Learn how to properly make your own Make-Ahead Banana Cream Pie that can be frozen for fast dessert preparation.You'll Need:
- 2/3 c. Sugar
- 1/4 c. Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 c. Cold Milk
- 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 2 T. butter, room temperature
- 3 tsp Vanilla
- 2 tsp Banana Extract (available in
the baking section of the grocery store)
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Mix sugar, cornstarch & salt in a heavy 2 qt saucepan, stirring well, add in cold milk, whisking continually over medium heat. |
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Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Boil for exactly 1 minute. |
| Remove from heat, pour approximately half of the mixture in the beaten eggs, mixing (fast!) and thoroughly. (This process is called Tempering) Pour the tempered egg/mix back into the saucepan. Boil and stir 1 full minute. |
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Remove from Heat, stir in butter,banana extract and vanilla, mixing well. |
| Place on a cooling rack for 16-18 minutes. Do NOT cool for too long as a film will form on the top of the filling. | |
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Carefully spoon into a vacuum seal bag. (It's quite helpful to fold down the top of the bag to prevent a mess from getting on the edge of the bag, preventing a good seal.) If you don't have any help holding the bags, it's helpful to place them in a dish with rolled hand towels between each bag to hold them steady for easy filling. |
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In this photo we divided this batch of filling in half. Vacuum Seal the Warm Filling, try to remove as many air bubbles as possible. |
To Use the filling
- Remove it from the Freezer and place in the refrigerator. DO Not attempt to thaw this on the countertop- for several reasons- it contains milk, butter and eggs (which can spoil), thawing on the counter will cause the filling to separate.
- Thaw in the fridge- 1 full size package takes approximately 6 hours to thaw completely. (Of course, this is entirely dependent on the temperature of your fridge!)
- Prepare your favorite pie shell (prepared pastry shell, phyllo shell, or crumb crust, as desired.
- Layer the bottom of the prepared pie crust with 2 layers of sliced bananas.
- Pour the contents of the bag into a mixing bowl, mix well by hand until creamy & smooth, spoon over bananas in prepared crust.
- Smooth the top, Add Fresh Whipped Cream! Garnish with Banana Slices, if desired. Serve Immediately
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