This is part of the Dessert Project. Techniques practiced in this recipe:

• Basic flaky pie crust, pre-baked
• Crème patisserie
• Whipped cream topping

Servings: 8 (9-inch pie)

5 ripe bananas
4 T unsalted butter, divided
2 ½ c half-and-half
½ c (3 ½ ounces) plus 2 T granulated sugar
6 large egg yolks
¼ t salt
2 T cornstarch
1 ½ t vanilla extract, divided
2 T orange juice
1 c heavy cream
2 T confectioners’ sugar
1 recipe for single-crust pie dough, fully baked and cooled

Peel 2 bananas and slice into ½-inch thick pieces. Melt 1 T butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sliced bananas and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, bring to a boil, and boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 40 minutes.

Whisk granulated sugar, egg yolks, and salt together in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in cornstarch. Strain cooked half-and-half mixture with a fine-mesh strainer into egg yolk mixture. Do not press on bananas. Whisk the mixture until smooth. Discard bananas.

Transfer mixture to a clean medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened to a consistency of warm pudding (180 F) for 4-6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the remaining 3 T of butter and 1 t vanilla. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl, press greased parchment paper on the surface, and let cool for an hour.

Peel and slice the remaining bananas ¼-inch thick. Toss with orange juice. Whisk pastry cream briefly, then spread half over the bottom of the pie crust. Arrange banana slices on top of pastry cream. Top with remaining pastry cream.

Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, whip cream, confectioners’ sugar, and remaining ½ t vanilla on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and white until stiff peaks form, 1-3 minutes. Spread whipped cream evenly over the top of the pie. Refrigerate until set, 5-24 hours.

Notes

We start with a standard pastry cream for our filling made with half-and-half, egg yolks, and butter for a rich, sliceable, but not rubbery texture. In looking to add banana flavor, we found banana extract simply tasted artificial. Liqueur wasn’t practical. Instead, before making our pastry cream, we infuse the half-and-half with a few sautéed bananas, which we later strain out.

We also add fresh banana slices to our pie. It helps to slice the bananas shortly before assembling since bananas turn brown when cut. To slow down the browning, we also add a splash of orange juice to the fresh banana slices.

Source:  Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book