Displaced & Domesticated: Courtney Crocker's Banana Cream Pie

A friend of mine from when I was growing up, Courtney, has a really cute blog that I read frequently. Sometime last summer, she posted a recipe for a banana cream pie that I tried and LOVED. Anyway, in her post about it she said it was a favorite in her family and after making the pie just once last summer, it quickly became a favorite amongst the Breon clan, too. I also brought it to a BBQ we had at church last summer and it was eaten up quickly -- I came home with an empty pie plate! One of my favorite parts about cooking and baking is when I get to see people enjoy something I have made.

I woke up when Jordan's alarm went off this morning and actually got out of bed (I usually stay in a little bit longer!). I haven't been sleeping very well or very much because I'm pretty nervous about my next appointment with my surgeon and because the wedding is starting to creep up on us. I went downstairs and got annoyed that my bananas were, once again, too ripe for me to just eat plain. Soooo, I dug out my copy of Courtney's banana cream pie recipe, made some coffee, and started making it at 6:30 yesterday morning!

This is all that is left of the pie today! I shared with Pap and Grandma, too :)

Here is the link to Courtney's post about her pies. There are also a couple other pie recipes that look pretty yummy that I probably should try sometime soon!

Courtney Crocker's Banana Cream Pie

Graham Cracker Crust
One block of graham crackers
One stick of butter
1/4 cup sugar (optional)

*Note: I buy the graham cracker crumbs in bulk from a local super market, so I measure out about 1 1/2 cups of the crumbs. Also, for some reason it's not as sweet as when you crush the graham crackers yourself, so I always add sugar when I use the the crumbs from the store.

If crushing your own graham crackers you can use a food processor or put the crackers in a bag and crush with a rolling pin until you get a fine consistency. Melt butter in a large bowl; add graham cracker crumbs and sugar and combine with melted butter.

Next, pour the graham cracker crumb mixture into an 8-9 inch pie plate (I think all of mine are 9 inches and DEEP!). Use your hands to lightly press crumbs into the plate and bake for about 7 minutes at 350 degrees to set the crust.

Banana Cream Pie Filling
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch (I make mine really good tablespoons)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole milk
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
4 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 bananas, sliced

In a sauce pan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and salt until well combined. Turn heat on stove to medium and slowly pour in milk. Stir constantly until thick and boiling. Boil for one minute. Pour half of the mixture into egg yolk mixture and blend quickly. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pan, still stirring constantly. Let it come to a boil, and boil for one more minute. Stir in the butter and vanilla into the pudding.

Line the bottom of the crust with sliced bananas.