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
2 1/2  cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons ice water 
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
 
Put butter, shortening, 2 cups of flour, sugar and salt into food processor. Pulse until you have small pea sized pieces. Add the rest of the flour and briefly pulse. Pour mixture into a bowl and add vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Add chilled water to the flour mixture and fold with a large flat spatula until dough comes together, pressing dough as you fold. Flip dough onto floured surface and push into a ball. Divide into two, and gently flatten each half into a disc. Wrap in plastic and let rest in fridge or freezer until ready to use.  If freezing the dough, put in fridge the night before you want to make the tart.


Graham Cracker Crust
1 1/2  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 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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