Personal Banana Cream Pie

A personal banana cream pie is the perfect way to tell Dad how much you love him. All the delicious sweetness of a full size pie that he doesn’t have to share.

It’s a tradition in our house that my husband gets a banana cream pie at least twice a year, for his birthday in March and Father’s Day in June. For years I made it. When they got old enough, our girls took over, at least on Father’s Day. Now they both live away from home and it’s back to me again. Making banana cream pie is something I do willingly because the joy on his face is worth the time and effort.

This year, with only two of us at home, and one who doesn’t really eat sweet things much (me), I decided it made more sense to make a personal banana cream pie. Cut in half, it’s two very generous pieces and you can guess who enjoyed both of them!

When a whole 10-inch pie is just too much pie, downsize! If you want to make a full size banana cream pie.<click there.

Ingredients 
For the custard:
1/3 cup or 66g sugar
1/4 cup or 31g flour
Good pinch salt
1 2/3 cups or 395ml milk
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons butter

For a 7-in pie crust:
1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out
1⁄4 cup or 57g shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons cold water

To assemble the pie and serve:
2 medium bananas, ripe but not soft
3/4 cup or 180ml heavy whipping cream

Method
To make the custard:
In a large saucepan (no heat!) mix sugar, flour and salt.  Stir in milk until smooth.

Over medium heat, cook mixture, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and begins to boil (about 10 minutes). Boil one minute. Remove immediately from heat and set aside.

Separate your egg yolks from your whites, putting the whites directly into a sealable plastic container for the refrigerator. (You can make meringues or almond macaroons with these later.) Put the yolks in a bowl with enough room to whisk.

Beat egg yolks quickly with a whisk, while drizzling in about a 1/8 cup of the hot milk mixture. Quick beating and slow drizzling are essential so that you don’t end up with cooked eggs.

Slowly pour egg mixture into the saucepan, stirring rapidly to prevent lumping. I stopped whisking briefly to take the photo. You just keep whisking!

Over low heat, cook, stirring constantly, until very thick (do not boil) and mixture mounds when dropped from spoon.

Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.  Congratulations, you have made homemade vanilla custard.  Once the butter has melted and you've mixed it and the vanilla completely in, pour the custard into a metal bowl. Cover its surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, about two hours.

While the custard is chilling, we'll make the pie crust. Preheat your oven to 425°F or 218°C.

In medium bowl using a fork, lightly stir together the flour and salt.

With a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle in the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork after each addition until pastry just holds together.

Use your hands to shape the pastry into a ball. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Lightly flour your clean work surface. With lightly floured rolling pin, roll pastry into circle 1⁄8 inch thick and about 2 inches larger all around than pie plate.

Transfer the circle to your pie plate.

Fold overhang under; then pinch to make a decorative edge. Prick bottom and side of crust all over with a fork, to prevent puffing during baking.

Line the crust with a circle of baking parchment and cover with baking beads or dried beans.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove the baking beads. Set aside.

Once your custard is cool, you can peel your bananas. Cut them in half lengthwise. Spread a little of the custard in the bottom of your baked piecrust and then add a layer of bananas.

Spread the rest of the custard all over the bananas, making sure to fill in the gaps so that there is no air around the bananas.  This will prevent them from going brown.

Securely cover the custard with plastic wrap once more and put the pie back in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Just before serving: In small bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Heap cream on pie. One of my husband's policies is that there is no such thing as too much cream.

Enjoy!

Check out this great list of recipes from my Sunday Supper family! Everybody is sharing their dads' favorites today. Many thanks to our host this week, Sarah from The Chef Next Door.

Appetizers, Snacks and Beverages

• Best Popcorn Ever (with Nutritional Yeast!!) by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Bourbon Sweet Tea Cocktail by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Easy Homemade Pretzel Recipe by April Golightly
• Nana’s Pimento Cheese by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Breakfast

• Dad’s Favorite Blueberry Pancakes by Family Around The Table
• Steak & Egg Breakfast Skillet by Caroline's Cooking

Condiments & Sauces

• Beerinara by What Smells So Good?
• Homemade Refrigerator Pickle Relish by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures

Side Dishes

• Chipotle Lime Cole Slaw by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
• The Ultimate BLT Pasta Salad by Cooking with Carlee

Main Dishes

• Bacon Patty Melts by Cookin’ Mimi
• BBQ Salmon Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing by PancakeWarriors
• Beef Shepherd’s Pie Casserole by Cooking Chat
• Buffalo Chicken Tacos by Palatable Pastime
• Carolina-Style BBQ Burger by The Redhead Baker
• Coffee-Rubbed Prime Rib Roast by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Fried Chicken by Tramplingrose
• Grilled Chicken and Beef Stir Fry by The Freshman Cook
• Grilled Filet Mignon with Zip Sauce by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Italian Sausage and Peppers by Monica's Table
• Moroccan Preserved Lemon Chicken Tagine by Curious Cuisiniere
• Philly Style Slow Roasted Pork Sandwich with Broccoli Rabe and Provolone by The Hungry Goddess
• Sharp Cheddar and Crispy Onion Burgers with Horseradish Sauce by A Mind Full Mom
• Skillet Spaghetti and Meatballs by From Gate to Plate
• Spicy Fish Tacos with Garlic-Chive Aioli by Wholistic Woman
• Turkey Chorizo Burgers with Guacamole by Books n’ Cooks
• Vegetarian “Philly Cheesesteak” by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Walnut Cauliflower Zucchini Boats by Beauty and the Beets

