Being from the South, I used to make a sort of Banana Cream Pie, but we called it pudding. Instead of a crust, we would put a layer of 'Nilla Vanilla Wafers (Are those still made?) in a pie pan and then layer in sliced bananas with creme Anglais and put whipped cream on top. The only thing you have to cook is the creme Anglaise, and I know you already know how to make that. It's chilled before serving, of course. I use a 2" deep 10" diameter pie pan for this recipe. You could skip the cookies and make a graham cracker crust and then layer in bananas with creme Anglaise and whipped cream. I slice the bananas fairly thinly so that I can make more layers.

Lars

I have a Banana Cream Pie from Cooking Light that I love. I checked their website and they don't list it any longer. I'll post it tomorrow morning--no time to do it right now. It is absolutely delicious!

My oven has Nancy's banana bread in it right now. Yummmmmm!

Arlene

Sharon, this is an excellent, messy pie that my hubs loves!

BANANA CREAM PIE

1 cup sliced bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 6 oz. reduced fat graham cracker crust (I make my own)

Meringue:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
8 large egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Arrange sliced bananas in bottom of crust.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Combine milk and eggs, gradually add to sugar mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat. Pour filling into pie crust, covering bananas. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm (about 2 hours).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To prepare meringue, combine 1 cup sugar with water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 240 degrees F. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed of a mixer until foamy. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg white mixture, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. Remove plastic wrap from filling. Spread the meringue evenly over filling, sealing to edge of crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned; cool on a wire rack. Chill until set. Yields 10 wedge sized servings.

I'm not much help, because we know how I feel about bananas, LOL. I do, however, make banana cream pie for David, he loves the stuff. I use this old "blue Ribbon" recipe, and I've used the custard for banana pudding at Christmas for Elery's kids too. We always used whipped cream instead of meringue, but I love meringue on pies. Beachlily's recipe looks way more healthy than mine!

Banana Cream Pie

1 cup whole milk
4 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream divided
2 bananas, thinly sliced and tossed with 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
1 baked 9-inch pie shell

In a heavy saucepan, bring milk to the boiling point.
Place egg yolks in mixing bowl and beat on medium speed of electric mixer, gradually adding sugar. Beat for 2 minutes, until mixture is thick and lemon-colored. Beat in flour. With mixer on low speed, gradually add the hot milk.
Transfer mixture to heavy saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Let mixture come to a boil and boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and continue to beat until mixture is smooth. Beat in butter a little at a time; then blend in cinnamon. Stir in vanilla extract; let mixture cool.

Beat 1 cup of the cream until firm but not stiff. Mix about 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the egg mixture to lighten it. Fold remaining whipped cream into egg mixture then fold in sliced bananas.

Transfer filling to the pastry shell. Whip remaining cream and spoon or pipe onto the pie. Refrigerate until serving time.

Annie

A recent favorite since you've heard nothing about it for 25 years Miss Chase lol that is hilarious!

Now where are Ginger and Mary Ann when we need them???

LOL cookebook!

Thanks Ladies , think I have everything on hand to make with a meringue, thankfully I don;t have any whipping cream!

Chase, in case you'd like to add this to your recipe file, it is so easy even I, the non-baker, can make it.

Mama, who was not my real mother, always used the same cream filling for cream pies. strawberry, banana, and coconut, that she used for banana pudding, and I have followed suit. Her strawberry cream pies were special, and as I recall, she "poked" whole strawberries into the filling. Strawberries weren't available year round like they are now, so what she used were the good, sweet berries that were in season. Not the giant tasteless kind you find in the grocery stores now.

Her cream filling recipe:

1/2 to 3/4 C. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 teas. salt

Combine in top of double boiler and add:

2 egg yolks, beaten
2 C. milk

Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add 1 teas. vanilla.

She always used a plain piecrust and meringue on top.

The only time she used a graham cracker crust, that I remember, was the lemon "icebox" pie that was so popular in the late '50's and '60's. Generally speaking, I most always prefer plain crust. I have a recipe for peanut butter cream pie, waiting in the wings, that I want to make....waiting for me to get up the courage to make it.

Mama wasn't a fancy cook but her meals, chicken and dumplings in particular were legendary...I sure miss her.

jude

Hi, All! I forgot to add the Nutritional Information on the Cooking Light Banana Cream Pie. Here it is:

Cal. 291 (16% from fat); Fat 5g (sat 2.1g, mono 1.4g, poly 1.2g); Protein 6.5g; Carb 53.8g; Fiber 0.1g; Chol 46mg; Iron 0.6mg; Sodium 215mg; Calc 67mg

You can wash my mouth out with soap for posting this if you wish.....

Quick banana cream pie...
Graham cracker crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs out of the box
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
Mix sugar with crumbs, add melte4d butter and press into pie plate. Bake 400 for 8 minutes, cool.
Filling...or buy a premade crust.
I package Jello pudding mix
Make according to package directions....as it's cooling stir in 3 T butter cut into bits....
Put 1/4 inch layer of pudding into crust, add a layer of bananas more pudding, another layer of bananas and the rest of the pudding.
Cover and chill....top with canned refrigerated whipped cream.

