Luscious Banana Cream Pie

By mamacasma

You'll go bananas for this silky-smooth pudding pie.

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 14 graham cracker squares (7 full sheets)
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 Tb. water
• 1 1/2 tsps. unflavored gelatin
• 3 Tbs. boiling water
• 1/3 cup plus 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups 1/4-inch-thick banana slices (3 medium bananas)
• 1/4 cup well-chilled heavy cream

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

To make the crust, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and water and process until the crumbs clump together. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pie plate and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the gelatin in a small bowl; add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/3 cup of sugar and the flour. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the milk and egg yolks together.

Add the egg-and-milk mixture to the saucepan and whisk so the flour and sugar dissolve. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened. Stir in the vanilla and gelatin slurry. Set aside to cool slightly.

Arrange the sliced bananas on the crust and pour the pudding on top. Refrigerate until the pudding has set, about 3 hours.

Whip the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. When it is about halfway to soft peaks, add the remaining ½ tsp. sugar, then continue whipping until it barely holds a soft peak. Put the whipped cream in a plastic bag; snip the corner off the bag and pipe the whipped cream in a decorative pattern around the pie. The pie will keep in the refrigerator up to 2 days.