I have never had much of a sweet tooth and though I love baking I usually only indulge in a bite or two of whatever I make. The most unfortunate thing about my experience with pies, is that I didn’t really like pies until my early 20’s. The only pies I really ever eaten were store bought and it never tickled my fancy.

Then one day at a friends dinner party, I was served this simple looking homemade Banana Cream Pie. I didn’t expect much, so I only asked for a slight piece to be polite.

My mind was blown. Where was the thick, oily, lardy cream topping I expected? Or the artificial banana flavoring? Where was the hard dense crust and overwhelming blast of sugar?

My life changed. There was a whole new world of pies I never thought possible.

Since then I have fallen in love with the whole pie culture. Meat pies, flakey pies, fruit pies, cream pies! I love how beautiful they can be and how versatile.

They can be made in a pie plate, tart shells, folded into squares, triangles or pockets. They can be filled with sweet, savory, tart filling or left overs.So, to celebrate Pi Day, my friend Christine asked me to share a pie recipe. What could be more perfect than the pie that changed my life? Over the years I’ve modified a few recipes to make my favorite version of…

Melba’s Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients

1 1/4 C Graham cracker crumbs

1/4 C Melted Butter

9″ pie plate

Filling:

3 Fresh ripe bananas

1tbsp vanilla extract

3/4 C sugar

1/3 C All Purpose Flour

2 C Whole Milk

3 Egg Yolks Beaten

2 Tbsp Butter

1/2 tsp salt

Topping:

Whipped Cream & whatever you want really!

For this post I made a crushed burnt sugar topping and added coconut flakes.

Method (5 steps)

1. Make the graham cracker crust first (either follow box instructions or this one.) Preheat over to 375 degrees F. In a bowl mix 1/4c of melted butter and 1 1/4C of graham crumbs. Press into pie plate. Bake for 7-8min until golden brown. Let cool.

2. Slice bananas into bottom of pie crust.

3. In a sauce pan or medium pot add 3/4C sugar, flour and salt. Gradually add the 2C of whole milk stirring constantly on medium heat until the mixture is bubbling.

4. Stir a little of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and immediately add the egg yolk mixture back into the pot and continue stirring. Cook for 5-10 minutes until mixture is thick and custard like consistency. (Should not drip off your spatula but more like slop off ).Turn off the heat and stir in 1tbsp vanilla and 2tbsp of butter into hot mixture.

5. Pour mixture into pie crust on top of sliced bananas. Chill for an hour and serve with fresh whipped cream and bananas!

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