Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

Total Time: 7 hrs Preparation Time: 7 hrs

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookies, crushed
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 bananas, ripe
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup whipping cream, chilled
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 vanilla pastry cream: in a heavy medium saucepan, bring half and half to a a simmer.
• 2 in a medium bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, egg yolk and flour in medium bowl to blend.
• 3 gradually whisk in hot half and half.
• 4 transfer to saucepan.
• 5 whisk over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to a boil (about 5 minutes).
• 6 boil 1 minute.
• 7 pour into a medium bowl.
• 8 stir in vanilla.
• 9 press plastic unto surface of cream.
• 10 cover; chill until cold (about 4 hours).
• 11 for the crust: butter 9-inch glass pie dish.
• 12 in a heavy, small saucepan stir butter and chocolate over low heat.
• 13 mix in cookie crumbs.
• 14 press unto bottom and sides.
• 15 chill until firm (about 30 minutes).
• 16 for chocolate ganache: in a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat butter and cream until hot, but do not boil.
• 17 remove from heat and add chocolate and vanilla.
• 18 whisk until smooth.
• 19 reserve 2 tablespoons of the ganache in a small bowl at room temperature (to be used as garnish).
• 20 pour remaining ganache over crust.
• 21 chill crust until chocolate ganache is firm (about 30 minutes).
• 22 assembly: thinly slice 3 bananas.
• 23 arrange banana slices over chocolate.
• 24 whisk vanilla pastry cream until smooth.
• 25 spread pastry cream evenly over bananas.
• 26 drizzle reserved chocolate ganache over pastry cream.
• 27 draw toothpick through pastry cream and chocolate to marbleize.
• 28 refrigerate until pastry cream is set (at least 3 hours and up to one day).
• 29 vanilla whipped cream: in a medium bowl, beat cream, powders sugar and vanilla extract until peaks form.
• 30 can be made 4 hours ahead.
• 31 spoon vanilla whipped cream around edges of pie or decoratively pipe cream with pastry bag.
• 32 slice remaining banana.
• 33 garnish pie with banana slices.