There are some definite advantages to staying home during a holiday long weekend.
No traffic, no lineups, no packing or unpacking, no doggie separation and, most of all, no time pressure. Leisurely walks in the sunshine, a highly anticipated viewing of the Hunger Games, hanging out in bare feet and PJs on the deck and… this banana cream pie.
The creamy texture of this pie is actually derived from whipped milk and egg that is firmed into a pudding-like consistency with the help of a gelatin slurry. It has a delicate sweetness and delicious biscuit crunch that comes from the graham crust.
I had plenty of helpers on hand this weekend to pull this delicious dessert together and I want to thank all of the boys in this family for their excellent hand modeling (!).
Vanilla Infused Banana Cream Pie with a Graham Crust
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1 1/2 cups natural graham crumbs (preferably derived from 100 % whole wheat)
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1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp butter
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1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
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3 Tbsp boiling water
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1/3 cup golden demerara sugar
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3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
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2 egg yolks
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1 1/2 cups almond milk (or alternate milk beverage)
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2 tsp pure vanilla essence
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2 cups sliced banana (about 3 medium bananas)
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Whipping cream for topping, optional
Heat oven to 350 F.
To make the Graham Crust:
Place graham crumbs and 1/4 cup melted butter together in a bowl. Using a fork, mix graham crumbs and butter together until little balls of grain-like texture is achieved.
Arrange the sliced bananas on the graham cracker crust and pour the somewhat cooled pudding over top, coating the entire pie.
Slice pie into pieces and top with a dollop of whipped cream, as desired.
a couple of other sides we enjoyed making this weekend…
(on their way into the oven…)
(our youngest son adores fresh beets – who are we to deny him?)
Sunday night table…
my British blogging buddy who taught me how to make a proper popover!
floral water gel beads that my brother gave us for Christmas
We had a great holiday weekend and we hope you did too!
Amy @ Elephant Eats says
First I want to say that I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cuter whisk. It’s so tiny!
Anyway, this pie looks amazing. Banana cream is one of my favorites and I love that this uses gelatin to thicken instead of heavy cream. Glad you had a nice holiday weekend :)
inspirededibles says
Thanks so much for dropping by Choc Chip Uro! Glad to see you here anytime! :)
inspirededibles says
You and me both! We made a new version last night… yum!
inspirededibles says
It was a great weekend indeed… and I hope yours was too. Thanks Magic!
Choc Chip Uru says
This looks insanely delicious my friend – I am sorry I have not commented in a while but I am so happy to come back to this delicious post :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Gourmantine says
I agree, staying at home at Easter is great (for me the crowds during Easter at the airports can only be rivaled by Christmas), I would be just happy to eat this pie all by myself :)
Magic of Spice says
That pie looks fantastic…sounds like a lovey Easter weekend :)
inspirededibles says
Hi Sammie, thank you so much for the compliment and for stopping in to visit Inspired Edibles… much appreciated!
inspirededibles says
Chillaxing on a Staycation is where it’s at Mis Pensamientos! :)
inspirededibles says
Aren’t my hand models out of this world? :) Thanks Alyssa! I hope you and your family had a fabulous long weekend.
inspirededibles says
Thanks Stephanie; I hope you also had a great weekend!
inspirededibles says
Haha, thanks foodjaunts! I don’t know… banana layer cake sounds pretty darn good to me… did you post it? Coming over to have a look… ;0)
inspirededibles says
The whole grain crust is nice but the pie too, overall is low sugar which is even better! Two pieces definitely warranted ;-)
inspirededibles says
That’s what I aim for :) Thanks Yummy!
inspirededibles says
We love Yorkshires except when I saw Charles’ post, I realized that the puds I’ve been making all along look more like hockey pucks than respectable Yorkshire Pudding! LOL… his recipe turned out great (even with the whole grain flour that I used!)
inspirededibles says
Haha, steal away! I hope you had a gorgeous Easter weekend Kim xo
inspirededibles says
Thanks Kay – we were surrounded by yummies and beauties :)
inspirededibles says
Well, isn’t that just perfect timing then… I hope you will give this recipe a try and if you do, please pop in to let me know your thoughts… hope you enjoy!
