PIE-A-DAY #43

Rachael Hutchings is La Fuji Mama and writes the blog of the same name.

I love a good banana cream pie, but I’ve found that it tends to be one of those foods that people have strong opinions about.  There are those who don’t like it at all.  Among those who do like it, some prefer a meringue topping, whereas others think that meringue ruins the pie.  Some people like lots of bananas, but others like only a light layer of bananas.

I’ve been craving banana cream pie and decided to try and strike a balance between the various options while throwing in a twist.  I started with an almond crust, then added a thin layer of dark chocolate (anything with chocolate in it is preferable in my book),  a single layer of fresh sliced bananas, and then a custard made with sweetened condensed milk.  The nice thing about using this particular style of custard is that you don’t bake the pie after assembling it, unlike traditional banana cream pie.  Because of this, the bananas retain their texture and fresh banana flavor.  There is also the added benefit of reducing the time that the oven is on (a huge bonus during our hot Southern California summers).  To finish things off, I went with a simple topping of whipped cream rosettes and dark chocolate shavings.

The almond crust paired beautifully with the rich pie filling and added the perfect amount of crunch.  The chocolate layer added a bit of elegance to the pie and tasted amazing with the filling, without overwhelming the bananas or the custard. The little bit of whipped cream and chocolate gave the individual slices an elegant presentation.

The recipe is here.