Banana Caramel Cream Pie

I'm still trying to use up all the bananas that my mom had given me when I made Banana Spice Cupcakes a few days ago. This past NBA All-Star weekend, hubby was watching all things basketball on TV. But I managed to sneak-in a few episodes on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel and caught an episode of Kelsey's Essentials where she made this recipe for Banana Caramel Cream Pie. It looked so good on TV and I know hubby would really like it, so I had to try to make this. And plus, I couldn't possibly pass up anything that has caramel in it.

I realize that this may look like a long recipe. But I actually cut the recipe by using ready-made pie crust. The original recipe called for making the crust from scratch. But using a ready-made pie crust worked just as well. The caramel sauce was a little tricky for me. My first attempt to make the caramel sauce was a failure as I had burned the sugar mixture. The second attempt resulted in the sugar clumping up when I added the heavy cream. But I returned the mixture back on the stove to heat up and melt the sugar and it came out fine. Overall, this pie was yummy. My daughter loved licking the paddle for the whip cream. Both hubby and daughter couldn't wait to dive into this pie.

1 (9") ready made pie crust

Pie filling

3-4 bananas, sliced

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk

2 egg yolks

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scraped

Salted Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

salt

Whipped topping

1 cup fresh whipped cream

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1) Bake pie crust according to directions. Cool completely.

2) First make the caramel sauce: In a saucepan, combine sugar and water over low-medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil without stirring. Use a wet pastry brush to brush off the sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan. Boil until syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and carefully whisk heavy cream (mixture will bubble). Stir in butter and salt to taste. Transfer caramel on a dish and cool completely.

3) For the filling: In a medium saucepan, mix together sugar, salt, cornstarch and flour. Over medium-low heat, slowly whisk in milk.

4) In a separate small bowl, beat egg yolks. Once milk mixture begins to boil, transfer 1/2 cup of the mixture into the egg yolks and whisk to temper. Return egg yolk mixture into saucepan and whisk constantly to prevent burning the bottom. Continue whisking until custard coats the back of the spoon and is smooth and thick. Strain mixture through a sieve.

5) Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Stir in 1 cup sliced bananas. Allow mixture to cool completely.

6) For the topping: Whip cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form.

7) Cover the bottom of the crust with sliced bananas. Drizzle 1/4 cup of salted caramel sauce over the bananas. Top with more bananas. Spread banana custard over bananas. Top with whipped topping. Chill pie until filling sets, about 2 hours.