First things first:  My favorite dessert, going away by a mile, was my mother’s banana cream pie.  I couldn’t get enough of it.  I asked her to make it all the damned time and when she did make it (which wasn’t nearly often enough) I would eat almost the whole thing before anyone else got a chance.  Strangely enough, you’d think that I would have made this—at least occasionally—once I moved out of the house.  But the reality is that this is the first banana cream pie I’ve ever made—and the first one I’ve eaten in over 30 years.  It will, however, not be my last.

A caveat before we get started:  Normally I would make my own pie crust for this, but I had way too much shit to do today and simply couldn’t be bothered. So I bought a frozen crust instead.

Here’s what you’ll need:

3 Bananas (yellow, not spotty)

¾ C Sugar

3 Tbsp. Corn Starch

¼ tsp. Salt

2 C Milk

3 Egg Yolks, slightly beaten

2 Tbsp. Butter

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 9-inch Baked Pie Shell

In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn starch and salt.  Gradually stir in milk over medium heat.  Whisk constantly until the mixture boils and starts to thicken, then cook for an additional two minutes.  Remove from heat.

Here’s the point where you have to temper the egg yolks so they don’t immediately solidify once they get added to the hot liquid.  Tempering, as you may or may not remember, is the process of preparing the egg yolks to remain in a liquid form instead of turning into an omelette.

Using a table spoon (not tablespoon), pour a couple of spoonfuls of the hot liquid into the yolks while stirring the yolks constantly.  Once everything is incorporated, pour the yolks into the hot liquid while whisking.  Return to heat and cook for another two minutes, whisking constantly.  Remove from heat again.

Add butter and vanilla and mix until butter is completely melted and incorporated.  Pour into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.  In order to keep a skin from forming on the pudding, press some plastic wrap down onto the surface of the pudding so there are no large air gaps.

Once the pudding is cool, slice the bananas into the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the pudding over the bananas and spread evenly. 

Then top with whipped cream and chill for 24 hours to let the pudding fully set.

Oh.  My.  God.  This is so fucking awesome.  It is still my favorite dessert of all time.  Even Mrs. Butcher—who refuses to eat any of the desserts I make—actually had TWO bites of it and then had to force herself to stop.  This pie will change your whole life.