Creamy Banana Pie
This delectable pie is from a recipe I found years ago, and everyone who tastes it enjoys its delicious old-fashioned flavor.
This delectable pie is from a recipe I found years ago, and everyone who tastes it enjoys its delicious old-fashioned flavor.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 2-3/4 cups milk
- 4 egg yolks beaten
- 4 medium firm bananas divided
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream whipped
- 1 pastry shell (10 inches) baked
- juice and grated peel of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup apple jelly
- Carbohydrate 33.3547660525472 g
- Cholesterol 141.45328125327 mg
- Fat 26.1585523532189 g
- Fiber 2.59160408170435 g
- Protein 7.99075714370561 g
- Saturated Fat 8.47792042841464 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (228g)
- Sodium 5327.58921242021 mg
- Sugar 30.7631619708429 g
- Trans Fat 12.7345864134673 g
- Calories 293 calories
Step-by-step
- Soften gelatin in cold water; set aside. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in the milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.
- Stir a small amount of hot filling into yolks. Return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat; stir in softened gelatin until dissolved. Stir in butter and vanilla. Cover the surface of custard with plastic wrap and chill until no longer warm.
- Slice 3 bananas; fold into custard along with whipped cream. Spoon into pie shell. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 4-5 hours.
- Just before serving, place lemon juice in a small bowl and slice the remaining banana into it. Melt jelly in a saucepan over low heat. Drain banana; pat dry and arrange over filling. Brush banana with the jelly. Sprinkle with grated lemon peel. Serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers.
Silken yellow custard bound by unflavored gelatin provides firm resistance against the tongue, yielding immediately to the yielding softness of ripe fruit and the crisp fracture of baked pastry. Understanding how component modifications alter the final structure requires examining ingredient physics.
Fresh Fruit Dynamics Versus Preserved Elements
Firm, perfectly unblemished bananas folded directly into chilled pastry cream retain structural integrity during the crucial 4-to-5-hour refrigeration window. Overripe fruit introduces excess moisture, breaking down the cornstarch and gelatin matrix and creating a watery separation layer at the base of the crust. Dipping the decorative top banana slices into fresh lemon juice alters the surface pH, halting polyphenol oxidase activity and preventing enzymatic browning before the warm apple jelly glaze seals out ambient oxygen.Technical Pitfalls in Custard Manufacture
Tempering the egg yolks prevents premature protein coagulation; whisking a ladle of hot milk into the beaten yolks raises their temperature gradually before they return to the main saucepan. Failing to boil the mixture for the full two minutes after reincorporating the eggs leaves active alpha-amylase enzymes intact, which will liquefy the set custard over time. Whisking continuously over medium-high heat prevents scorching at the base of the pan while ensuring the starch granules fully hydrate.
