White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients

Sugar Dough

• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons beaten eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

White Chocolate Pastry Cream

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
• 1 1/2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• white chocolate curls (optional)
• 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped

The rest

• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 4 ripe bananas
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 1 1/2 tablespoons banana liqueur or rum
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white Creme de Cacao or Amaretto
• unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting top of pie

Directions

1. 1

   To make the sugar dough: Combine the butter and sugar in a food processor until just blended (or cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender).

2. 2

   Add the egg pulsing or tossing to combine.

3. 3

   Add the flour and mix until it is just incorporated, no longer.

4. 4

   Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and chill for at least 30 minutes.

5. 5

   Preheat the oven to 350°F, place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.

6. 6

   Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick.

7. 7

   Gently fit it, without stretching, into a buttered 10-inch Tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom and fluted sides).

8. 8

   If you do not have a tart pan, you can use 10 inch or deep 9 1/2 inch pie pan.

9. 9

   Trim off the excess dough, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang.

10. 10

    Tuck in the overhanging dough, pressing the edges of the crust against the sides of the pan and forming a high, fluted border.

11. 11

    Line the dough with a sheet of buttered foil (buttered side down) and weigh down with weights or beans.

12. 12

    Bake the shell until the sides are set, about 12 minutes.

13. 13

    Carefully remove the weights and foil and gently prick dough all over with a fork.

14. 14

    Continue to bake until pale gold and baked through, about 5 minutes.

15. 15

    Cool the pie shell completely on a wire rack.

16. 16

    Making the White Pastry Cream: Bring the milk and vanilla bean to a boil.

17. 17

    Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and light, about 1 1/2 minutes.

18. 18

    Whisk in the cornstarch until smooth.

19. 19

    Remove the saucepan from the heat, and whisk 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture.

20. 20

    Repeat once or twice.

21. 21

    Scrape the warmed egg yolk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk and return to a boil, whisking the entire time, boil for one minute.

22. 22

    Remove the pastry cream from the heat, and whisk in the butter and white chocolate until smooth.

23. 23

    Strain the custard into a clean bowl.

24. 24

    Place a sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream and refrigerate until cooled.

25. 25

    Shortly before serving time, whip the cream until nearly stiff.

26. 26

    Thinly slice the bananas and toss with the lemon juice.

27. 27

    Fold the bananas and the liquers into the chilled pastry cream and gently fold in the whipped cream until blended.

28. 28

    Fill the cooled pie shell with the filling.

29. 29

    Gently scatter the chocolate curls over the filling, covering the tart completely.

30. 30

    Very lightly dust the chocolate curls with cocoa powder and serve.

31. 31

    To make the chocolate curls: Melt the white chocolate in a double broiler until smooth.

32. 32

    Pour the chocolate onto a marble slab or the back of a smooth baking sheet.

33. 33

    With a spatula, spread out the chocolate into an even 1/8 thick layer.

34. 34

    Set aside to cool to room temperature.

35. 35

    Push a chef's knife blade away from you through a 4 inch width of chocolate, forming a loose curl.

36. 36

    Continue to form chocolate curls with the remaining chocolate.

37. 37

    With a large spatula, very gently transfer the curls to a baking sheet and refrigerate until needed.