Mom's Strawberry and Banana Cream Pie

Beginner Cook - Lengthy Cooking Time - Dessert

With the blog turning four this month, I've been wanting to celebrate with a cake or pie recipe. Having shared my mother-in-law's chocolate mousse cake recipe, I began thinking back to my childhood favorites. There's one in particular that stands out -- mom's strawberry or banana cream pie.

Being the entertaining aficionado that she is, my mother hosted countless dinner parties throughout the 80's and 90's. The sound of popping champagne corks accompanied by my father's piano playing still make up some of my earliest memories. Drifting to sleep, I relished the anticipation of waking up to leftovers of my mother's delicious cream pies. Unlike the usual Swiss dessert, these pies felt authentically American -- authentically mom.

Of the two flavors, banana is my favorite but it's strawberry season in North Carolina and one should never pass up an opportunity to enjoy berries when they're in season! The recipe is nearly identical for both. Simply substitute the strawberries for two bananas.

There are varying opinions around which crust to use for this pie. For the banana cream, my husband and I prefer the added flavor of a graham cracker crust, or in this case a Greek koulourakia crust. My mother on the other hand recommends the more delicate flavor of a butter pie crust. The verdict -- use whichever suits your fancy!

Perfect for entertaining, this recipe is best prepared the day of. The whipped cream and fruit topping should be added shortly before serving.

Ingredients (9.5 inch pie)

For the pie crust

• 1.5 cups koulourakia crumbs
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/3 cup sugar

For the pie filling

• 3 cups whole or 2% milk
• 4 lightly beaten egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1.5 pounds strawberries
• 16 ounces heavy whipping cream

Time - 5 hours

• Cooking Time - 1 hour
• Inactive Time - 4 hours

Preparation

For the pie crust

• If you are using a crust other than the koulourakia crumb crust, skip straight to the process steps for the filling
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees
• In a food processor, grind enough koulourakia cookies (approx. 7-8) to make 1.5 cups of crumbs
• Combine the crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in a bowl and stir together until fully combined
• Press the crumbs into your pie dish, shaping the edges with your fingers
• Bake in the oven at 375 for 7 minutes

For the pie filling

• Whisk the egg yolks and milk together in a bowl
• In a medium size sauce pan, combine the sugar, corn starch and salt
• Over medium heat, slowly pour the eggs and milk mixture into the sauce pan, stirring continuously
• Continue stirring over medium heat
• The liquid will eventually reach a boil and begin to thicken. Let boil for 1 minute while stirring
• Once the desired thickness is achieved, stir in the vanilla extract and melted butter
• Set the pan aside and let cool for approximately 30 minutes until the pan is no longer too hot to touch
• Cover the top with plastic wrap and allow to cool to room temperature 

• While the custard is cooling, wash and cut approximately 8 strawberries to cover the bottom of the pie crust
• Once the custard has cooled, spread it over the strawberries
• Cover the pie with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours

• Shortly before serving the pie, whip the heavy whipping cream and spread evenly over the top of the pie

• Wash and cut the remaining strawberries, place on top of the pie, and serve