Here it is – my first Tuesdays with Dorie post. Amy of Sing for Your Supper chose Banana Creme Pie, pages 342 and 343.
I started out with with my standard pie crust, Cooks Illustrated Vodka Pie Crust, which I blind baked. I would have used Dorie’s recipe, but I already had this crust made a frozen from a few weeks ago and I didn’t want to waste it.
Then I moved on to the pie itself. It was mostly easy, but I ran into one issue.
The recipe says to combine the egg yolk/sugar mix with the heated milk and then bring the mixture to a boil. However, it never got to a boil – one minute it was liquid and the next minute it was so thick I could barely stir it, so I yanked it off the heat and whisked for all I was worth to keep it smooth. Then, after chilling it, it was again incredibly thick – so much so, that I had to whip in nearly 1/2 a cup of milk to get it to a spreadable, spoonable consistency.
Other than that one little surprise, the pie came together nicely.
Flavor-wise, I found that the nutmeg taste is quite strong, even with less than the called for 1/8 tsp, and it sorta overwhelmed the banana taste. I’m not the biggest fan of banana anyway, so I was ok with it, but H would have liked less nutmeg and more banana.
Updated: I know Dorie says in the book that this pie needs to be eaten the same day, but I found that on the 2nd day the spices in the pastry cream had mellowed and it had a perfect flavor – not too much spice and not too much banana. Even H liked it much better after a night in the fridge for the flavors to blend.
Oh, and apparently I can’t “style” pie for photography to save my life. *grin* That’s obviously an area of my photography that I should be working on!
The recipe is available in Baking: From My Home to Yours
Enjoy!
Leanne
April 7th, 2009
I really need to try the Cooks Illustrated crust. I have heard wonderful things about it. Your pie looks delicious.
Michelle
April 7th, 2009
I thought the pie tasted better the second day too. Your pie looks so tasty and I think you took a beautiful picture of it!
Kayte
April 7th, 2009
Oh, that blue dish is the most gorgeous thing to set off your beautiful pie! I can’t imagine anyone turning down a piece of your pie…beautiful inside and out! Styling is not my thing either, but your photos were very nice, so don’t worry, somehow everyone just grows into it (especially after you look at hundreds of posts over time…LOL). Great job! And, welcome…first week is so exciting!
Amber Marie
April 7th, 2009
Welcome to your first twd posting
The pie looks yummy, even if it’s sliding off! Just a sign that the custard and whipped cream are a perfect consistency and ready for eating! 
Annette
April 7th, 2009
Kara – the same thing happened when I made the custard! It never boiled. Your, however , looks nice and creamy, so I’ll have to remember to add some milk to it after taking it out of the fridge. Or I might try using it right away without chilling it. Anyway, yours looks delicious! Nice job!
Margot
April 7th, 2009
Welcome to TWD! I think your pie-styling looks great. I’m totally with you on the CI pie dough–it’s the best.
farah
April 7th, 2009
It looks really yummy! I had the same thing happen to my custard too.
Erin
April 7th, 2009
I think your picture looks just fine
I like the blue dish. I need to try the CI pie crust; I’ve heard such good things about it.
Lillian
April 8th, 2009
Welcome to TWD! Your pie looks great, especially that second shot.
TWD Rewind: Coconut Butter Thins : Kara Cooks - One Recipe at a Time
April 11th, 2009
[...] joined Tuesdays with Dorie on St. Patrick’s Day and made my first recipe: Banana Cream Pie. Before I posted my inaugural TWD post, I went back and read every other members posts from the [...]
Sugar B
April 14th, 2009
I love your pie! It looks banana-beautiful-delicious!
SavvyChristine
May 4th, 2009
I’m pretty sure pie doesn’t have to look magazine picture perfect in order to taste wonderful. All pies look good to my eyes — even the gloppy ones. And this one looks great!