Not nearly as good a made all the way from scratch with a real pastry crust....but in a pinch.....?
Linda c

Linda , Linda, Linda...have you gone to the dark side? LOL

I'm going to go with a combo, real pie crust, meringue topping ant the custard filling.....eggs, milk, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla.

Will let you know what "himself" thinks!

No idea where this came from.........wonder what other culinary wishes lurk beneath the surface....LOL

you'll find out in the next 25 years lol

Egg yolks, cornstarch, whole milk....real pie crust and meringue is best....by far!

I am very interested in that Cooking Light recipe. I really don't care for meringue (lots of work and not much flavor) so I wonder if I could just put whipped cream out the can on it or (god forbid) cool-whip.

Yep, whipped cream would be fine. I use either on my Key Lime Pie, but really do like the meringue on the banana. Your choice!

I'm late to the party again but have to say that I think it's great that he his still surprising you after 25 years. Nothing wrong with that IMHO.

Lars, I think they still make those Nilla Waffers. I've seen that dessert combo at more than one gathering over the years. They were a favorite first food for toddlers back in the day too. Not the best thing for sure but they worked back in the day.

I'm a big fan of Nick Malgieri. His Heart of Dixie Pecan Pie is my favorite. I'll share his recipe in case you and himself decide to try a few more variations in the future.

Title: Banana Cream Pie - Bakers' Dozen
Categories: Pies, Bakery
Yield: 1 servings

Flaky pie dough for a
-1crust pie
; bove
Filling:
2 1/2 c Milk
2/3 c Sugar
1 pn Salt
1/3 c Cornstarch
3 lg Eggs
4 tb Unsalted butter; softened
2 ts Vanilla extract
2 lg Bananas; sliced
Topping:
1 c Heavy cream
2 tb Sugar
1 ts Vanilla extract
Prepare and bake the crust.

Recipe by: BAKERS' DOZEN (NICK MALGIERI) SHOW #1A16 To make the
filling,
combine 2 cups milk, sugar and salt in a nonreactive saucepan; whisk
once
to mix and bring to a boil over low heat. Place remaining 1/2 cup milk
in a
mixing bowl and whisk in cornstarch, then eggs. Return milk and sugar
mixture to a boil over low heat then whisk about a third of it into the
egg
mixture. Return milk and sugar mixture to a boil once more and whisk in
the
egg mixture, whisking constantly until the filling thickens and comes
to a
boil. Allow to boil, whisking constantly, for about 30 seconds. Remove
from
heat, whisk in butter and vanilla; pour into a nonreactive bowl. Press
plastic wrap against the surface of the filling and chill until it is
approximately 75 degrees. Fold the bananas into the cooled filling and
spread it evenly in the cooled crust. To finish the pie, whip the cream
with the sugar and vanilla until it holds a firm peak. Use a hand mixer
on
medium speed or a heavyduty mixer fitted with the whisk. Spread the
cream
over the filling, making sure it touches the edges of the crust all
around.

C&P from a google search....it would have taken me way too much time to type it in from his cookbook that Mique sent me years ago is a swap. : )

David

My mother made the simplest and best banana cream pie. You bake an empty pie shell.

Then have 2 ripe bananas and 1 large box and 1 small box of Jello brand vanilla pudding that you have to cook, the whole milk to cook it, and 1/2 pint of whipping cream, vanilla extract and sugar.

Bake the pie shell and cool it. Slice one banana thinly into the bottom of the pie shell. Cook the vanilla pudding with whole milk and let it cool 5 minutes per package instructions, stirring once after 2 1/2 minutes. Spoon the slightly cooled vanilla pudding over the first layer of bananas just to cover them. Then slice the other banana over the pudding layer and then spoon the rest of the pudding into the pie shell, smooth it evenly, and cool in the refrigerator a few hours. If you want to avoid the skin that forms on the cooled pudding, you can put a layer of Saran Wrap or waxed paper right on top of the vanilla pudding. I don't bother. Then before serving, whip the whipping cream, adding 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 2 or 3 teaspoons of sugar to the whipping cream as you whip it. Frost the top of the pie with the whipped cream and serve. Yummy and easy.

Interesting...I have never had meringue on a cream pie of any sort.

Probably a good thing since I am not a big fan of meringue, huh?

I agree with David that it's great that there are still some "surprises" after 25 years! Heehee!

(BTW...I actually let out a stifled gasp when I read Linda's post! LOL)

Linda

David, I've not had the vanilla wafers since I was a child and switched to a graham cracker crust long ago, but have not tried this pie with a flaky crust. I'm sure that would be good too.

Linda, I also have never heard of a cream pie with a meringue and almost mentioned that myself! Meringue has to be cooked, and even if you make an Italian meringue for a pie, it is generally baked to get it brown on top and a bit more stable.

Lars

Yes....you bake the meringue....but in a very hot oven for maybe 4 minutes.
That banana "pie" made with 'nilla wafers is properly called "nanner pudding".
I put a meringue topping on my rhubarb custard pie....the egg yolks go in the filling and I make a meringue for the top....waste not want not...;-)