Banana Cream Pie

This is not a normal Banana Cream Pie with a wafer crust, boring vanilla pudding and bananas slapped on top.  This is a reinvention of the Banana Cream Pie, complete with more flavors and lots of short cuts.

Ingredients

• 9 graham crackers

• 1/2 stick butter, melted

• pinch of salt

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, divided

• 4 ripe bananas

• juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1-8 ounce package cream cheese or mascarpone, room temperature

• 1/4 cup dark rum (optional)

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream

• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers, 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, and salt until you have a fine crumble then add the butter and pulse until combined. Press into a pie pan along the bottom and up the sides. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes then remove and cool.

Slice the bananas and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar and rum and whip until combined.

In another bowl, whip the cream, vanilla and sugar until soft peaks form.

It’s time to assemble the pie!

Version 1: Spread a smooth layer of the cream cheese atop the crust. Add the bananas evenly and finish by topping with the whipped cream. Serve cold.

Version 2: sprinkle the bananas atop the crust. Fold the cream cheese and whipped cream mixtures together and spoon over the bananas. Smooth the top. Serve cold.