I have always looooved pies, but I don’t make them very often. I think part of the reason is that pies are so popular here in Texas, that it is easy to buy one that’s pretty darn good! One dessert that I’ve become a huge fan of since moving here is banana pudding. They even have banana pudding ice cream here! So I decided to turn it into a pie; a combination of banana cream pie and banana pudding. It was a success…I cut a tiny sliver, as my grandmother would have said, and then couldn’t stop eating it. I had to wrap it up and send it with Mikey to work this morning…he sent me a picture of an empty pie pan by 10:00 AM! If you like pies and bananas, I would highly recommend this recipe 🙂
BANANA PUDDING PIE
- 1 ea Pie Crust, fully cooked
- 1 box Nilla Wafers
- 3-4 ea Bananas
- 1 recipe Banana Custard
- 2 cups Whipped Cream
BANANA CUSTARD
- 2 cups Milk
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 2 ea Egg Yolks
- 1 ea Eggs
- 5 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp Butter
- 1 ea Banana, mashed
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 1/8 tsp Salt
The custard for this pie is a very time sensitive recipe, so you need to make sure that you have all of your ingredients measured out and in the appropriate bowls/pans before you begin. This is a stirred custard, which means it cooks and the eggs coagulate while the mixture is stirred on the stove top, rather than baked in the oven. If you don’t have everything ready, you’ll risk cooking the eggs in the custard too much causing the curdling or burning of your custard. I know that sounds scary, but as long as you prep everything before you begin, you can make this custard like a pro!
- As I mentioned above, several times, we are first going to measure out all of our ingredients and put them in the appropriate bowls/pans. Measure your milk and put it in a small saucepan.
Measure your sugar, and add about half to the milk in the saucepan, and put the other half in a medium/large bowl. Add the cornstarch to the mixing bowl with the sugar. Crack your eggs into another bowl or measuring cup. In another large bowl, add the butter, mashed banana, vanilla, and salt.
- Now that you have your ingredients measured, we can begin. Place the milk and sugar on the stove, stirring occasionally with a spatula. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together to break up any clumps, and then add the eggs and whisk to combine. Place a strainer on top of the bowl with the butter and banana.
- Once your milk begins to simmer and bubble around the edges, pour it into the egg and cornstarch mixture, while whisking. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat. Make sure you have a clock or timer nearby! Whisk the mixture on medium heat constantly…if you stop mixing, your eggs will curdle. The mixture will thicken and have more of a pudding consistency. Once this happens, continue whisking, as fast as you can, for a full 60 seconds.
- This next step must be done quickly, so please excuse the not so great pictures! Turn off the heat, still whisking. Pour the custard mixture into the strainer that you placed over the bowl of butter and banana. Strain the custard into the bowl…it will be rather thick so you may have to push it through with your spatula. The strainer will catch any bits of egg that may have cooked too much.
- Now, whisk the custard with the vanilla, banana, and butter. Whisk until the butter has melted completely and the mixture is well combined. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and place it in either the refrigerator or freezer to cool.
- The hard part is over!
Once the banana custard has cooled, we can assemble the pie. Make sure you have your fully cooked pie crust, box of Nilla wafers, and bananas ready. Pour one third of the banana custard into the pie crust. Spread it as evenly as you can using a small offset spatula. 
- Slice 2-3 bananas into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange the bananas on top of the layer of custard. Then arrange a layer of Nilla wafers on top of the banana slices.
- Add another third of the custard
and spread it over the layer of wafers with your offset spatula. Then layer the banana slices and Nilla wafers again.
- Top the pie with the last third of the custard and spread evenly with your offset spatula. Place the pie in the refrigerator to set up.
- The last step is to top off the pie with whipped cream. You can use Cool Whip or Reddi-wip, but I like to make my own whipped cream. Just pour a pint of heavy cream, 1/2 cup of sugar, and one teaspoon of vanilla into a bowl and whip until you have stiff peaks. A stand mixer or hand mixer will do this much faster than whipping by hand! Either spoon the whipped cream onto the top of your pie or pipe it on using a piping bag and piping tip.
- If you want to step it up a notch, you can add caramelized banana slices and Nilla wafers to the top of your pie. Caramelizing the bananas will keep them from turning brown as quickly as plain banana slices would, and it adds a nice crunch.
Slice the banana on a bias and place the slices on a metal pan. Sprinkles sugar over the top of the banana slices. Take a kitchen torch and move the flame back and forth over the sugar until it bubbles and caramelizes. 
- Arrange the caramelized banana slices and Nilla wafers on top, and you’re ready to enjoy your pie! This pie is best served cold, so keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to eat it.
