring until all ingredients are combined and there are no more lumps. Carefully add the egg yolks, one by one, while whisking until it becomes custard. Put aside and add the vanilla, butter and rum. Whisk in and leave to cool.

For the crust place the flours, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, sugar, salt and baking powder in a food processor and process until smooth. Mix in the diced cold butter, orange juice, vanilla and ice water and work with your hands until the dough is smooth. Add more water if needed. Shape in a disc, wrap in plastic foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375°F, spray the 9-inch diameter pie dish with non stick spray, roll out the dough and place in the baking dish making sure it overhangs and you can press the dough decoratively. Bake the crust for 30 minutes- I use dried beans that I place on top, this time I did not use any and it worked out fine, so it is your decision if you want to take that risk or not.

To assemble let the crust cool down and cover it with half of the custard. Assemble half of the sliced bananas, cover with more custard and then the rest of the bananas and the whipped cream on top. There is no need to add sugar to the cream while whipping it, the sweetness of the custard is more than enough.

You can sprinkle with cocoa or chocolate shavings.