PIE #37 - Banana Split Pie

The mercury has been creeping toward 90 degrees in my neck of the woods. Most of us seasoned Montanans embrace the heat while it lasts because we know winter lurks around the corner, waiting to seize us in its frigid grasp. Others, like my husband, wither and wane in hot weather. With no air conditioning, the last thing I want to inflict upon my Nordic snowman is a hot oven cranking out the heat in an already stuffy house.

An ice cream pie is the perfect dessert to prepare and serve during these hot summer months. I chose a banana split pie with its traditional crowd pleasing flavor combination of chocolate, strawberries and pineapple. Thankfully I had a graham cracker pie shell stored in the freezer and didn't have to bake one up from scratch. A store-bought crust will do, too.

This pie can be made days ahead of time and stored in the freezer. The layered ingredients showcase beautifully once the pie is sliced. Have fun experimenting with various ice cream flavors. Neopolitan ice cream would be especially appropriate with its built in flavor trio of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix all crust ingredients together and press evenly into a 9 1/2-inch pie pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

Filling:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Caramel sauce (store bought)
Hot fudge sauce (store bought)
1/2 gallon ice cream (I used a premium vanilla)
2 large ripe bananas
2 cups of strawberries
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I used pecans and peanuts)
Maraschino cherries for garnish

Using a chilled medium-size bowl and chilled beaters, beat the cream with an electric mixer until it holds soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate.

Without measuring, pour enough butterscotch sauce into the chilled pie shell to cover generously. I used nearly half of a 17 ounce jar. Place the pie in the freezer for 10 minutes. Take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften a bit. Slice bananas and strawberries into 1/4" slices.

Mound half of the ice cream in the pie shell on top of the sauce. Press into crust lightly and then spread sliced strawberries, bananas and crushed pineapple evenly over ice cream layer. Spread fudge sauce over the fruit and mound remaining ice cream over the chocolate sauce. Spread whipped cream over pie and sprinkle with nuts. Freeze for an hour before serving. Garnish with maraschino cherries and serve with additional caramel and chocolate sauce if desired.