Banana Cream Pie

The sublime combination of bananas, vanilla pudding and whipped cream topped with toasted coconut makes this a memorable dessert. For more banana flavor, add 1 teaspoon Frontier™ natural banana flavoring to the pudding.

Nilla Crust

    3 cups Golden Vanilla Wafers, crushed with a rolling pin
    ⅓ cup butter, melted

Vanilla Pudding

    ⅔ cup granulated sugar
    ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    3 tablespoons cornstarch
    3 large eggs yolks
    3 cups whole milk
    ¼ teaspoon salt
    2 tablespoons butter
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    1 banana, sliced

Toppings

    Whipped cream
    1 banana sliced
    Toasted coconut

1.  Crust: In a medium bowl, mix the wafer crumbs and butter.
     Press into a 9-inch deep pie plate. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes.
     Cool completely before filling with the pudding.

2.  Pudding: In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, cornstarch,
     egg yolks, milk and salt. Strain into a 3-quart saucepan. Stir
     with a whisk over medium heat until thickened. Remove from
     heat, whisk in butter and vanilla extract. Pour into a large
     bowl, then cover with plastic wrap and cool 15 minutes.

3.  Assembling pie: Spoon half the filling into the cooled crust.
     Top with sliced bananas, then top with filling. Refrigerate.

4.  To serve, top with whipped cream, fresh sliced bananas and     
     toasted shredded coconut.

     Variation: To serve the day after it is made, omit the bananas
     in the middle and serve with fresh sliced bananas. You may
     also want to make 8 individual little pies and top each with
     banana slices. Drizzle with melted semisweet chocolate.

     Hint 1: If you wish to place the bananas in the middle of the
     pie, here is an idea which will add color. Drizzle melted
     chocolate over pie to make a lacy pattern, then place a
     strawberry slice, banana slice and mint leaf together in about
     8 places evenly around the edge of pie.

     Hint 2: This pudding is also good served in puff pastry
     shells and decorated with banana slices and shaved chocolate.
     Puff pastry shells are available in the freezer section of your
     grocery store. Make the shells and pudding ahead of time.
     Pipe banana filling into pastries, then top with banana slices,
     chocolate shavings and a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar.
     To shave chocolate, heat in microwave just slightly and then
     use a vegetable peeler to obtain curls.

     Hint 3: Pile whipped cream on the pie, then sprinkle just the
     edges with toasted coconut. Decorate with banana slices.