Winning Recipes

Alex's* Prize-winning** Banana Cream Pie

Start with a single pie crust, baked to golden brown. Use any crust recipe you are comfortable with, but roll out the dough on crushed graham crackers. The crumbs help keep the filling from turning the dough squishy.

Ingredients for the filling:

• A couple of ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup plus 2 T sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/8 t salt
• 5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean, about 3" long, split lengthwise
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 1 t brandy
• Whipped-cream Topping
• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1 T sugar
• 1 t vanilla extract

Whisk sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium sauce pan. Add yolks, then immediately but gradually whisk in milk and evaporated milk. Drop in vanilla bean. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently at first, then constantly, as mixture starts to thicken and simmer (8 to 10 minutes).

Once mixture simmers, continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute. Remove pan from heat, whisk in butter and brandy. Remove vanilla bean, scrape out seeds and wish them back into filling.

Pour filling into another pie plate, put plastic wrap directly over filling surface to prevent skin from forming; cool until warm, about 20-30 minutes.

While still warm, pour some filling into the baked pie shell, then slide in a layer of banana. Add more filling and slice in a second banana layer, then add rest of the filling. Cover again with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Beat cream and sugar to soft peaks. Add vanilla and beat until barely stiff peaks form. Spread over filling and refrigerate until ready to serve.

* Credit for the recipe should go to Cooks Illustrated's "The Best Recipe" cookbook

** Winning Recipe in the Single Crust Category for the 2008 4th of July Pie Contest.