Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

Rich and creamy, this pie will wow your guests!  It is a great dessert to make ahead of time because it needs a few hours in the fridge to set and cool before serving.  Use your favorite whipped cream topping just before serving. I kept it simple but feel free to be decorative with the whipped cream if you have a pastry bag to make rosettes on top. The original recipe used semisweet chocolate,I like a more richer chocolate taste so I give you the option of using bittersweet chocolate.  Go with what you prefer.

A Slice Ready To Serve

MIddle Banana Layer

Top Layer

Recipe:

Crust:

1 1/4 cups gluten free all-purpose baking mix**

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons sugar

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

3 tablespoons cold Crisco

1/4 cup ice water 

1 1/2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar

Place first 5 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse with a steel blade a few times to make pea size pieces of dough.  Mix the water and vinegar, and slowly add to the mix drop by drop through the feed tube as you pulse the mix.  Stop when the dough comes together into a ball, You will not use all the water.

Put chilled dough into a pie plate and work it up all the sides in an even layer. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Cool and it's ready to use.  May be made a few hours ahead of time.

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar

5 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

5 large egg yolks

2 large eggs

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 medium bananas

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Whipped cream, for topping

In a sauce pan combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, cream, and milk. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and yolks. WhisK

 1/4 cup of the custard mixture into the eggs to warm them a little. 

Transfer the warmed eggs to the sauce pan and cook over medium heat stirring constantly until it is the thickness of pudding. 

Remove from heat and add the chocolate and vanilla and stir to melt chocolate.  Let cool slightly and then pour half the chocolate mixture into a cooled pie crust.  Slice and arrange 1/2 the bananas over the custard.Top with remaining custard. 

Slice and toss the remaining bananas with lemon juice and arrange over the top of the pie.  Cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Serve with whipped cream

8-10 servings

**For information on the gluten free all-purpose baking mix visit:www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com