Hana Bay Banana Cream Pie

We do have a Hana here in Hawaii, on the island of Maui, however this is a Carabbean Hana, as in the rum, used in this pie for flavor.  Don't worry you tee totallers, it's cooked out.  Totally.  Trust me.

The trick with my version of Banana Cream Pie is actually not the rum, but lies in caramelizing the bananas first in butter and palm sugar.  Then you set that aside and make the custard, into which you stir all those lovely bananas.  The cream is in the custard and extra goes on top.  Yum.

Hana Bay Banana Cream Pie

2 cups sliced bananas
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup palm or brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons dark rum

2 eggs

1 cup milk, half and half or cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 9" pie shell

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

First pre-heat oven to 400 F and bake your pie crust, after pricking it all over with a fork.  If it puffs up any while baking, just prick again to let out the air, or you can line the crust with foil and put some dried beans on top.  Bake about 15-20 minutes, depending upon your recipe.  Set aside on a rack to cool.

Melt the butter in a skillet on medium heat.  Now, add the bananas, stirring frequently.  Add your brown sugar (I used palm sugar) and continue to cook, stirring until the sugar is melted and the bananas soft.  Add the rum and let it simmer.  Pour the bananas into a bowl and set aside.

Now prepare the custard.  I used Alice Waters' recipe from The Art of Simple Food..  Separate the yolks out and save the whites for another use.  Whisk the yolks just enough to break them up.

Pour milk or cream into a heavy-bottomed pan.  Add the sugar and vanilla.  Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.  When hot, whisk a little of the milk into the egg yolks and then whisk the yolks into the rest of the hot milk.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens just enough to coat the back of the spoon.  Do not let it boil.  Remove from the heat and quickly strain into a heatproof bowl.  Add the banana mixture and let it cool a bit. 

Pour into your pie shell.  When the custard/banana mixture is cool, whip the remaining cream, add in the powdered sugar and top the pie with it.  Now pop it into the fridge (but don't let it slosh over onto the crust like I did) to chill until set and ready to serve.    Oh boy, it is hard to wait.  You can add a dusting of nutmeg if you like. 

My friend, Jan, started me thinking about Banana Cream Pies.  She told me about hers, and that's sometimes all it takes.  You're on the road to obsession.  A cream pie lodged in your brain.  I was waiting for an excuse so as not to eat the whole thing myself.  Let me tell you, it is worth the wait.