Banana Cream Pie

The Husband is in love with Banana Cream Pie. I'm not sure if it's nostalgic of his childhood or if it is the light, creamy custard that fills your mouth with every bite. So of course, I had to make it for his birthday. The only problem is that I've never really made a pie neither have I ever made pie crust from scratch. 

My first thought was to see if Mark Bittman had any insights in How to Cook Everything. Flaky Pie Crust Recipe. Check! I used the custard recipe from a fellow blogger, beurrista, but decided to use Bittman's pie crust recipe because I didn't feel like buying shortening (as directed in the custard recipe).

I've linked the recipes here because they are quite long and why reinvent the wheel when they have already been posted elsewhere. The only thing I did differently for the custard was to fold in 1 cup of the whipped cream to create a lighter texture. I made a separate cup of whipped cream for the topping. 

Note to self: Pie crust is filled with butter and will be very difficult to roll out unless well floured. 

Note to self: Custard will curdle easily if left unattended. One batch of custard went down the drain because of inattentiveness. 

My edit of the custard recipe: Fold in whipped cream with the custard to lighten the texture. 

For my first pie-from-scratch attempt, I couldn't have asked for a simpler pie crust recipe. The custard and filling was quite an endeavor, but manageable as long as you are paying attention. The result was a flaky, crispy crust that withstood the tender, light custard and whipped cream topping. 

The Husband said that the pie was one of the top three Banana Cream Pies that he's ever tasted in his life. I'll take that! Thanks beurrista for the custard recipe. It was just as you described - heavenly. :)

No cooking this weekend. Last beach trip of the summer for some much needed R&R. See you next week where I'll feature what we had for The Husband's birthday dinner!