My Favorite Banana Cream Pie!!

Active 35 minutes: Total 6 hours 30 minutes

Makes one 9" pie

Pastry:

1 1/4 cups flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1 stick of butter-chilled

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. cider vinegar

3 Tbsp. apricot preserves, melted and strained

Filling:

2 cups milk

2 large egg yolks

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. light rum

1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin

2 Tbsp. cold water

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

2 Tbsp. superfine sugar

3 ripe bananas, sliced 1/4" thick

2 ounces white chocolate curls

1. Make the pastry: In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter; pulse until the mixture resembles small peas. In a bowl, combine the heavy cram and vinegar, pour over the crumbs and pulse until moistened. On a floured surface, knead the pastry 2-3 times just until it comes together. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to a 12" round about 1/8" thick Fit the round into a 9" glass pie plate, trim the overhang to 1/2" and fold it under; crimp decoratively. Refrigerate until chilled.

3. Preheat the oven to 400. Prick the crust with a fork, line the pastry with foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for about 25 minutes or until set. Remove the foil and beans, press down any air bubbles and bake for about 8 minutes, until the pastry is golden; transfer to a rack and brush the bottom and sides with the preserves. Let cool.

4. Meanwhile, make the filling: In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of the milk, the egg yolks and vanilla. In a saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt and nutmeg. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups of milk and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Add the butter and stir over moderate heat until thick ad smooth, 2-3 minutes. Remove the heat and whisk about half into the egg mixture. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over med. high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened., about 3 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve set over a bowl and add 2 Tbsp. of rum. Press a piece of wax paper on the custard; refrigerate until chilled.

5. In a small glass bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water, let stand until softened. Microwave on high until melted, 15 seconds;cool. In a bowl beat the cream with the superfine sugar, the remaining 1 Tbsp. of rum and the melted gelatin until soft peaks form. Arrange the bananas in overlapping layers on the crust and pour the custard on top. Tap the pie on the counter so the custard settles. Spread the whipped cream on top, and using the back of the spoon, make deep swirls. Refrigerate until firm, 4 hours. Garnish with the chocolate curls and serve.

I know this recipe is a bit more complex than some but if all you do is add the apricot preserves on the crust and the rum in the pudding and whip cream to your favorite recipe I think you will really enjoy the flavor they add!