PAULA DEEN’S BEST CAKES & PIES 902 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
¼ cup fi rmly packed light brown
sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1¾ cups whole milk
1⁄3 cup granulated sugar
½ cup heavy whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter,
softened
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, sliced
Brown Sugar Whipped Cream
(recipe follows)
Garnish: vanilla wafer crumbs,
banana slices
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a medium bowl, stir together wafer
crumbs, brown sugar, melted butter,
and ½ teaspoon salt until well combined.
Press mixture into bottom and up sides
of a 9-inch pie plate. - Bake until golden brown, 18 to
20 minutes. Let cool completely on
a wire rack. - In a medium saucepan, cook milk,
granulated sugar, cream, and remaining
¼ teaspoon salt over medium-low heat
just until mixture is steaming. - In a medium bowl, whisk together
egg yolks and cornstarch until smooth.
Add one-fourth of hot milk mixture to
egg mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk
egg mixture into remaining hot milk
mixture in saucepan, and bring to a boil,
whisking constantly. Cook, whisking
constantly, until thickened, about
3 minutes. Strain mixture through a
fi ne-mesh sieve into a medium bowl,
discarding solids. Whisk in butter and
vanilla until melted and smooth. Cover
with plastic wrap, and let cool for
10 minutes.- Arrange banana slices in bottom of
prepared crust. Stir custard, and gently
spread onto bananas. Cover with plastic
wrap, pressing wrap directly onto
surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Refrigerate until thick and cold, at least
2 hours or overnight. Top with Brown
Sugar Whipped Cream just before
serving. Garnish with wafer crumbs
and banana, if desired.
Brown Sugar
Whipped Cream
Makes about 2 cups¾ cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons fi rmly packed light
brown sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt- In a large bowl, beat all ingredients
with a mixer at high speed until stiff
peaks form. Use immediately.
Banana Cream Pie
Makes 1 (9-inch) pie