Banana Cream Pie

 

Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. Today I wanted to share one of the recipes I made for Thanksgiving, a banana cream pie! It’s a bit untraditional, but I had made apple, pecan, blueberry, and coconut in the past. Banana seemed like a delicious option, and it was! Here’s how to make banana cream pie:

 

Banana Cream Pie Recipe-

 

Ingredients (for the crust):

 

12 sheets graham crackers

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon (optional but gives the crust a wonderful flavor)

7 tablespoons (105ml) melted butter

 

For the filling:

2 cups (475ml) milk

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

5 tablespoons (39g) flour

3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

a pinch of salt

3 bananas

 

For the topping:

1-2 cups (120-240g)  of whipped cream (this depends on how much cream you like on top of your pie).

2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar (the more cream, the more sugar you add)

a splash of vanilla

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 Celsius).

For the crust: Crush the graham crackers in a large resealable bag, and then add the butter and cinnamon if using. Add the crust to a 9 inch pie pan and press it to even out the bottom and the sides. Bake the crust in the oven for ten minutes, then take it out and let it cool.

For the filling: place the flour, sugar, milk,  and salt in a pot and stir until steaming.

Meanwhile, add the egg yolks to a bowl and give them a whisk. Add some of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks and mix to temper them. Then add the yolks back into the pot and continue to stir constantly for about ten minutes, or until the pudding gets a thick consistency. Now add the butter and vanilla and stir.

Cut the bananas into coins and add them to the crust. Pour  the pudding over the crust and chill for three hours, or overnight.

 

Before serving, whip the cream: whip 1-2 cups of heavy whipping cream and add 2-3 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Be sure not to overmix the cream because otherwise you will end up with butter. Add in a splash of vanilla and top the pie with the cream.

Serve and enjoy!

 

MAKE IT VEGAN:

For the butter, use a vegan butter (earth balance)

For the the milk, any plant milk should work.

For the eggs, use 9 tbs. (135ml) of JUST egg (vegan egg substitute)

For the whipped cream, make vegan whipped cream:

• ▢ 1/2 cup (82g) aquafaba (liquid from 1 can of chickpeas)
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ▢ 1/2-3/4 cup (60g) powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

• Drain the liquid from a can of chickpeas into a large bowl.
• Add the cream of tartar.
• With a hand mixer, start mixing on medium speed. Once it gets a little foamy, increase the speed to high and beat for about 3-4 minutes, until stiff peaks form. 
• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue to beat about 1 more minute, until fluffy and smooth.
• Serve.