Spicy Crust Banana Cream Pie

Banana cream pie is a favorite in our house.  Why spend money for a pudding mix and pie crust that is filled with preservatives, stabilizers and other additives?  You can make this banana cream pie from scratch in a short amount of time. Instead of making a traditional crust, try this spicy crust. 

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 stick butter melted

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt (Optional)

2 cups milk (I use 1 Can evaporated milk and 1/ 2 cup of water instead. It makes a rich pie.)

3 egg yolks, beaten

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 or 4 bananas

Spicy pie crust for 9 inch pie (recipe follows)

meringue

3 egg whites

1/ 4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3 Tablespoons sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.

Prepare Pie Crust

Melt the butter in a small saucepan.  Add the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Stir to combine.  Press the mixture in a 9 inch pie pan. Cover the sides and bottom of the pan.  Bake in a preheated oven for 12 minutes or until light golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the filling.

Pie Filling

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually add milk stirring with a whisk to keep the mixture lump free.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly. Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from heat.

Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks to temper them.  If you add the eggs straight into the hot mixture the eggs will cook into hard lumps.  Cook another 2 minutes; stirring constantly.  Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Set aside while you slice the bananas and make the meringue.

Peel and slice bananas into the cooled baked pastry shell. Top with pudding mixture. Make the meringue.

Meringue

Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy.  Slowly add the sugar.  Continue beating until the egg whites are stiff.

Spread the meringue over the top, making sure that the filling is completely covered.

Bake at 350 degrees F or 12 to 15 minutes.  You can cool this in the refrigerator for an hour, but we can never wait that long.  We allow it to cool on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes.  Then we serve it up.  We find our favorite chairs in front of the TV and enjoy.