Charmed Banana Puddin' Pie

By Ellery Adams

Ella Mae Le Faye, the heroine of my upcoming mystery, Pies and Prejudice, has problems. She's come back to her girlhood town of Havenwood Georgia with a single change of clothes and her Jack Russell, Chewy. And just when she thinks her dream of opening a pie shop is about to come true, she finds out that her lifelong nemesis, the beautiful, rich, and manipulative Loralyn Lockwood, has convinced her fiance to bid on the darling butter-yellow cottage Ella Mae longs to own.

So what's a girl to do? Bake comfort food, for starters. And this creamy, sweet pie will make you feel like smiling no matter what trials you face. One bite of soft bananas, vanilla custard, and whipped topping flavored with a hint of rum and you'll be floating on air.

Charmed Banana Puddin’ Pie

Ingredients:

½ Charmed Pie Shoppe crust recipe

Filling:

¼ cup cold water

2 ¼ tsp. (1 pac

kage unflavored gelatin)

2 cups whole milk

¼ cup cornstarch

4 large egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (Ella Mae prefers Penzey’s)

3 large, very ripe bananas, peeled and sliced

For Whipped Topping:

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbs. confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. dark rum

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Garnish:

6 oz. semisweet chocolate, shaved into curls using a vegetable peeler

Directions:

Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie dish, fitting the dough into the bottom and sides. Trim and flute the edge. Using a fork, pierce the dough all over, then line with aluminum foil and freeze for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 450°F.

Place the dough-lined pan on a baking sheet and fill the foil with pie weights. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool and then remove the foil and weights.

Pour cold water into a small bowl and add gelatin. Let gelatin firm up for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pour milk into a medium saucepan and warm over low-medium heat until hot (about 10 minutes) but do not allow it to boil. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar. (see photo of my trusty assistant) Add cornstarch and salt and blend until there are no lumps. Gradually add the hot milk to the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Add the gelatin to the mix and blend thoroughly. Pour the entire contents of the bowl and return to saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and immediately add in vanilla.

Line the banana slice along cooled piecrust and then spread the custard on top. Put a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling, piercing the plastic a few times with a knife. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. 



To make the whipped topping, place a large stainless steel bowl and blender beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and add cream, rum, vanilla, and sugar. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Do not overbeat or your whipped cream will look like butter. Spread the topping over chilled pie and garnish with chocolate shavings. (You won't see them in my photo because the person I made this pie for doesn't care for chocolate).

What challenges do you face this month? Post a comment and you could win a $25 gift card to Williams-Sonoma and possible purchase a new pie pan or pie weights.

Congrats to Pixie Poe, the winner of last month's Charmed Cherry Pie prize!