Salted Caramel Banana Cream Pie
User Reviews
5
Salted Caramel Banana Cream Pie
Description
Salted Caramel Banana Cream Pie begins with a flaky all-butter pie crust as its base. The pastry cream is made by scalding whole milk and carefully tempering a mixture of egg yolks, sugar, flour, and salt to create a smooth custard. Vanilla bean paste enhances the flavor. After thickening on the stove, the cream is stirred with salted caramel sauce, lending a subtle salty sweetness.
Sliced fresh bananas are layered on the crust, topped by the cooled pastry cream, and finished with whipped cream sweetened with powdered sugar. The silky texture of the pastry cream combined with the softness of bananas and the caramel's depth creates a luscious dessert with complex taste and texture contrasts.
This pie is best served chilled as a dessert complementing its creamy and fruity components. The salted caramel adds a sophisticated flavor dimension that balances the natural sweetness of the bananas.
Use thick salted caramel sauce, either homemade or a reliable store brand, for optimal consistency.Prevent banana browning by applying fresh fruit or lemon juice just before assembling.Pastry cream recipe adapted from Flour Bakery Cookbook ensures smooth custard texture.Drizzle caramel on top only if firmer custard is preferred, as mixing caramel into cream may loosen the filling.
Ingredients
Pastry Cream:
- 2 1/2 cups milk whole
- 1 cup sugar (divided)
- 8 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup flour (all-purpose or cake)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Garnish:
- 3 to 4 banana sliced
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce from jar or homemade, salted
Pie Crust:
- pie crust all butter, flaky
Instructions
Pastry Cream:
- In a medium saucepan, scald the milk over medium-high heat (bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan, but the milk is not boiling). While the milk is heating, in a small bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, and salt (mixing the flour with the sugar will prevent the flour from clumping when you add it to the egg yolks.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until blended, then slowly whisk in the flour mixture. The mixture will be thick and pasty.
- Remove the milk from the heat and slowly add it to the egg-flour mixture, a little at a time, whisking constantly. When all of the milk has been incorporated, return the contents to the bowl to the saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk continuously and vigorously for about 3 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. At first the mixture will be very frothy and liquid and as it cooks longer, it will slowly start to thicken until the frothy bubbles disappear and it becomes very viscous. Once it thickens, stop whisking every few seconds to see if the mixture has come to a boil. If it has not, keep whisking vigorously. As soon as you see it bubbling, immediately go back to whisking for just 10 seconds, and them remove the pan from the heat. Boiling the mixture will thicken it, and cook out the flour taste, but if you let it boil for longer than 10 seconds, the mixture can become grainy.
- Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small heatproof bowl. Stir in the vanilla, then cover with plastic wrap, placing it directly on the surface of the cream. This will prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until cold.
Pie Crust:
- Follow directions to blind bake pie crust here --All Butter Flaky Pie Crust
Whipped Cream:
- Beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Stir in powdered sugar.
Assemble Pie:
- Bake pie crust according to recipe. Cover the bottom of the prepared, cooled baked pie crust with 1 1/2 sliced bananas. Drizzle with about 2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup of caramel. Top with chilled pastry cream. Cover with another layer of bananas (1 1/2 to 2). Top with whipped cream and drizzle with salted caramel.
- Chill the banana cream pie until ready to serve.
Notes
- Choose thick salted caramel sauce, homemade or a trusted store-bought option, to maintain custard consistency.
- Prevent banana slices from browning by applying lemon juice or using fresh fruit at assembly.
- Pastry cream is adapted from Flour Bakery Cookbook for reliable custard texture.
- For firmer pie filling, drizzle salted caramel on top rather than mixing it into the custard.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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