Elegant White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

A luscious white chocolate pastry cream is made even more decadent with whipped cream, sliced bananas and white chocolate liqueur. This amazing filling is then piled into a baked pie shell and topped with white chocolate curls and a dusting of cocoa.

• Calories: 870 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 12 ounces white chocolate
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
• 5 tablespoons white sugar
• 6 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter, diced
• 1 vanilla bean, halved
• ¼ cup sifted cornstarch
• 3 ounces white chocolate, melted
• 8 ripe bananas
• 1 pint whipping cream
• 1 fluid ounce white chocolate liqueur
• 1 fluid ounce banana liqueur
• 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder, for garnish

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

To Make White Chocolate Pastry Cream: In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Whisk in cornstarch. In a medium saucepan, heat milk and vanilla bean to just below the boiling point. Slowly whisk a small amount of hot milk into egg yolk mixture, then stir egg yolk mixture back into pan. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly.

Step 2

Stir in butter, then strain mixture through a sieve. Place plastic wrap over the surface of mixture to keep a skin from forming. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in melted white chocolate. Chill pastry cream.

Step 3

Slice bananas and toss with the lemon juice to keep from discoloring. Set aside.

Step 4

In a large bowl, whip chilled whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into pastry cream, then fold in bananas and liqueurs. Fill tart shell with banana cream filling.

Step 5

Top generously with white chocolate curls, then dust with cocoa. Serve soon after assembling so crust doesn't get soggy.

Step 6

To make white chocolate curls, carefully draw a vegetable peeler across the broad, flat surface of a room-temperature (about 80 degrees) chunk of white chocolate to make large, thin curls. Refrigerate until ready to use.