Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie (adapted slightly from the Lion House Cookbook)

Crust:

1/2 cup butter, barely softened

2/3 cup shortening, cold (I like butter-flavored)

3 Tb sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tb powdered milk

3 cups flour

1/2 cup ice water

Filling:

5 Tb cornstarch

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup half & half

2 1/2 cups milk

3 egg yolks, beaten

2 Tb butter

1 tsp vanilla

2-3 bananas

Make your crust first! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cream your butter and shortening together until pale and fluffy. Add sugar and mix well. Whisk together the dry ingredients (salt, baking powder, flour, and powdered milk) and add to the butter and sugar, along with the ice water, and mix until the dough comes together. It should be the consistency of stiff cookie dough. If it's too soft, add flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing well between each addition. This recipe makes 2 crusts, so divide in half and set one half aside, or wrap and freeze for another pie.

Roll your crust out to about 1/4 inch thick on a floured work surface. Transfer to a greased pie plate, crimp the edges, and gently press into the corners to make sure there aren't any air bubbles. Prick the bottom of the crust a few times with a fork to prevent the crust from bubbling. Bake for 15-20 minutes and set aside to cool while you prepare your filling.

Whisk the cornstarch, sugar, and salt together in a medium saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and add the milk and half & half. Whisk constantly until it thickens, just a bit. (I used to spend forever waiting for it to REALLY thicken, but it doesn't. If it thickens a little, looks glossy and smooth and even just slightly thicker than plain milk, you're good to go!) Carefully drizzle a little bit of this mixture into your beaten eggs, whisking well. Add more in a thin drizzle, whisking constantly, until you've just about doubled your beaten eggs. Slowly drizzle the egg mixture back into the saucepan, still whisking constantly. Continue cooking until it REALLY thickens, looks like pudding, and jiggles when you shake the saucepan. This will only take a few minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.

Slice your bananas into your cooked pie crust. pour the filling over the bananas and smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Top with whipped cream.