Bananas at market
By Cat, April 2015 (photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
- See also: 1. Pies, Tarts, Turnovers Menu; 2. Pie & Tart Crusts, Pastry; 3. Conversions between Starches & Other Thickeners; 4. Banana Cake; 5. Coconut Cream Pie
- Includes: 1. Banana Cream Pie with Banana-Coconut Variation; 2. Coconut Cream Pie
One of the first pies I made was banana cream, using a recipe from Pillsbury’s Dessert Cook Book (2). I used a standard American pie crust for 9″ single-crust pie, using part whole wheat flour and part unbleached white. I was living in a one-room apartment with shared bath in an old house in NW Portland that had been converted to 8 small apartments. I invited the residents of the other apartments to share my pie, and it was a big hit. They were all amazed at the flakiness of the whole wheat pie crust. Since then, its been one of my favorite pies.
Now I avoid sugar, and instead sweeten with stevia. I use my Yogurt Pie Crust II (a presoaked pastry recipe); for this pie I substitute graham flour for the whole wheat flour and add a tiny amount of sugar to the pastry and press it into the pan rather than rolling, so that it resembles a graham cracker crust. Sometimes I add desiccated coconut or unsweetened coconut flakes to the cream filling.
Banana Cream Pie
This recipe is adapted from one in our local Daily Inter Lake newspaper (originally by Kim Ode, from the Star Tribune, Minneapolis (1)), and the Pillsbury’s Dessert Cook Book (2).
I don’t like to use overly-ripe bananas (with brown or black streaks/marks on the peel) but rather one that is mostly yellow with a tiny bit of green at the end. this way the banana flavor doesn’t overwhelm the vanilla-cream flavor of the creamy filling and the graham crust.
Makes one 9″ single-crust pie, but I include ingredients for a 10″ quiche pan variation.
If you wish to add unsweetened coconut flakes, use about 4 Tbsp (9″ pie) or 6 Tbsp (10″ pie), and stir into cooked pudding.
Ingredients & Equipment for 9″ pie
- Crust:
- 9″ Yogurt Pie Crust II for single-crust pie, using 1 cup graham flour, ¼ cup unbleached white flour, ⅜ tsp Unrefined sea salt, ⅜ – ¾ tsp Rapadura sugar, 6 Tbsp butter (2 Tbsp melted, 4 Tbsp cold), 1 Tbsp plain unsweetened yogurt, and 1 ½ – 3 Tbsp warm water
- Filling:
- 3 egg yolks (or 2 whole eggs), beaten
- ½ cup Rapadura sugar (or ¼ tsp Stevia extract powder plus 1 Tbsp Grade B Maple syrup)
- ¼ cup non-GMO cornstarch (or ½ cup tapioca starch)
- ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt
- 2 cups light cream or (1 cup regular cream, 1 cup whole milk)
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 Tbsp real butter
- 1 tsp real vanilla extract
- 2 – 3 ‘just ripe’ bananas. sliced
- Topping:
- 1 cup heavy cream, whipped with 1 – 2 Tbsp Rapadura sugar (or scant 1/16 tsp stevia extract powder)
- Equipment:
- medium saucepan
- 2 medium bowls
- egg beater, egg whisk or electric mixer (for beating eggs)
- egg beater, electric mixer, or immersion blender (for whipping cream)
Ingredients for 10″ quiche pan
- Crust:
- Yogurt Pie Crust II for single-crust 10″ quiche pan, using 1¼ cup graham flour, ¼ cup unbleached white flour, ½ tsp Unrefined sea salt, ½ – 1 tsp Rapadura sugar, 7 Tbsp butter (3 Tbsp melted, 4 Tbsp cold), 1 – 1 ½ Tbsp plain unsweetened yogurt, and 1 ½ – 3 Tbsp warm water
- Filling:
- 4 egg yolks (or 3 whole eggs), beaten
- ¾ cup Rapadura sugar (or ¼ – ½ tsp Stevia extract powder plus 1 – 2 Tbsp Grade B Maple syrup)
- ⅓ cup non-GMO cornstarch (or ⅔ cup tapioca starch)
- ½ tsp unrefined sea salt
- 2 ½ cups light cream (or 1 ¼ cup regular cream, 1 ¼ cup whole milk)
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 3 Tbsp real butter
- 1 ½ tsp real vanilla extract
- 3 – 4 ‘just ripe’ bananas. sliced
- Topping:
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream, whipped with 1 – 2 Tbsp Rapadura sugar (or scant 1/16 tsp stevia extract powder)
Method
- Pastry: start the presoak the day before you plan to serve the pie.
- Next day, butter pie pan and press pastry into pan (if it is too stiff, mix in a tiny bit of water, 1 tsp at a time).
- Prick with fork in several places and bake at 450°F for 8 – 10 minutes; do not let it scorch or burn. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Bananas: Peel and slice all but 1 of the bananas (about 1/4″ thick slices) and arrange over cooled pastry, overlapping if necessary. OR arrange half of the slices over bottom and reserve the other half.
- Filling: Beat egg yolks in medium bowl until well mixed and a fluffy light yellow in color; set aside.
- Combine sugar or stevia with starch and salt in saucepan, whisking to combine.
- Stir in cream and milk (and maple syrup, if using), blending well until smooth (no lumps).
- Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly until it just comes to a boil. Remove from heat.
- Blend a small amount of the hot mixture into yolks, whisking well, then return yolk mixture to saucepan, whisking well.
- Retur pan to heat and cook, stirring constantly just until it starts to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
- Cool slightly, then pour over banana slices in pastry shell. Or if you used only half the bananas for the layer, spread half of the cream filling over, then add a second layer of banana slices, using the extra banana if necessary, then cover with remaining filling.
- Chill: Cover pie with plastic wrap or place inside a plastic bag and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.
- When ready to serve, whip cream topping, sweetening lightly with sugar or maple syrup and spread over pie (or drop in dollops). Add additional sliced bananas for garnish, if desired.
Coconut Cream Pie Variation
recipe moved to Coconut Cream Pie
References:
- Star Tribune, Minneapolis, recipe for Banana Cream Pie, with Variations (startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/299854631.html)
- Pillsbury’s Dessert Cook Book (1970; see Beloved Cookbooks for more about this book)
