GO BaNaNaS with this CREAMY BANANA PIE!

My husband’s most favorite pie is my Going Bananas Creamy Banana Pie. This year for Valentine’s Day, instead of giving your sweetheart the usual chocolate sweets, necktie or aftershave, spend a little extra time on something different and special – Going Bananas Creamy Banana Pie – you are sure to win his heart - and keep it!

Going Bananas Creamy Banana Pie

For Crumbly Crust:

1 sleeve of Graham Crackers, crushed

3 – 4 T. melted butter

2 T. sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix graham crackers, melted butter and sugar together in a gallon Ziploc bag until well blended. Pour graham cracker mixture into a pie plate and press with a flat bottom glass on the bottom and sides. Bake for 5 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Remove to cooling rack and allow to cool until ready to assemble pie.

Pudding Filling Ingredients:

½ c. sugar

¼ c. cornstarch

¼ tsp. salt

2 c. milk

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 T. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

For Pudding Filling:

Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in top of a double boiler. Over medium heat, gradually add the milk. Cook over rapidly boiling water, stirring constantly, until thickened – about 10 minutes. Once thickened remove double boiler top from heat and pour 1/3 of the mixture into the egg yolks, stirring constantly, tempering the eggs. Return the egg mixture to the rest of the filling mixture in the double boiler and heat entire mixture for one minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Pour mixture into a glass dish, cover top with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic wrap is pressed against the top of the pudding and place in refrigerator to cool.

4 bananas

1 c. heavy cream, whipped

1 T. confectioner sugar

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Assemble the Pie:

Slice 2 bananas longwise and then slice the two halves into ½ inch pieces and place in the pie plate on top of the crumble crust. Pour half of the filling mixture over the bananas. Slice 1 and ½ of the remaining bananas the same as the first and place over the filling. Pour the other half of the filling over those bananas. Slice the remaining half of banana, into coins, dip in lemon juice and reserve for decoration.

Whip the confectioner’s sugar and whipping cream together until stiff peaks form. Pour over bananas and filling in pie plate and spread cream with flat spatula to outer edges, covering the entire filling. Top the whipping cream with the reserved bananas in a decorative pattern.

Chill not less than 2 hours. Serve and enjoy! This pie is sure to please all the monkeys in your life!!