Desserts

• Apple Crisp by Ninja Baker
• Banana Berry Bread by Desserts Required
• Blackberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream by Simple and Savory
• Black Bourbon Walnut Brownies with Maple-Candied Bacon by The Crumby Cupcake
• Blueberry Ice Cream Cookie Bars by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Cherry Garcia Bars by Pies and Plots
• Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes by Crazed Mom Lifestyle & Recipes
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake by Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Coconut Cream Pie by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Tempura Strawberries by Baking Sense
• German Chocolate Brownie Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Graham Cracker Chocolate Chunk No-Churn Ice Cream by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Grilled Fruit Kabobs with Fresh Whipped Cream by Helpful Homemade
• Peach Crumble Bars by The Finer Cookie
• Personal Banana Cream Pie by Food Lust People Love
• Strawberry Rhubarb Pie by The Chef Next Door
• Maizena Tamal by Basic N Delicious
• Mom's Carrot Cake by Jennifer Cooks

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Top Five Recipes to Date and a Thank You (2013)

The best part of writing this blog is the connections I make with readers like you.  It is such a joy to read your comments, especially when you tell me your stories in return.  This year has been one of adjusting to and exploring yet another city and making Dubai our home.  It’s been a year of celebration and of loss and it delights me no end to have you along for the journey.  Occasionally I check my blog statistics and it’s always fun to see what you’ve liked the most week by week, month by month and year by year.  About this time last year, I shared the most viewed recipes to date so I thought I’d do the same at the close of this year.

Tasty Turkey Potpie

5. Tasty Turkey Potpie for Denise
This was 2012’s most viewed recipe.  As I wrote in the post last year, it came out of nowhere to take top place, even though it was one of the most recent posts.  This year it’s still in the top five.  It’s something I make every time I have leftover roast turkey or sometimes even chicken.  Yesterday, I picked the Christmas turkey bones clean and will make it again.

Banana Cream Pie

4.  Banana Cream Pie
My husband was delighted to hear that his birthday sweet of choice was still in the top five, albeit sliding down from to number four from second place last year.  With its homemade vanilla custard and flakey shortcrust, it's the perfect pie anytime of the year.

Madam Wong's Pizza Rolls

3.  Madam Wong’s Pizza Rolls
The third most viewed recipe is one of my personal favorites, not just because I love a savory roll but also because it reminds me of good times and wonderful friends from the International School of Kuala Lumpur, the school our daughters attended for the many years we lived in Malaysia.  I posted this recipe as part of #SundaySupper, a group dedicated to encouraging families to gather regularly around the supper table.  My first #SundaySupper post was on January 6th this year, so I am close to a personal anniversary of sorts.  If you are a food blogger interested in joining us, I encourage you to click on the link to learn more.  It's been such fun!

Vegetable Stir-fry

2. Quick Vegetable Stir-fry
This quick stir-fry of vegetables and ramen noodles starting surging up in views about mid-year and steadily climbed to number two.  I have no idea what triggered the jump since it’s one of my oldest posts and the photographs are terrible.  But it truly is delicious and a dish I make quite often, so it’s rather gratifying to know that ingredients and method are often enough.  This makes me feel better when I am agonizing over poor lighting and sorry pictures.

Cheesy Spinach Muffins

1.  Cheesy Spinach Muffins
This recipe is so far ahead in views than its next closest contender that I will be surprised if anything else ever catches up!  I love making muffins, especially savory ones, so I am thrilled to have a muffin from #MuffinMonday in top position.  I'd like to send out a special thank you to Anuradha from Baker Street who got me started down the road of Muffin Monday.  I enjoyed baking with her week after week and it made me sad when life took over and she got too busy to continue.


If you’d like to see 2012's top five list, click here.

Thank you for your comments, for your interaction on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ but, most of all, for being a part of the Food Lust People love community of readers.  I am grateful daily and wish you all a most astoundingly wonderful new year.

Fond regards,

Stacy

Banana Cream Pie is the New Birthday Cake

The best banana cream pie is made with loads of bananas! Just a few slices at the bottom will not do. Then top with homemade vanilla custard and heaps of whipped cream.

Centuries back, when my sweetie and I started dating, we came to the inevitable first birthday celebration. Of course, I was going to make him a birthday cake.

“What kind of cake would you like,” I asked.
“I don’t really have a favorite,” he replied.
“Well, when you were a child, what kind of cake did you always ask for?”
“I didn’t get to choose,” he says. “My mother just organized the cake.”

To say I was appalled was putting it mildly. In my family of origin, birthdays were a big deal. The birthday person got to choose the cake, what we did that day, and even the dinner meal plan.  A restaurant or dinner at home. AND what was served, if the choice was meal at home.  Or what restaurant if it was a meal out.

