Banana Cream Pie

On this episode, Stephanie goes in-depth while creating a delicious banana cream pie. Learn to make the shortbread shell, your own pastry cream, banana jam, whipped cream and more! One of the nice things about this recipe is you can make all the components ahead of time and assemble when you’re ready to serve it. Enjoy!

• Banana Jam
  • 1 1/2 ripe bananas, sliced
  • 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
  • 2 tsps fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract


• Vanilla Pastry Cream
  • 1 1/4 cups whole milk
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature


• Pie Dough
  • 9 tbsps unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar (ginger infused, if available)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/3 cups AP flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt


• Whipped Cream
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 sliced banana

1. Banana Jam
   1. Mash the bananas in a bowl and set aside.
   2. In a small pot over medium-high heat, bring the brown sugar and lemon juice to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the bananas, stirring constantly until thick and jammy (about 7-8 minutes).
   3. The jam is thick enough when it slowly moves back to the center when pushing a spatula down the middle of the mixture.
   4. Add the vanilla. Remove from heat, cover and set aside to cool.


2. Vanilla Pastry Cream
   1. Bring the milk just to simmer over medium heat.
   2. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla until smooth.
   3. Slowly pour a thin steady stream of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs do not scramble.
   4. Pour the tempered mixture back into the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly until the pastry cream thickens (1-2 minutes).
   5. Remove from heat and add the butter, whisk until melted.
   6. Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove any egg bits.
   7. Place plastic wrap directly on the pastry cream and chill in the refrigerator.


3. Pie Dough
   1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
   2. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl. Add egg and mix to incorporate. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl again and add the flour & salt. Mix to combine. The dough will still be crumbly, do not over mix!
   3. Remove the dough from the bowl and bring it together with your hands by pressing together lightly.
   4. Cover with plastic wrap, shape into a disc and refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
   5. When you are ready to bake the pie shell, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface.
   6. Roll the dough to approximately 2 inches wider than the pie pan and place the rolled dough into the pan. If the dough becomes too soft to place into the pan all in one piece, press smaller pieces of dough into the pie pan. Try to press the dough into the pan as evenly as possible and then dock the bottom and sides of the dough using a fork.
   7. Return to the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
   8. To blind bake the piecrust, cut a parchment paper round a little larger than your pie dish. Place the parchment on top of the dough and pour beans onto the parchment paper.
   9. Gently press the beans into the pan getting to all the edges of the pie dough.
   10. Place in a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 15 minutes.
   11. Remove the pie dough from the oven and remove the beans (which are reusable, so don’t throw them out).
   12. Return the piecrust to the oven and continue baking for 10-15 minutes until the piecrust is golden brown.
   13. Remove the piecrust from the oven to cool.


4. Whipped Cream
   1. While the crust is cooling, make the whipped cream to add to the pastry cream and for decorating.
   2. Combine the heavy cream, vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl, beat until the whipped cream holds a peak.
   3. Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator and add about 1/2 whipped cream to the pastry cream, stirring to combine.
   4. Add another 1/2 to 1 cup of whipped cream to the pastry cream and stir to combine.
   5. Save the rest of the whipped cream to decorate the top of the banana cream pie.


5. Assembling the Banana Cream Pie
   1. In the cooled pie shell, layer the banana jam evenly on the bottom of the pie.
   2. Next, place the fresh banana slices over the jam.
   3. Fill the pie with the lightened pastry cream to cover the bananas and jam.
   4. Finally, pipe the remaining whipped cream over the pie.
6. Slice & enjoy!