Banana Cream Pie

What other fruit goes well with a creamy pie? This recipe is fresh, creamy, and looks professional if you are wanting to impress somebody. It's perfect for a spring or summer day. I can't stand gross pies from the refrigerator section of the grocery store, and this is super easy. Guarantee you won't taste the nasty box flavor from Marie Callenders.



1 baked pie shell (See my Betty Crocker Pie Crust)
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups milk
4 egg yolks
2 TBSP margarine or butter, softened
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped cream (homemade version or Cool Whip)
2 bananas

Bake the pie shell at 475' for 8-10 minutes. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan. Stir in milk gradually. Turn the stove to medium heat (make sure it is medium or you'll burn your milk!), stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils (rolling boil). Make sure you are stirring and scraping the bottom with your wooden spoon RELIGIOUSLY. If you feel a gummy feeling on the bottom, DON'T SCRAPE IT OFF. This means you've let the bottom burn, and the best thing you can do at this moment is not scrape the nasty burn into your perfect cream. Stir on top of the gum.

Boil and stir for 1 minute. You have to work fast now. Stir at least half the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks. Then re-blend it all into the saucepan. Boil and stir again for 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in margarine and vanilla. Press plastic wrap onto top of filling in saucepan and cool to room temperature. The plastic wrap prevents a gummy skin from forming on top.

Slice two bananas into pie shell and pour the cooled filling over bananas. Refrigerate until serving time, then top pie with whipped cream and garnish with banana slices.

1 CUP WHIPPED CREAM: Beat 1/2 cup chilled whipping cream and 1 TBSP granulated or powdered sugar in a chilled bowl (just put it in the freezer for 10 minutes before making whipped cream) until stiff.