inspirededibles says
Thanks Chris – lots of hands on deck for this one which was greatly appreciated ;)
inspirededibles says
Hi Jen! Sorry to hear about your weekend… hopefully you still managed to work in some fun times here and there… ;-)
inspirededibles says
Hi Sissi, thanks so much. This is my one and only banana cream pie recipe and we just love it! Hope you like it too if you give it a try :)
inspirededibles says
He may just change his mind with this pie…lol… is the marathon this weekend?!! Geez, hope the weather is holding up for him! (he could use the sugar in bananas after the Boston Marathon!!)
inspirededibles says
Thanks for stopping by Jess and welcome to inspired edibles! I agree, there are so many small changes we can make that actually don’t disturb taste and add up to huge health benefits over the long run.
inspirededibles says
Aww, thanks Angie – healthy and supremely tasty!! :)
inspirededibles says
Nope. Nobody wanted to eat the pie except me (hahahahahhaaaa!!) ;-)
inspirededibles says
Thanks so much Judy – we had a fun and relaxing weekend with plenty of yummy eats, that’s for sure. I hope yours was excellent too.
inspirededibles says
hee, hee, thanks Eva!! It was a yummy meal for sure and particularly fun to have everyone around and on board with helping… that’s the way traditional family meals should be ;0) I hope you had a great long weekend too!
inspirededibles says
Thanks so much Mandy; the gel beads are so cheerful – they make us all smile! :)
inspirededibles says
Hi Nami – you and me both. My baking often doesn’t work out because I have so much trouble sticking to recipes and you know baking can be fussy business. Anyhow, really hard to go wrong with this one! I hope you try it sometime :)
inspirededibles says
hee.hee, didn’t the puds turn out well?!! And… made with whole wheat flour… still got the rise; so happy with that ;-) I was looking around furiously for coconut oil which I usually have on hand – a nice stable fat at high temperatures – but ended up having to use a different plant oil… we reserved the animal fat for gravy…mmm… hungry all over again! ;)
inspirededibles says
Thanks for stopping by Kamal and welcome to Inspired Edibles! Although my own view is that eggs are one the healthiest whole foods we can eat, you can certainly use an egg substitute in this pie if you wish. Here are some ideas:
http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/egg-replacements.aspx?utm_source=PETA%20Google%20Ad&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=0207%20Egg%20Replacements%20Feature&gclid=CITx_JP8tK8CFQVoKgodQn_8lg
inspirededibles says
Thanks so much Kristy! I’m also happy to hear that you enjoyed the chickpeas and cheese… isn’t it just the simplest thing around? And it’s fun to because you can add on or subtract depending on time and taste… :)
inspirededibles says
I had never had a banana pie before this one, cream or otherwise, but it quickly rose on the list of suggested desserts in this home! Let me know if you try it MJ; would love to hear how you and Bobby enjoy…
inspirededibles says
Hi Suzi, didn’t the yorshires work out fabulous?!! (I can say that because it’s Charles’ recipe – lol). And, the kicker is that I made them with whole wheat flour and they still rose beautifully!
inspirededibles says
Thanks so much Asmita – do let me know if you give it a try; I would love to hear how you like it. And thank you for the pin love… always appreciated!
inspirededibles says
Hi Eliot, your pecan crust sounds delightful – I really enjoy nut crusts and they’re easy to make with a good grinder (mind you, I usually use my coffee grinder ;-) I hope you’re having a great weekend.
Sammie says
That is definitely one of the best banana cream pie I’ve ever seen! I’m totally drooling over this right now!
Junia Kim says
wow great eats this weekend. i love staycations. :) and the sweet potato and beet chips look fabulous!
Alyssa3002 says
Kelly, this pie looks heavenly! And I love your hand models :)
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
I love your whole grain crust, Kelly! This pie looks fantastic!
Foodjaunts says
Darnit! I hate when I fall behind on my blog reading because I miss recipes :( This looks gorgeous. I was actually debating between doing a banana layer cake or banana cream pie and now I’m thinking I made the wrong decision by going with the cake for our late Easter dinner.
Tiffany says
The whole grain makes this grrrrrreeat!!!!!!!!!!!! I could have two slices–guilt free! :D
Yummychunklet says
Whole grain crust and bananas? Definitely a healthy pie!
Lisa says
Great round up of recipes. The pie looks amazing, love the banana’s hiding in there and of course who can resist graham cracker crust! We love sweet potato chips and beet chips too! I see you made Charles’ Yorkshire pudding! I need to make those soon!
My Inner Chick says
Kelly,
Stunning.
