Chocolate-Bottom Banana Cream Pie

Pie Crust

• 1

  Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the cubed butter and toss to coat. Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until butter is the size of peas. Add cold water and use a spatula and then your hands to stir the mixture until it comes together into a ball. If mixture is too dry, add additional water a teaspoon at a time.

• 2

  Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days. Dough can also be frozen (double-wrapped) for up to 2 months.

• 3

  When ready to roll out, let the dough rest at room temperature for five minutes. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a rough 13-inch circle. Dough should be about ¼-inch thick. Transfer dough to 9-inch pie dish and fold and crimp edges as desired.

• 4

  Freeze pie crust for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°F.

• 5

  Line frozen pie crust with greased foil or parchment paper, then fill all the way to the top with pie weights to hold crust in place during baking. You can also use dry beans or rice.

• 6

  Bake pie crust for 20-25 minutes until edges are golden brown. Lift liner and pie weights out of crust and set aside to cool. Bake pie crust for an additional 5-10 minutes until all of pie crust is baked and lightly browned.

Vanilla Pudding

• 1

  Heat the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch in a separate bowl. When the milk starts to bubble at the edges and steam, remove from heat and add in a slow steady stream to the egg mixture.

• 2

  Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly. When the custard is thick, remove from heat and add the vanilla and butter. Stir until smooth.

• 3

  Optionally, pass pudding through a mesh strainer to remove any lumps.

• 4

  Set pudding aside to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Chocolate Ganache

• 1

  Heat the heavy whipping cream in microwave until steaming. Pour over the chocolate in a medium bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth.

Assembly

• 1

  Beat heavy whipping cream until it starts to thicken, then add vanilla and sugar. Beat to medium peaks.

• 2

  Spread chocolate ganache over the bottom of the pie crust. Slice the bananas and arrange in a layer over the chocolate. Dollop the vanilla pudding over the bananas and spread to cover in an even layer. Top with sweetened whipped cream.

• 3

  Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. Add toppings like chopped chocolate or bananas, if desired, before slicing.