Layers of buttery caramel gild the lily on my mom’s original recipe for Banana Cream Pie.
My Book Club is currently reading “Life of Pi” for our August discussion. Every time I write or type it, it comes out as “Life of Pie.” I’m a baker, after all, not a mathematician. The only ratio I’m concerned about is the amount of fruit filling to flaky pastry crust. I’ve posted club announcements, emailed reminders and sent confirmations to my fellow bibliophiles – and each time it’s “Life of P-I-E.”
If one has pie on the brain, one might as well embrace it. A few of my coworkers have been asking for one of the Banana Cream variety. I decided to appease them – and gild the lily yet again by adding layers of buttery caramel.
Caramel Banana Cream Pie
Based on my mom’s Banana Cream Pie recipe, a pie of my childhood, I’ve updated the method slightly and added layers of buttery caramel.
Ingredients
- 1 baked 9” pie shell, cooled (I use this one)
- 3 cups whole milk
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 egg yolks, beaten
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3-4 bananas, sliced just before using
- 1 cup caramel sauce (I use David Lebovitz’s Butter Caramel Sauce)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, heat milk, ¼ cup of sugar and salt over medium heat. Blend cornstarch, flour and remaining sugar in a bowl. Add yolks to sugar mixture. Pour hot milk over eggs slowly to temper. Pour mixture back into saucepan. Bring to a simmer while continuously whisking. Cook over low to medium low heat until thickened. Add vanilla and push through a sieve (to catch any lumps) into a shallow pan. Cover with plastic wrap touching surface and cool to room temperature.
- Swirl a small amount of filling on the bottom of the cooled pie shell. Add a layer of sliced bananas. Drizzle bananas with half the caramel. Cover caramel with half the filling, another layer of bananas and the remaining caramel. Top with the rest of the filling.
- Beat whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff. Place in a piping bag and pipe rosettes over top of pie. Chill at least two hours before serving to allow flavors to meld and filling to fully set.
Two-Bit Tart 