Banana Cream Pie

Crust
1 3/4 cups vanilla-wafer crumbs (about 55 cookies)
3 tablespoons sugar (I used coconut sugar)
5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter (Use salted butter if you like a little salt in your crust)
*Or use a pre-made Graham cracker crust

Custard
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold milk
3 large egg yolks, beaten
2 cups scalded milk (heat milk to boiling, stir occasionally to prevent a protein skin from forming at the top. Then cool to 110 degrees before adding to recipe)
2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas

For the crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Remove 1/4 cup vanilla-wafer crumbs. Mix together remaining cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden-brown. Cool on a wire rack.


For the custard 

1.In a heavy saucepan stir together sugar, cornstarch, and salt, pressing out any lumps with the back of a spoon. 

2.Stir in the cold milk and beaten egg yolks. When the mixture is smooth, stir in the scalded milk. 

3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. As soon as the mixture begins to thicken, turn the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly, about 1 minute longer. If the mixture threatens to become lumpy, remove it from the heat at once and stir vigorously until smooth. 

4. When thick, remove from the heat and gently stir in the softened butter and vanilla. Let cool 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent a film from forming on top.

5. Spoon 1/3 of the filling into the cooled crust. Peel and slice the bananas into 1/4-inch slices over the filling. 

6. Spoon the remaining filling over the bananas. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.

Top with sweetened whipped cream and reserved vanilla-wafer crumbs. Refrigerate leftovers.