Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients

• One half recipe Easy Pie Dough, shaped and chilled in a pie plate
• 16 ounces whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 5 ounces sugar, divided evenly
• 2 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 2.5 ounces cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into half inch pieces
• 4 bananas, sliced into 1/8 thick rounds
• 6 ounces heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks and chilled
• Topping: 1 cup heavy cream whipped with 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

Directions

1. Shape the pie crust and chill it. Lightly dampen a rimmed sheet tray, then lay plastic wrap over it; keep more plastic wrap nearby for later. In a large saucepan, combine the milk, vanilla, using the pod and seeds if you have a vanilla bean, and half the sugar with a whisk, then leave it off the heat. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, and salt until the mixture looks lighter. In another bowl, stir the cornstarch into the rest of the sugar, then whisk that into the eggs without stopping. Keep going for 2 minutes, until the eggs look pale and airy. Warm the milk mixture over medium heat until it just reaches a boil. Take it off the heat, then slowly whisk the hot milk into the eggs in 4 additions so the eggs ease into the heat. Pour everything back into the pot and cook over medium-low heat, whisking the whole time, until the pudding starts to thicken and sputter. After you see sputtering, keep whisking for 2 additional minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter as you add it. Once the butter has melted fully into the pudding, scrape it onto the prepared sheet tray. Smooth it out so it cools evenly, then press plastic wrap right against the surface. Let it stand until it reaches room temperature, then move it into a sealed container and chill for at least 2 hours.
2. Heat your oven to 425 degrees F. Cover the chilled crust with parchment or foil, then add pie weights; dried beans work perfectly well for this job. Bake for 15 minutes, turning the pie midway through. Lift out the liner and weights, then set the crust on the lower rack and continue baking until the bottom is golden brown. Take it out of the oven and let the shell cool all the way.
3. For assembly, whisk the chilled pudding until it turns smooth and soft again. Fold in the cold whipped cream. Spoon a third of the pudding into the crust and spread it across the bottom, add a layer of bananas, and continue layering the same way, keeping some bananas back for garnish. Do not finish with bananas as the top layer, since they will darken. Cover the pie with the additional whipped cream, then add banana slices cut right before serving.