Make Your Own Winning Banana Cream Pie

As I promised in yesterday's blog post, here is one of the winning recipes from the recent National Pie Championships in Orlando, Fla.: Peg's Banana Cream Supreme Pie. John Sunvold of Winter Springs, Fla., won "Best in Show - Amateur Division" for this unique creation. Sunvold, a speech communications teacher at Seminole State College, based the pie on a favorite childhood dessert and perfected the recipe over three years!

Peg's Banana Cream Supreme Pie 

Use 9/9.5 inch plate. Serves eight. 

Crust 
1 1/4 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs 
1/4 Finely chopped walnuts 
3 T Sugar 
5 Tablespoons Melted Butter 

Mix all ingredients together and press mixture into pie plate. Bake in a 375 -degree oven for 10 minutes, or until brown. Allow to cool down to room temperature. 

Cream Cheese Layer 
6 oz. Cream Cheese 
1/3 C. Powdered Sugar 
6 oz. Cool Whip 

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip and chill. If you are using a smaller pie pan, make sure you get around a 1/2 inch layer of this cream cheese layer (use the rest for a fruit dip). 

Bananas and Cream 
2-4 Bananas* 
2/3 C. Sugar 
1/4 t. Salt 
1/4 C. Corn Starch 
1 C. Heavy Cream 
5 Egg Yolks 
1 1/2 cup Milk 
1 T Vanilla Extract 
2 T Butter 

Mix sugar, salt, and starch in a pot. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and cream slightly. To the pot, slowly add the milk, then the egg yolk and cream mixture. Heat over medium heat, whisking frequently, until thick and bubbling (but not rapidly boiling). Once the cream is bubbling, continue to cook and whisk for 30 more seconds. Finally, add the butter and vanilla and mix until the cream is smooth. Set aside. 

Cut bananas into even pieces. Place a layer of bananas on the cream cheese layer. Try to cover as much as possible as this acts as an insulator and keeps the heat away from the cream cheese. Add a layer of hot cream, a layer of bananas, and then top off the bananas with as much of the cream as possible. Place a plastic sheet over the cream in order to prevent a skin from forming on the cream filling. Place in refrigerator until completely chilled. 

Topping 
2-4 cups sweetened whipped cream 
1/8 cup caramel topping 
1/4 cup nut topping 

Top with your favorite whipped topping (whipped cream recommended, Cool Whip not recommended). Drizzle with (room temperature) caramel sauce and top with a prepared nut topping (such as Fisher Nut Topping). Keep cold. (Tastes better the next day). 

*Bananas should have yellow stems and have a few brown spots. 


Recipe courtesy of the American Pie Council. View all the winning recipes at: http://piecouncil.org/Events/2012EventWinners/