Banana Pudding In a Pie

A few months back, Jessica was thumbing through one of my "Country Living" magazines and she came across a pie recipe that she asked me to make. It took me a few weeks to gather the ingredients and actually make the pie (with her help)...but we loved it.

Fast forward to last Saturday.

Kelli called me up and asked for the recipe. I couldn't find the magazine anywhere. So, I went online today and looked it up. I thought I would post it here so that next time we want to make it we will be able to find it!

Sorry, Kelli. Better late than never, huh?

Banana Pudding Pie

CRUST:

50 vanilla wafers

2 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

5 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

FILLING:

3 egg yolks

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon powdered gelatin

1/4 cup cold milk

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup milk

1 vanilla bean, pod and scraped seeds

1 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh whipped cream

5 Tablespoons caramel sauce, plus extra for garnish

3 medium bananas, sliced

For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crush vanilla wafers and toss with brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, and sea salt. Stir in melted butter and vanilla extract and press mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

For the filling: Chill a medium bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice water and set aside. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and sea salt together until very thick and light in color. Set aside. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Bring heavy cream, remaining 3/4 cup milk, and vanilla bean to a boil in a medium pot. Remove from heat, slowly whisk cream mixture into reserved egg mixture, pour back into pot, and stir over medium-low heat until it reaches a boil. Pour into chilled bowl, remove vanilla bean pod, and stir in gelatin mixture, butter and vanilla extract. Let cool and fold in whipped cream.

Spread caramel sauce over crust. Line with 2 1/2 bananas and top with pudding. Chill for 2 hours. Decorate with remaining banana slices and caramel.

This recipe is a little labor intensive for a pie...but it is so worth the time and effort. If you are baking for more than four people, I would go ahead and make two. They WILL come back for seconds!