I was first introduced to Banana Cream Pie when I was a grad student in Memphis. On the occasional weekend, I would drive with friends to Perkins on Poplar Ave to indulge in a generous slice of their luscious banana pie. A few days ago, I got the chance to make this Banana Cream Pie for a work assignment. Since today happens to be World Pi (π) Day today, I thought I would share the recipe. This pie has a buttery cookie crust filled with an eggless custard and is topped with sweet whipped cream and fresh bananas. In all honesty, it’s probably not a patch on the outrageously rich Perkins pie, but it was still fun to make and a delicious dessert we all enjoyed.

Recipe

Banana Cream Pie

(Serves 6)

Ingredients

For the Crust -
18 digestive biscuits or 9 graham crackers
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
60 gms unsalted butter, melted (more for greasing the pan)

For the Custard Filling -
2 1/2 cups full fat milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp salted butter

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2 large, ripe but firm bananas
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 pieces dark chocolate, grated

Method

To Make The Crust - Preheat your oven to 180°C. Use a little melted butter to grease a 7” pie or tart pan. In a blender, pulse the biscuits and sugar together until the biscuits are powdered. Mix in the melted butter and cinnamon powder. Spoon this biscuit mixture into the pan. Press it down and around the rim of the pan to coat it evenly. Bake the biscuit crust in the oven for 8 minutes, then remove and cool completely. Refrigerate the crust until chilled.

To Make The Custard Filling - Mix 1/2 cup milk with the cornflour and salt to form a slurry. In a saucepan heat the remaining 2 cups of milk over medium-low heat. Add the sugar and vanilla essence and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Add the cornflour slurry and continue to whisk until the pudding thickens to a setting consistency. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter. Set aside until the mixture is cool, then cover and refrigerate it until chilled.

In a large bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar together with an electric mixer until firm peaks. Refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the pie.

Peel and slice the bananas into 1/4” thick rounds. Squeeze the lime juice over them and toss to coat (this will prevent the bananas from going black).

To Assemble - Line the chilled pie crust with the sliced bananas. Top with the cooled custard filling and use a spatula to spread it evenly. Chill for an hour or until the custard is set.

Cover the custard layer with the whipped cream. Decorate with additional banana slices and garnish with grated chocolate. Chill the pie again for 4-6 hours. Slice and serve.