Banana Cream Pie with Vanilla Wafer Crust

Before you start

Banana cream pie is an assembled dessert rather than a baked one. Only the crust sees the oven; the filling is a stovetop pastry cream layered with raw banana slices and finished with whipped cream. A crust made from vanilla wafer crumbs echoes the flavor of the classic banana pudding and stays crunchy longer than pastry under a moist filling.

The custard is where care pays off. It has to come to a real boil and bubble for a full minute, because egg yolks contain an enzyme that slowly digests starch; if it survives, a firm custard turns soupy overnight. Use bananas that are ripe and freckled but still firm, slice them just before assembling, and bury them completely in custard so they are protected from air. Even then, this pie is best within a day.

Ingredients

• Wafer crust170 g (about 2 cups crumbs) vanilla wafer cookies
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 70 g (5 tbsp) unsalted butter — melted
• Pastry cream600 ml (2½ cups) whole milk
• 130 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
• 40 g (⅓ cup) cornstarch
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Assembly3 medium (about 350 g peeled) ripe but firm bananas
• Topping360 ml (1½ cups) cold heavy cream
• 30 g (¼ cup) powdered sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grind the wafers to fine crumbs, mix with the sugar and melted butter, and press firmly over the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned at the edges. Cool completely.
2. Heat 480 ml of the milk in the saucepan until steaming. In a bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and salt, then whisk in the remaining 120 ml cold milk and the yolks until smooth.
3. Pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Return everything to the saucepan.
4. Cook over medium heat, whisking and scraping the corners, until the custard thickens and large bubbles break the surface. Keep whisking at a boil for a full 60 seconds. It will look thick and glossy, like soft pudding.
5. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla. Press the custard through a sieve into a bowl. Let it cool for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until warm rather than hot.
6. Spread one third of the custard in the crust. Slice the bananas 6 mm (¼ in) thick and lay half of them in an overlapping layer. Cover with another third of the custard, add the rest of the banana, and finish with the remaining custard, sealing the bananas in completely.
7. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until set.
8. Just before serving, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to medium peaks and spread it over the pie.

Tips for success

• Whisk without stopping once the custard nears a boil. It thickens suddenly and can scorch on the bottom in seconds.
• Brown-speckled bananas give the most flavor, but avoid ones that are soft or bruised; they turn mushy and gray.
• Spreading warm custard over the bananas helps it settle into every gap, which keeps air away from the fruit.

Substitutions

Vanilla wafer crust

Use a blind-baked single pastry crust for a sturdier, more traditional pie; it softens faster under the custard.

Whole milk

Replace 120 ml of the milk with heavy cream for a richer custard. Do not use skim milk; the custard will be thin and less creamy.

Whipped cream

Stabilize it with 60 g softened mascarpone whipped in with the cream so the topping holds up for a full day.

Variations

Caramel banana

Drizzle 60 ml thick caramel sauce over each banana layer.

Chocolate bottom

Spread 85 g melted dark chocolate over the cooled crust and let it set before adding custard.

Troubleshooting

Custard turned runny after chilling

It did not boil long enough to deactivate the enzyme in the yolks. Keep it bubbling, while whisking, for a full minute.

Bananas browned inside the pie

They were exposed to air. Slice them right before layering, cover every slice with custard, and serve within 24 hours.

Lumpy custard

The yolks scrambled or the cornstarch clumped. Temper slowly, whisk constantly, and strain the custard through a sieve.

Storage

Refrigerate at all times and eat within 1 day; the bananas darken and the crust softens after that. Keep out of the refrigerator no more than 2 hours. This pie does not freeze well.

Safety notes

Contains a cooked egg custard; keep the pie chilled and discard leftovers after 2 days. Contains wheat, egg and milk.