Banana Cream Pie

We’ve been doing enormously well on our path to better health so when we had friends over for dinner recently I asked JT what dessert he wanted and he said banana cream pie! Banana cream pie is definitely NOT diet food, but you need a treat every once in a while.

There are many recipes out there and JT was specific that he didn’t want chunks of banana so I had to improvise by adding puréed bananas and increasing the thickening agent to make up for the added liquid ratio. I used Martha’s recipe as a starting point. This pie is not overly sweet and it packs a lot of banana flavour. It’s best to make this dessert the day before to allow it to set.

Makes one rectangular pie about 12 cm x 36 cm (14 inch x 4.5 inch)

Ingredients for the crust:

• 3/4 cup cookie crumbs (I save mine from broken cookies in a freezer bag)
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup oats (not instant)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tbsp Skor® bits

Directions for the crust:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
2. Combine everything but the butter and Skor bits in the small bowl of a food processor. Slowly drizzle in the butter. Fold in the Skor bits.
3. Press into a 12 cm x 36 cm (14 inch x 4.5 inch) rectangular tart pan (preferably one that has a removable bottom to make it easier to release).
4. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool completely before filling.

Filling Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas (about 1 cup puréed)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups half & half
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• Whipping cream

Filling Directions:

1. In a heavy-bottom saucepan or double boiler, combine cornstarch, sugar, egg yolks, half & half, and salt and mix well. Set over simmering water or medium to low heat and whisk until thoroughly thickened.
2. Cool over an ice bath and when cooled, whisk in the vanilla and puréed bananas. Set plastic film over the top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until set.
3. Whip the butter until light and slowly add the cooled filling to incorporate butter evenly.
4. Combine bananas and lemon juice and purée until smooth. Whip into the prepared pudding.
5. Spoon into the prepared pastry crust and set another plastic film over the top. Refrigerate.
6. Serve slices of the pie garnished with stabilized whipped cream and sprinkled with Skor® bits.

Notes:

• Cookie crumbs are usually trimmings I save from bars, broken cookies and such. I save them in a zip-lock baggy in the freezer and blitz them in the food processor for pie crusts. I got the idea from Momofuko’s Momofuko’s Crack Pie Recipe, plus it gives us a good reason not to eat the trimmings! (Method in my madness!)
• The Skor® bits add a lovely crunch and flavour to the crust, omit without repercussions if you wish.
• The bananas do oxidized a bit, so I modified the instructions to include the puréed bananas just prior to adding to the crust.

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