Banana Cream Pie

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Everyone in my family loves pudding, and everyone loves bananas. There is never a piece left of this pie, and never any complaints.  We have sometimes added a peanut butter layer just above the crust as well as doing the same with same melted chocolate. 

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Banana Cream Pie
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1 basic pie dough shell or graham cracker crust
3 bananas, sliced
2 cups whipped cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
I teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups Vanilla Pastry cream
 
Preheat oven to 375. Roll out dough to about 1/8” thick and line pie plate. Crimp edges, and prick a few times with a fork. Top dough with parchment paper and using either pie weights or beans, weigh down pie shell and blind bake until light brown about twenty minutes.  Set aside and cool.
 
Whip cream with powdered sugar and Vanilla extract until medium peaks.
 
Mix together half of the pastry cream and half of the whip cream
 
Take pie shell and line bottom with bananas.  Top with remaining pastry cream. Add another layer of bananas and then the whip cream/pastry cream mixture. Use remaining bananas and top with whip cream. Place in fridge to chill for 2 hours.
 
Before serving you can top with a few slices of banana or chocolate shavings.


Basic Pie Dough
Serves: 2 pies
 
1 cup chilled butter
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
10-12 tablespoons water with ice cubes
2 teaspoons vanilla
 
Cut butter and shortening into flour and salt with fingertips or pastry cutter or two knives until butter resembles small peas. Add vanilla to ice water.  Make a well and gradually add in water mixture into flour and mix with hands until dough begins coming together. Flip dough onto floured surface and mix gently until ball forms, divide into two balls and gently flatten into disc. Wrap in plastic and let rest in fridge or freezer until ready to use.


Graham Cracker Crust
 2 sleeves of graham crackers
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon brown sugar
pinch of salt


Pulse graham crackers, sugar and salt in food processor. Add melted butter and pulse briefly. Press mixture into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees  until slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. 
 
 
Vanilla Pastry Cream
Serves: 2 cups of cream
 
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons corn starch
4 large egg yolks
1 1/3 cups whole milk
2 vanilla beans split
1 teaspoon vanilla
 
In a medium bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, corn starch, and egg yolks until light yellow and fluffy. You can use a hand mixture to whisk as well.  In a saucepan combine milk and vanilla bean and bring to a simmer. Carefully pour half of the hot milk into the egg mixture while constantly stirring, then pour the egg mixture into the remaining hot milk. Stir continuously over medium heat until mixture has thickened and begun to bubble. Then cook for one minute whisking constantly.  Remove from stove and scrape into a bowl. Mix in the vanilla. Place plastic wrap directly on-top of custard to prevent a skin from forming and cool. Once cool place in refrigerator.
 
Can be used for banana pudding or banana cream pie
 

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