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BANANA CREAM PIE 2

 

Fragrant vanilla pudding cradled in a graham cracker crumb crust, topped with bananas and real whipped cream—no wonder this pie is the reigning favorite at my in-laws' house!
Serves 8
Makes One 9-Inch Pie

Ingredients
• Cooking spray
• 14 graham cracker squares (7 full sheets)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 3 tablespoons boiling water
• 1/3 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups 1/4-inch-thick banana slices (3 medium bananas)
• 1/4 cup well-chilled heavy cream


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

To make the crust, in a food processor, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and water and process until the crumbs clump together. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pie plate and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the gelatin in a small bowl; add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/3 cup of the sugar and the flour. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the milk and egg yolks together. Add the egg-and-milk mixture to the saucepan and whisk so the flour and sugar dissolve. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened. Stir in the vanilla and gelatin slurry. Set aside to cool slightly.

Arrange the sliced banana in the crust and pour the pudding on top. Place in the refrigerator until the pudding has set, about 3 hours.

Whip the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. When it is about halfway to soft peaks, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon sugar, then continue whipping until it barely holds a soft peak. Put the whipped cream in a plastic bag, concentrating it in one corner of the bag. Snip that corner off the bag and squeeze the whipped cream out of the bag in a decorative pattern around the pie. The pie will keep in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.

DID YOU KNOW?
Graham flour is a whole-wheat flour that is ground coarser than other flours. All graham crackers contain at least some graham flour, but ideally look for 100% whole-wheat graham crackers.