PIE #15 - BUTTERSCOTCH BANANA CREAM PIE

I need to contact Miss Miranda, my junior high school home economics teacher. I just baked a butterscotch pie, the last cream pie variation listed on the mimeographed recipe packet she handed out to her class. I've written about the disastrous results of those class pies, but I truly believe my most recent creation would get more than just an "A" for effort. I think this pie merits a gold star with its golden crust, golden filling, sunny banana slices and its fluffy crown of whipped cream. This might very well be the trademark pie of my golden year of pie making.

Wherever Miss Miranda is, I think she'd be tickled to know that I not only preserved her recipe packet but that I've attempted to bake all her pie variations, a mere 37 years later. More importantly, I now have the confidence to continue on my pie baking odyssey. Fifteen pies down, thirty-five to go! Miss Miranda helped launch me and cookbook author Ken Haedrich will help guide me. I just recently contacted him on Facebook, praising him for his book "Pie". He thanked me and invited me to join him and his wife for a cup of coffee and a slice of pie should I ever be in his neck of the woods. How perfect it would be if Miss Miranda, my teacher of pies past could join me with my teacher of pies future.

The recipe that follows is from Ken Haedrich's cookbook and is very similar to Miss Miranda's butterscotch pie recipe. It's embellished with sliced bananas and a whipped cream and is simply scrumptious.

BUTTERSCOTCH BANANA CREAM PIE

Crust:
1 3/4 cup finely ground vanilla wafers (about 4 cups crumbled cookies)
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Big pinch of salt (heaping 1/8 teaspoon)
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 1/2" deep dish pie pan and set aside. Combine the ground wafers, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Mix briefly with your fingers. Add the butter and incorporate well, mixing first with a fork, then with your hands, rubbing thoroughly to form evenly dampened crumbs. Add 1-2 teaspoons water if necessary to bind mixture.

Spread the crumbs evenly in the pan, pressing into the bottom and up the side. Refrigerate 5-10 minutes. Place on the center oven rack and bake for 7 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack before filling.

Filling:
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Big pinch of salt
2 3/4 cups light cream or whole milk
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:
3 large ripe bananas
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped and sweetened with 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium-size saucepan. Add the light cream and egg yolks, whisking well over medium heat until mixture starts to thicken, 4-6 minutes. Turn the heat down slightly and continue to cook for 1 minute, whisking continuously. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla until smooth. Immediately pour the filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth the top with a spoon. Press a piece of plastic wrap over the filing, leaving no gaps or air pockets, to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool thoroughly. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Just before serving, slice bananas and place evenly over the filling. Spread a thick layer of whipped cream on top. Slice and serve.