I have fond memories of calm mornings sharing coffee and stories with Jacques in San Francisco at the Stanford Court Hotel on Nob Hill. I was the pastry chef for the hotel and Fournou’s Oven and Jacques stayed there while taping his show at KQED. Now we often meet in BU Met, where I still teach classes in the culinary program that he created there. This American pie can be made at any time of the year but for me is always great in the fall and winter when other fruit is scarce. You can make the pie shell ahead but make the crème pâtissière/pastry cream and complete the pie on the same day. Eat it within two days… that’s not hard to do!

Banana Cream Pie

Recipe details

Serves

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie; 6 servings

For the Butter Pie Dough

Ingredients

  • 1 ⅓ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted European style butter, cold, cut into ¼-inch slices
  • ¼ cup ice-cold water

Method

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and salt and process. Add the butter and process, pulsing at first then running, until the dough forms a coarse meal. Remove the cover and feel the mixture, it should resemble the coarseness of cornmeal. Add the cold water and process again just until a ball of dough forms.
  2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Gently knead the dough by rotating the ball and pressing as you rotate. Once the surface is smooth, gently shape into a round 6-inch disc using both hands. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes, or if the dough is cold enough to roll, then proceed to the next step.
  3. Dust the counter lightly with flour. Place the pie pan nearby. Remove the disc of dough from the refrigerator and place it on the center of the floured counter. Dust the top of the dough with flour. Keep the counter under the dough and top of dough dusted with flour as you roll. Continue rolling, rotating the dough a quarter turn each time, until you have formed a 12-inch circle. Using a dry pastry brush, brush off the extra flour.
  4. Fold the dough in half and place it in the pie pan. Open it up to line the pan with the dough so that it is completely covered, lifting it gently so that it falls into the corners at the bottom edge. Press the dough against the bottom edge and sides of the pie pan removing any air pockets. Trim the edge if needed and refrigerate to relax the dough until it is firm, about 30 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile adjust an oven rack to the lowest level. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  6. Once the rolled dough is firm, place an identical pie pan on top sandwiching the dough between the two pans. Turn upside down onto a sheet pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven. Turn the pans right size up. The edges should be light brown. Gently try to remove the top pie pan. If it doesn’t lift off easily then put it back in the oven, this time right side up, and continue baking for another 5 minutes or until the top pan releases and can be removed easily.
  7. Once the top pan is off, return the base to the oven and continue baking until the bottom and sides are golden brown, about another 5 to 10 minutes. Place the pie pan and shell in the pan on a rack to cool completely.

For the Pastry Cream and Pie Assembly

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • ¼ cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 4 to 5 medium-size bananas, firm with green ends
  • Baked Pie Shell (from above)
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Method

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour and cornstarch. Add the eggs, whisking until smooth and without lumps. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over medium heat. Pour about one-third of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking until blended. Return the egg mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk (this is known as tempering the eggs or warming them to prevent them from curdling when added to the boiling milk). Cook over medium-high heat, whisking continuously and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan, until the custard bubbles and has thickened without any lumps, about 3 minutes.
  2. Remove from the heat and continue to whisk to cool slightly, about 1 minute. Whisk in the butter, followed by the vanilla. Continue whisking until the butter has melted and is incorporated. Pour into a large bowl and sprinkle the surface with sugar and cover with plastic wrap. Place on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes.
  3. Peel the bananas and cut them into ½-inch slices and fold them into the warm pastry cream. Pour the banana-custard into the cooled pre-baked pie shell, pushing it into the corners and smoothing the top until level. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the cream and powdered sugar to soft peaks. Fill a 16-inch pastry bag fitted with a large plain (5/8-inch) round pastry tip and pipe the cream over the top. (see instructions below). Alternatively spoon or dollop the cream over the top covering the filling. Refrigerate the pie uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes or until the whipped cream is set, then carefully, cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

  1. Instructions for piping the cream in a herringbone pattern. Place the tip in the bag, twist the bag just above the tip and press into the tip closing it. Make a collar on the large end. Holding the collar of the bag with one hand, fill to two-thirds full with the whipped cream. Unfold the top and twist the back closed just above the top of the whipped cream. Using your right hand, place the twist in the bag between your thumb and large finger. Close your hand to secure the twist and gently wrap it around the top of the bag. Use your other hand to guide the tip when piping.
  2. Position the pastry tip about 1 inch away from the top right side of the filling. Pipe a single layer zigzag across stopping when you reach the other end. Reverse the end of the tip and pipe across to the other side. Continue this pattern until the pie filling is covered.

 

Copyright © 1987 by Jim Dodge

All rights reserved under International Copyright