Ultimate Banana Cream Pie

This is another one of those recipes where I hated this dessert my whole life and was then challenged to come up with a formula for it that I DID like. Here it is - I still don't care for banana cream pie - but this one, I crave sometimes. It's rich without being too sweet, the rum and lime juice give it zip, and the chocolate sauce just adds that last punch! I guarantee you won't have any left if you make one. Please don't substitute or leave ingredients out of this recipe. Everything listed is crucial to the final product.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Yields: 1 10inch pie

Ingredients

• PASTRY CREAM

• 8  large  egg yolks
• 1⁄2 cup  firmly packed brown sugar
• 1  pinch salt
• 3  tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 1⁄2 cups  whole milk
• 1  piece vanilla beans (4-inch) or 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1⁄4 cup heavy whipping cream

• CHOCOLATE SAUCE

• 7  ounces  high quality bittersweet chocolate (do not use chocolate chips)
• 1  cup heavy whipping cream

• PIE

• 3⁄4 cup creme fraiche (or 1/2 c. sour cream - creme fraiche is better)
• 1  pre-baked  10-inch pie shell
• 5  medium bananas, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 1  teaspoon dark rum
• 1  teaspoon  fresh squeezed lime juice (don't use bottled!)
• 1⁄2 cup  whipping cream

Directions

1. For the PASTRY CREAM: Place the yolks, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk until blended.
2. Stir in the cornstarch.
3. Heat the milk and vanilla bean (if using) to scalding in a heavy saucepan.
4. SLOWLY whisk the milk into the eggs, whisking the eggs constantly.
5. This is called"tempering".
6. Start out with just a thin stream of milk, constantly whisking, then as the eggs warm up you can add the milk faster.
7. You need to do this slowly at first to avoid scrambling the yolks.
8. If you do that, you have to start over.
9. Remove the vanilla bean and pour the yolk mixture back into the pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens- about 3-5 minutes.
10. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cream and the vanilla extract (if using).
11. Pass the cream through a fine mesh strainer (very important to do!!!), then place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
12. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to chill.
13. Will keep several days in the refrigerator.
14. Make the CHOCOLATE SAUCE: Coarsely chop the chocolate and place in a stainless steel bowl.
15. Heat the cream until scalding, pour over the chocolate.
16. Let sit 5 minutes before stirring.
17. Stir with a whisk until very smooth.
18. Serve sauce warm, or refrigerate for later use.
19. This will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.
20. MAKE THE PIE: Toss the bananas with the rum and the lime juice- set aside.
21. Spread about 3/4 cup of the pastry cream in the pie shell.
22. Layer the bananas evenly over the top, then cover with the remaining pastry cream.
23. Whip the cream to soft peaks, the gently fold in the cream fraiche.
24. Spread this mixture over the top of the pastry cream and refrigerate until ready to serve.
25. Serve with warm chocolate sauce drizzled over the top.
26. NOTE: This pie doesn't keep well.
27. You can prepare the pastry cream, chocolate sauce, pie shell all ahead of time, but assemble the pie no earlier than the morning of the day you plan to serve it and keep it refrigerated.
28. I've never had leftovers so I don't know how long it keeps after cutting!