Marie Callender's Banana Cream Pie (Copycat)

JustaQT's Note:

This is simply the best banana cream pie, no questions asked. Its so rich, creamy, and velvety. It almost melts in your mouth. One bite and you'll be hooked. I threw away all my other banana cream pie recipes. Fresh ripe bananas in a rich vanilla cream, topped with fresh whipped cream or fluffy meringue. For a faster version you may use ready-made graham cracker crusts (the nilla cookie crust is the best). You may use low-fat/no fat products & artificial sweeteners instead of the sugar with no flavor change. This recipe is from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes book by Todd Wilbur. (www.topsecretrecipes.com) If someone doesn't like this I will be shocked as I've never had any complaints as well as leftovers. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

Yield: 1.0 tsp.but ...

Crust (See Substitution Note Below)

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup shortening
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons ice water
• ½ teaspoon vinegar

Filling

• 2⁄3; cup sugar
• ½ cup cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 egg yolks , beaten
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 ripe bananas , sliced

Topping

• 1 pint heavy cream
• ½ cup slivered almond

Directions:

1. Beat together the butter and shortening until smooth and creamy and chill until firm.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Using a fork, cut the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients, until the mixture has a consistent texture.
4. Mix egg yolk, ice water, and vinegar into the dough, then form it into a ball and refrigerate it for 1 hour so that it will be easier to work with.
5. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
6. When the dough has chilled, roll it out and press it into a 9-inch pie plate.
7. Press parchment paper or aluminum foil into the crust and weight the crust down with ceramic pie weight or another pie pan filled with dried beans.This will prevent the crust from putting up and distorting. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the weigh or pan filled with beans and prick the crust with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let the crust cool.
8. Make the filling by sifting together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt into a medium saucepan.
9. Blend the milk and eggs in a medium bowl, then add the mixture to the dry ingredients and cook over medium heat stirring constantly for 6 to 8 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens, then cook for 1 minute more.
10. Remove the filling from the heat, and mix in the vanilla and 1 teaspoons butter. Put plastic wrap on the surface of the filling and let it cool to about room temperature.
11. Once cooled to room temperature remove the plastic wrap and add the sliced bananas. Stir.
12. Pour the filing into the pie shell and chill for a couple of hours before serving.Slice across the pie 3 times to make 6 large slices.Serve each slice topped fresh whipped cream and slivered almonds.
13. SUBSTITUTION: Use one of the below in place of homemade crust.
14. 9 inch Pie Crust Baked and Cooled.
15. Or.
16. 9 inch Graham Cracker Pie Crust (I prefer to bake mine about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.).

Reviews

[Chef #1447872]

I wish that I had of read more of the reviews before I started on this recipe! I agree with all of the other comments - definitely not enough liquid in the recipe as written. It made a very small quantity of very thick filling that would not even cover the bottom of the pie crust! This was probably my worst cooking disaster ever!! No stars for this one I'm afraid.

[Chef #1049650]

This has WAY too much cornstarch in it. There is a strong cornstarch flavor that masks the other ingredients. This recipe works much better when cutting the cornstarch to 1/4 cup and increasing the milk to 1 1/2 cups. Unfortunately, I will not use this particular recipe again.

[Watkinslady30]

This recipe needs some major correction. It should be 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup shortening, 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 egg yolk, 2 tablespoons ice water, and 1/2 teaspoon vinegar for the crust. In addition, the filling should have 1/4 cup cornstarch rather than 1/2 cup. The whole milk should be 2 3/4 cups of whole milk rather than 1 cup whole milk and 1 tablespoon of butter rather than 1 teaspoon. Chef# 173478 must have followed a different recipe. The ratio of cornstarch to whole milk isn't even close.