Banana Custard Pie

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly spray a 9" pie plate with cooking spray.

Step 2

Using a food processor, grind up the graham crackers (6 full size sheets).

Step 3

Add the butter and cold water and process until the mixture is blended and crumbly.

Step 4

Using your fingers or a measuring cup bottom, press the crumbs evenly into the pie plate to form a crust base.

Step 5

Bake 10 minutes or until very lightly toasted, then allow to cool.

Step 6

Meanwhile, place gelatin into a small dish and stir in the boiling water until dissolved, set aside.

Step 7

Whisk together 1/3 cup sugar with the carefully measured flour in a medium saucepan until blended (no heat yet).

Step 8

Beat together the egg yolks and the milk then add to the flour mixture and whisk to blend, still no heat yet.

Step 9

Once evertything has dissolved, go ahead and turn on the heat to medium and set your timer for 10 minutes.

Step 10

Do not leave your pan, keep stirring and heating your custard over medium heat for 10 minutes -- if you stop stirring, it will burn, so grab a helper or gab on the cordless phone to pass the time while you stir.

Step 11

It will look thin and you will be thinking, this is not thickening, and then poof right around 10 minutes, it will start to thicken up and coat the spoon as it nears the boiling point -- custard is ready when you can lift your spoon out and the spoon is coated with a layer of custard that you can swipe with your finger and leave a line that doesn't get immediately filled in by drips.

Step 12

(Depending on what "medium heat" means on your stove, if may actually be slightly shorter or longer than 10 minutes, but 10 min is how long it takes on my stove).

Step 13

Take it off of the heat (keep stirring) and add that gelatin mixture you set aside earlier and the vanilla extract.

Step 14

Grab a nutmeg grater and grate a tiny amount of nutmeg into the custard, stir to blend (if you only have preground nutmeg it will taste gritty, so I only recommended fresh--and go EASY on this as it can overpower; you can leave out if you want).

Step 15

Slice up your bananas as the custard cools slightly.I like them to be thin but not overly thin, so they keep their shape.

Step 16

Place banana slices into the pie plate and then pour the still a little warm custard over the top -- poking any renegade banana slices back under the custard so everything is covered, but do not stir.

Step 17

Chill until set and cooled, about 3 hours.

Step 18

Just before serving, whip cream using an electric mixer or a magic bullet until soft peaks begin to form.

Step 19

Add sugar and extract and beat until soft peaks are definitely there.

Step 20

Scoop into a plastic bag, snip off an end, and squirt dollops of whipped cream decoratively over the pie.

Step 21

If you like more whipped cream, then by all means double this or triple this part (only go easy on the extract as it can be too strong) -- but I like the whipped cream to just be a garnish.