White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

          I think it is safe to say that the best part of Thanksgiving is the pie. Actually, dessert is really the only part that sparks my interest that day, because I am not a big fan of turkey.  I wanted to share this recipe with you ASAP, just in case you want to try it out next Thursday!
          Some of you may have heard of the restaurant The Blue Owl, a restaurant in Kimswick, Missouri that has some of the best recipes that even Oprah had to give them a visit. My mom’s favorite dessert from there is the White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie. I am not much into cream pies; I prefer apple or cherry, but my mom really likes this one. She actually likes it so much that she was contemplating ordering one from the restaurant to serve on Thanksgiving! Um…no. Not acceptable. I will be making the pies. J
          I ended up stopping by the Blue Owl to pick up their cookbook the other day, but I used a different crust than the one in the cookbook because I didn’t have any Crisco. And, I’m sorry, but crusts made with Crisco are never a good idea.

My poor attempt at a slice of the pie. I clearly cut

into it way before it was set... so be careful to let

it set overnight preferably

·         Easiness---5---This is time consuming, and the pudding is difficult to get to the right consistency. However, it is worth the trial and error!

·         Yumminess---9---I should have used more banana and white chocolate, but my family disagrees…so you better stick to the recipe

·         Repeat---10---Yes, I am planning to make it for Thanksgiving!

          Here is my version of the best banana cream pie you will ever try!!!

Adapted from the Blue Owl

INGREDIENTS

Pie Crust—No Rolling Involved

·         3 cups all-purpose flour

·         2 tsp. salt

·         4 TBS sugar

·         2 beaten egg yolks

·         1 cup vegetable oil

·         4 TBS cold milk

 

Pudding Filling

·         ½ cup sugar

·         ¼ tsp. salt

·         ½ cup cornstarch

·         4 cups milk (I used 2% and it was fine)

·         1 TBS butter

·         1 tsp. vanilla

·         4 oz. white chocolate chips (You could use up to about 6-8 oz. if you prefer)

 

Garnish and Assembly

·         2 bananas

·         2 oz. white chocolate melted

·         2 oz. dark chocolate melted

·         1 cup heavy whipping cream

·         ¼ cup (more or less depending on taste)

·         1 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS

·         To make crust, sift flour, salt and sugar in your pie pan (9”). Combine oil and milk in a separate bowl and whip with fork until combined. Pour all at once over the flour mixture. Mix with fork until flour is completely dampened. Press evenly and firmly to line the bottom of pan, then press dough up to line the sides and partly cover the rim. Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. TIP: Cover lightly with a sheet of foil to prevent edges from burning.

·         For the pudding, in a saucepan, combine sugar, salt and cornstarch. Stir in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken (Bring to a light boil, then reduce heat and keep stirring until thick). Pour ½ cup of the hot mixture into beaten egg yolks while stirring to keep eggs from cooking. While stirring milk mixture in saucepan, slowly blend in egg yolk mixture and stir well. Continue cooking until pudding is think and bubbly. Remove pudding from heat and stir in butter, vanilla and white chocolate. Pour into a glass bowl, cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

·         After the pudding chills, thinly slice bananas and fold 1 ½ bananas into the pudding. Pour the pudding into the pie crust. Top the pie crust with the remaining ½ banana.

·         To make the whipped cream, beat heavy whipping cream on high for about 1 minute. Slowly add sugar while beating. Be sure to not add too much sugar, depending on your preference. Add vanilla. Keep beating the mixture until it is firm and fluffy.

·         For the topping, melt white and dark chocolate separately and spread on a flat plate. Chill until it is hard. Scrape off shavings for decoration. I tried to make the curls, but was unable to get it to work. Maybe someone can teach me! J

I melted my chocolate on a plate, but feel free

to do it however you like

·         Top the pudding with the whipped cream and sprinkle with the white and dark chocolate shavings. ENJOY!!!

I think it is the best looking pie!!