Birthday Banana Creme Pie

It all started last year when we went to Vegas for my sister's birthday. Some time during that trip we had a most delightful dinner at one of Emeril's restaurants (I think it was NO Fish House). As dessert approached I began eyeing the menu, as I have a relentless sweet tooth. One thing, which I never ever order, that was on the menu, was banana creme pie. No, I did not order it. But my cousin did. Thankfully, she was too full to finish it and Jeff and I devoured the rest of it, with each bite being better than the last. I am neither a very big "fruit dessert" kind of person, nor am I a banana person nor do I really like the idea of a "creme pie." However, this banana creme pie can only be described as heavenly, melt in your mouth perfection.

So sometime last summer, we were going over to one of our friends' house and I was in charge of dessert. Wandering around the grocery store thinking about what to make, Jeff immediately and enthusiastically insisted upon banana creme pie (this was the only time I made it for a non-birthday event). Not having a clue what you actually need to make it, I called my mom and Grammy. Unfortunately, my dad answered the phone and the ladies were not around. He asked what I was up to and I asked if he knew what was in banana creme pie, remarkably, he rattled off a bunch of ingredients, and if I remember correctly (I may be glorifying my dad's ingredient list) he got them all right. Although he said I needed pudding mix, and of course the recipe would actually call for making your own homemade "pudding" or creme, but the ingredients that we hadn't thought of (like cornstarch) I had on hand.

When we got home from the store I dug up (i.e google searched it) Emeril's recipe for banana creme pie and it looked hard but do-able. The recipe needs at least 8 hours, so I started right away. First is making the "pudding" part and chilling it, then the crust, letting that cool, then layering the crust, bananas and "pudding" and chilling the whole thing again. The hard part is making sure you don't scramble the eggs but thicken it enough to hold its shape. For being a banana creme pie "newbie" it turned out pretty good. The flavor was definitely right on, but it wasn't as thick as I would have liked.

The next time I made it (and how it became known on the circuit as the Birthday Banana Creme Pie - actually I think I'm the only one who calls it Birthday Banana Creme Pie, but I don't think it's a misnomer) was at one of Jeff's friends birthday parties. I also made an apple pie (it was the fall) but that seemed to fall by the wayside. The real star was the banana creme pie. It was just as messy as the first time, impossible to cut cleanly, but just as tasty. However, the reviews were unanimous. De-frickin'-licious. In fact, the birthday boy of the evening polished off the pie in bed, eating it right out of the pie dish.

So last weekend we were off to another birthday party (this puts the count at 3 birthdays), and this birthday boy has a few allergies, but the banana creme pie was one of the few things that was a "safe" dessert. So I bought four more pounds of bananas and all the cream that's fit for a kitten and planned yet another banana creme pie kitchen adventure (it literally takes all day and requires a plethora of kitchen tools). However, this time, I found a different Emeril recipe. The ratio of ingredients was a bit different (same technique same ingredients, just different amounts), and it looked like it would come out a bit less runny (because there was more cornstarch). So I opted for recipe #2.

After the first 4 hours I already knew the texture would definitely be much more stiff, the question was, would it be too stiff?

After a half hour subway ride turned into an hour subway ride ("we are waiting for the train in front of us to move") I was sure that the pie would be a melted mess, but it held up just fine (thank you pyrex insulated carrier!).

The pie was able to be cut (and I also made some modifications to the crust as well which made it not so crusty) and I think the verdict was that recipe #2 was the clear winner. I actually personally would have preferred a filling that was somewhere between #1 and #2, maybe I'll do some experimenting...

You really need to be up for a day of cooking and cleaning (or maybe not if you have a dishwasher) to try this one, but you'll be very very very happy you did. The pie is awesome. It takes maybe an hour to two (maybe less I don't really remember) for all of the prep and cooking and at least 8 hours additional chill time (in two different steps, at least 4 hours each). Below is recipe #2, and it's Emeril's recipe, available on the Food Network. If you know someone with an upcoming birthday, surprise them, ditch the cake, make a pie.

Banana Creme Pie
4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and seeds scraped (In my mind, you MUST use a real vanilla bean)
3 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 recipe Graham Cracker Crust, recipe follows
3 pounds (about 9) firm but ripe bananas, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine 2 cups of the cream, the milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the vanilla bean, and the vanilla seeds in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.

Combine the egg yolks, eggs, cornstarch, and 1 cup of the sugar in a medium bowl, and whisk pale yellow in color. Set aside.

Whisk 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks. Gradually add the egg mixture to the hot cream, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly with a large wooden spoon to cook out the cornstarch and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.

To assemble, spread 1/2 cup of the custard over the bottom of the prepared crust, smoothing with the back of a large spoon or rubber spatula. Arrange enough banana slices (not quite one-third) in a tight, tiled pattern over the custard, pressing down with your hands to pack them firmly. Repeat to build a second layer, using 3/4 cup of the custard and enough bananas to cover, smoothing down the layer evenly. For the third layer, spread 3/4 cup of custard over the bananas and top with the remaining bananas, starting 1-inch from the outer edge and working toward the center. Spread 1 cup of custard evenly over the bananas to prevent discoloration. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

In a medium bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar and the vanilla extract and whip until stiff peaks form.

Graham Cracker Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 ripe banana mashed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the butter and banana and mix well. Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Top with aluminum pie tin and with a circular motion, press the crust tightly into the pan. Bake until browned, about 20 minutes. Cool.