Banana Cream Yes.

In the world of pies, banana cream is an understated champion. Banana cream pie is pretty weird in that it's a familiar concept but a rather uncommon find. It would seem that everyone has heard of it, but I can literally count the number of times I have encountered it outside of home on one of my hands. This has always puzzled me as it's such a pleasant blend of crunchy crust and creamy filling: not terribly sweet, always cold and satisfying. Essentially, it is the perfect end to a dinner, regardless of the season. I hope you all find this post particularly compelling as I've always been a pretty strong supporter of team cake. Despite this, banana cream pies make me cheer so hard for the other team it hurts. Cake may be my "Mr.Right", but banana cream pie has always been my "Mr.Right Now".


Ok I will stop the dumb analogies, you get the idea.


Banana Cream Pie

-1-2 bananas
(whatever it takes to cover your crust)
-Freshly gound nutmeg

crust
-2 cups almond flour
-4 tbsp sugar
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-pinch of salt
-1/4 cup butter
-1 large egg

custard filling
-2 cups milk
-1/4 cup corn starch
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1/4 cup sugar
-5 large egg yolks
-1/2 tbsp butter
whipped topping
-1 1/2 cups whipping cream
-6 large marshmallows


Pre-heat your oven to 350 F and start by making your crust: combine almond flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl. Melt the butter, beat the egg, and mix both thoroughly into the dry ingredients. Grease a pie plate and smoosh this mixture into a somewhat even layer on the bottom and sides of the plate. Loosely cover the thing with either foil or parchment paper and stick it in the oven for about 30 minutes. After this you can uncover it and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes. When it is done it will be a golden brown colour - don't worry if the edges are noticeably darker that its middle. Stick it somewhere to cool completely.


Okay, now on to the custard filling: mix the egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until it is visibly lighter in colour. Put the milk in a pot over medium heat - you want it to get very hot, but not quite to a boil. Once the milk is hot, pour about 1/2 cup of it into the egg mixture and whisk quickly to temper the stuff. Make sure you're quick, otherwise you end up with scrambled-shit eggs. Pour the tempered mixture back into the pot with the rest of the milk, and continue to whisk over medium heat. Within a couple of minutes it should form a thick custard. At this point you can take it off the stove, mix in the pat of butter, and set it somewhere to cool.

The whipped topping is pretty standard issue: drain the dairy into a large bowl and beat the crap out of it with an electric mixer or (if you are a skid like me) a whisk and your wanking muscles. For best results, try freezing your bowl for 10 minutes prior to whipping cream in it. When your cream starts to thicken but is not yet forming peaks, microwave the marshmallows for 20 seconds. Dump the marshmallows into the cream and immediately beat it all together until the cream forms soft peaks. Yes, whipped cream alone tastes just fine, but the gelatin in the marshmallows helps stabilize the cream.

Alright, finally: the assembly. Slice your bananas about 1/4" thick and arrange in an even layer at the bottom of your cooled pie crust. Shmear the custard on top of the bananas, then cover it all with large dollops of the whipped cream topping. Don't worry if your custard looks kind of lumpy when it's cooled, i tried both running it through a seive and just leaving it be, and honestly couldn't tell the difference. Grate some nutmeg over top and let the pie set in the fridge for at least an hour.

I've seen other recipes with banana flavouring added into the custard, but have never found it necessary. Given that this is such a remarkably light tasting dessert, the single layer of ripe banana slices imparts just enough flavour on it's own. Plus, you omit that weird artificial-banana aftertaste.