Now I am not saying that my mother-in-law didn’t take his likes and dislikes into account, because she surely loves her son and would have chosen something he liked but, for me, it wasn’t the same.  So, that first year, I made him my childhood birthday cake of choice: Chocolate cake with chocolate icing.

As I got to know him better, I did find out what his favorite sweet treat is:  Banana Cream Pie.  Apparently, I just wasn’t asking the right question. And forever after, that is what he gets on his birthday instead of cake.

Ingredients

1 9-inch baked piecrust (Follow this link for instructions.)
1⁄2 cup or 110g sugar
1⁄3 cup or 42g all-purpose flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 1⁄4 cups or 530ml milk
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon or 15g butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3-4 medium bananas (or 7-9 small ones)
1 cup or 240ml heavy whipping cream - for serving

Method

Prepare piecrust and allow to cool. (Or you can prepare your piecrust during the four hours the filling needs to set and cool.  Your choice.  But know that making this pie for after dinner dessert means starting early in your day!  But it is worth it.  Totally.)

In 2-quart saucepan (no heat!) mix sugar, flour and salt.  Stir in milk until smooth.

Make sure you get ALL the lumps out before turning on the heat. 

Over medium heat, cook mixture, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and begins to boil (about 10 minutes). Boil one minute. Remove immediately from heat and set aside.

See the tiny bubbles?  It's gently boiling.

Separate your egg yolks from your whites, by gently transferring the yolk from one half of the shell to the other, putting the whites directly into a sealable plastic container for the refrigerator.  (We will make almond macaroons with these soon!)  Put the yolks in a bowl with enough room to whisk.

Beat egg yolks quickly with a whisk, while drizzling in about a 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture.   Quick beating and slow drizzling are essential so that you don’t end up with cooked eggs. 

Slowly pour egg mixture into the saucepan, stirring rapidly to prevent lumping.

I know it doesn't look like I was quickly stirring but that is just because I fake poured for
the camera and then really poured and stirred like crazy after. 

Occasionally, scrape the saucepan with a rubber spatula.

Over low heat, cook, stirring constantly, until very thick (do not boil) and mixture mounds when dropped from spoon.

Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.  

Congratulations, you have made homemade vanilla custard.  Once the butter has melted, pour the custard into a metal bowl.  Cover its surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin forming.  Refrigerate until set, about four hours.

Once your custard is cool, you can peel your bananas.  Cut medium ones in half lengthwise and leave small ones whole.  Spread a little of the custard in the bottom of your baked piecrust and then add a layer of bananas.  

Spread the rest of the custard all over the bananas, making sure to fill in the gaps so that there is no air around the bananas.  This will prevent them from going brown.

Securely cover the custard with plastic wrap once more and put the pie back in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

Just before serving: In small bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat cream until stiff peaks form. This cream does not need to be sweetened since the bananas and the custard are sweet. Discard plastic wrap.

Spread cream on pie. Candle optional.

Enjoy!

Happy birthday to my dear husband!  If you need a smaller pie, try my personal banana cream pie, a 7-inch version. It makes two generous servings.

Holding the hound up so he can help blow out the candle. 

And instead of dropping to the ground, when let go, Beso goes in for a bite.  Faster than the blink of an eye.

Flakiest Baked Piecrust

This baked piecrust is for those pies with filling that doesn’t get baked. For instance, banana cream or chocolate pudding and the like.  It is light and flakey and identical to my regular piecrust, you just bake it empty or “blind” (with beans or pastry weights inside to keep it from puffing up) before adding the non-baked filling.

Or stop just before the "blind" bake and fill the crust with your filling of choice. (I'd like to recommend quiche for a savory option or pecan pie for a sweet one.)  Then bake according to recipe instructions. 

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups or 156g all-purpose flour
1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons or a little shy of 70g shortening (I prefer Crisco, when I can get it.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

 

Method

Preheat oven to 425°F or 220°C.

 

In medium bowl with fork, lightly stir together flour and salt.

With pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle in cold water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing lightly with a fork after each addition until pastry just holds together.












With hands, shape pastry into a ball. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate 30 minutes.




Pop your dough ball into one of these handy devices, with a generous sprinkling of flour or on lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin, roll pastry into circle 1⁄8 inch thick and about 2 inches larger all around than pie plate.

My piecrust bag is 12 inches and perfect for a normal pie pan, but the smaller size seems hard to find these days.





Transfer to pie plate, easing into bottom and side of plate. Fold overhang under; pinch to form a decorative edge.











Prick bottom and side of crust all over with a fork, to prevent puffing during baking. Cut a circle of parchment paper to lay inside and fill with pie weights or dried beans.







Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Cool for a couple of minutes and then carefully remove the hot weights or beans and put them in a heat resistant bowl to cool. The beans can be saved in a Ziploc for future use as pie weights. Of course, the pie weights are reusable too.









Fill with the unbaked filling of your preference. In our family, we prefer banana cream.





Enjoy!