Delicious on its own, basic vanilla pudding is also the foundation for banana cream pie.
Sure, buying a pie fresh from the bakery is easy and tasty but taking the time to make it from scratch adds the element of love. The home cook may want to set aside some time on a Saturday morning to whip up this perennial favorite.
Ingredients for Vanilla Cream Pie Filling
- 2/3 cups sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 and a half tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 and a half tsp. vanilla extract
Steps for Making Vanilla Cream Pie Filling
- Combine sugar, salt, cornstarch and flour together in sauce pan.
- Gradually stir in milk and cream
- Cook over moderate high heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils.
- Boil one minute.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir a little of the hot mixture into 3 slightly beaten egg yolks to temper them.
- Blend eggs into hot mixture a little at a time.
- Boil one minute more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- Blend in butter and vanilla.
- Cool, stirring occasionally.
- When cool, pour into cooled, baked pie shell. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. If the cook is planning to top the pie with meringue, she will not cool the pie. For best results, meringue should be spread on hot pie filling.
Steps for Making Banana Cream Pie
- Line cool, baked pie shell with two large bananas.
- Pour in cooled vanilla cream filling.
- Cover and chill for two hours.
Pie Crust Options
- The home cook may choose to make the crust herself using a basic pie crust recipe. Some pie bakers feel that a crust made with shortening is lighter than a butter based dough while the purists still swear by lard over Crisco.
- The home cook may choose to pick one up from the refrigerated section of her grocery store. Pillsbury and Trader Joe’s pie dough get high marks with many cooks but there are a number of brands to choose from.
- Ready made or homemade graham cracker crusts compliment most cream pies.
Ingredients for Meringue Topping
- 4 egg whites
- 1 pinch cream of tarter
- 2 tbsps sugar
Steps for Making Meringue Topping
- Put egg whites in bowl of a stand mixer or, if using a hand mixer, put egg white in mixing bowl.
- Beat egg whites until they form soft peaks.
- Gradually add sugar.
- Beat until stiff peaks form.
Tips for Topping a Pie With Meringue
- Spread the meringue over hot pie filling. This begins the cooking process of the bottom of the meringue.
- Be sure to cover the pie all the way around.
- Baking the meringue at a lower temperature for a longer time results in meringue that is thoroughly done. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes as suggested in the article “Egg White Meringue – How to Make Perfect Meringue.”
- Use eggs that are a few days old rather than fresh eggs.
- Be sure all utensils are clean and don’t use a plastic bowl.
- Make the meringue before the pie to insure that the filling is hot when the meringue is put on.
The copyright of the article How to Make Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie in Recipes is owned by Jan Czech. Permission to republish How to Make Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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