Everything looks Spectacular. That pie! The Beets! The sweet potato chips…. ANd I Loooove the gel beads inside the clear glasses. <3 I shall steal that idea. Xxx
Pure Complex says
Just look at the graham cracker crust and the bananas.. yup.. I want dessert now lol. I also love your flowers and the Yorkshire pudding
Anita at Hungry Couple says
This sounds like a fantastic way to spend a holiday weekend. All the food looks delicious with a particular emphasis on that pie. Mr. Hungry Couple and I have been on a banana cream pie quest lately and this one looks perfect!
The Café Sucré Farine says
Sounds like you had great helpers – your pie looks amazing and VERY enticing!
Jen says
That does indeed sound like a great weekend! Way cooler than my Easter weekend which was spent mostly working and unpacking… and it did NOT include any pie of any sort…
Sissi says
You have had fantastic feasts during Easter! The banana pie is however the winner here. It looks so smooth and creamy… and all this without baking! I must make it one day. I have never used almond milk and it would be an excellent occasion.
Amy @ Elephant Eats says
This pie looks amazing! Banana cream is one of my faves…and this recipe seems pretty healthy too :) I think I have to make this soon even if Nate doesn’t like bananas (more for me!).
Sounds like you had an action-packed, fun-filled stay-cation!
Jess Gonzalez says
I love that you incorporated whole wheat flour into this – it’s definitely an easy switch for pie crusts and it makes me that less guilty about wanting to eat tons of this pie :D
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
This could be the healthiest banana cream pie I have ever found! It looks fabulous!
beyondthepeel says
Sounds like a lovely weekend Kelly. I bet you had a few hands on deck to help you eat that too. It looks delicious!! Happy Easter.
Judy@Savoring Today says
It has been a long time since I’ve had a banana cream pie, vanilla infused sounds like it would take it to a whole new level of deliciousness. I like your side dishes too, you had a wonderful meal.
Eva says
I was going, “WOW” with the banana cream pie photos, but those chips…and the yorkshire pudding? Over the top, Jerry, over the top!
I am going to have to give the oven roasted chips another go. Thanks for the reminder!
Mandy says
Ooh, what a delicious dessert pie and everything else looks delicious too and I love your water gel beads – so much fun.
:-) Mandy
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
Beautiful banana cream pie! This is one pie that I keep my eye on to make because it “looks” doable for a non-baker like myself… not sure if I can make it beautiful like yours though… :-) My favorite part of pie is the crust!
Charles Smith says
Ah, screw the yorkshire puds… I’d take the banana cream pie… although with something like this I’d have an overwhelming urge to push someone’s face into it (only because banana cream pies are always portrayed as “the typical pie” used to give someone a pie in the face in TV shows :D – The pie looks fantastic… I think there are many desserts I haven’t tried to be honest – I’m going to remember this one though. Thanks for the mention – your yorkshires look great… really puffy and nice. Were you able to use any meat fat to cook them in, or did you stick to regular oil? To be honest, as long as you have a nice meaty gravy I find it doesn’t matter too much.
Oh, in answer to your question on your last post as well, no, I’m not from Yorkshire… much, much further south than that. Actually from the county of “Wiltshire“
Kamalkitchen says
Hi..Great recipe..I would like to try it minus the eggs tho’..
great step by step photos..
thanks!
Kristy says
I wish I could have been there! This looks like a fantastic meal!!!! And isn’t Yorkshire pudding amazing?! And loving the use of the mandoline. But let’s be real here, I’m really just wanting that pie. Lots and lots of that pie. Fantastic Kelly! (And I made your chickpeas and cheese tonight – loved it! The speed to the table, the flavors! It’s going to be a regular now. Thank you!!!) :)
mjskit says
If I were to show Bobby this pie, I’d have to get up and make it immediately! Banana Cream pie is his favorite and he – WE – would definitely love the vanilla infusion! O.K. – I’ll definitely be making this soon!
Suzi says
What a lovely dessert, I bet it was delish, I love graham cracker crust too. How cool that you made Charles yorshire puddings, I was thinking about making them too, yours look fantastic, way to go.
Asmita says
This is the most amazing desserts I have seen in a long time. I love bananas and banana pie of course. I am going to make this soon. Love it!!!
Going to pin this.
eliotseats says
When we were on a low-carb diet many moons ago, I found a totally pecan based crust that was a faux graham cracker crust. I totally love it and still use it today. Bet it would be fabulous with this pie. Love those sweet potato chips and beets. And cudos on that perfect looking Yorkshire pudding. You rock!