Banana Cream Pie (TWD)

What do I know about this week's Tuesdays With Dorie selection, Banana Cream Pie?

I know this pie well...
- Between my hubby and me, this pie can be inhaled in a weekend or less.
- On occasion, this pie and I have shared a 2am rendezvous, with me standing in front of the fridge.
- Ingorance is bliss - I know NOT to ask about the calorie count in this dessert

As you can see, I am very familiar with this delicious pie. Knowing our tendencies, I exerted some self control and halved the recipe to make a 4 inch baby pie. Besides, with summer just around the corner, we don't need the extra fat and calories.

Even with the reduced portions, I still had some pastry cream and whipped cream leftover ... with some crushed nilla wafers... banana parfait anyone?

This is not your run-of-the-mill banana cream pie. The base of this pie is Dorie Greenspan's fantastic crust. The sweetness is definitely dialed down in this recipe (which I do prefer) and has a dimension of spice (cinnamon and nutmeg) added to the pastry cream. Finally, there is an added tang with just a touch of sour cream added to the whipped topping.

If I plan to assemble and to serve the pie immediately, I will take an additional step and brulee the bananas before adding the pastry cream and whipped cream topping (besides, I'll use any excuse to bring out my kitchen torch). If you serve the pie immediately, you get a little crunchy surprise with the torched sugar. If you let the pie sit for any length of time, the crunchy texture will disappear but you a get a little additional sweetness from the sugar. As this pie isn't too sweet to begin with, I don't mind this touch of added sugar.
I enjoyed making the smaller pie, and it was perfect for the two of us to share. I think my husband thought otherwise, proclaiming that this baby pie was a single serving (nice try).

If you favor a more traditional banana cream pie with the sweeter vanilla flavored pastry cream, this may not be your cup o' tea. Still, I would recommend that you take this recipe for a test drive... you may be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Amy of Sing For Your Supper rocked it with this terrific selection this week! I know you want to make this pie, so head on over to Amy's terrific blog for the recipe.