Cooking with Books: Emeril's Banana Cream Pie with Banana Crust and Caramel Drizzles

I bought Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking probably 15 years ago...specifically for this recipe. The book is full of other great recipes like Smoked Salmon Cheesecake with Green Onion Coulis and Pork Cutlets with Onion Applesauce and Couscous Jambalaya. Thankfully, it also seems to be pre-BAM! days. (Emeril has grown to annoy me over the years. I'm hoping Ms. Martha can rein him back in and have him refocus on his obviously strong cooking chops.)

Anyway...this is supposedly his most-requested pie recipe. It appears to have been updated slightly over the years. The one posted below is all over the Internet and adds chocolate sauce to further gild the lily.

Important note: Don't try and make this pie healthier. I though I could and subbed half and half for the whipping cream. Not a good idea. I only managed to salvage things by folding the whipping cream into what could best be described as banana soup. Learn from my mistake. Make the decadent original, have a small piece and then foist the diabetic coma-inducing leftovers on unsuspecting neighbors or office colleagues.

Emeril's Banana Cream Pie with Banana Crust and Caramel Drizzles
Makes one pie (8-10 servings).

5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 to 3 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 pounds of bananas, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
3/4 cup caramel sauce
1 cup chocolate sauce
2 cups heavy cream whipped to stiff peaks with 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
shaved chocolate
powdered sugar





Slowly add the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly until it thickens, about 5 minutes. Be forewarned: the mixture will break. Don't be alarmed! Pour it into a glass bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap down over the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool completely at room temperature.

When cooled, remove the vanilla bean and pour the mixture into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a wire whip. Beat at medium-speed to combine the mixture. If it will not combine, warm another 1/2 cup heavy cream and slowly add it to the mixture. Whip until you have a thick and creamy custard.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, the remaining sugar and the mashed banana. Mix thoroughly. Add the butter and mix well. Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake until browned, about 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool, for about 10 minutes.

To assemble, spread about 1/2 cup of the custard on the bottom of the crust. Arrange about a third of the banana slices, crowding them close together over the custard. Next, spread 1 cup of the custard over the bananas. Arrange another third of the banana slices close together over the custard. Top with 1 cup custard and the remaining banana slices. Top with the remaining custard, covering the bananas completely to prevent them from turning brown.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours.

To serve, cut pie into wedges and drizzle on the caramel sauce and chocolate sauce. Top with the whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.


Caramel Drizzle Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup heavy cream

In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is a deep caramel color and has the consistency of a thin syrup, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cream, return the saucepan to the high heat and boil the sauce until it regains the consistency of a thick syrup, about 2 minutes. Cool.

(The sauce can be refrigerated until ready to use. Allow it to reach room temperature before drizzling it over the pie. )

Chocolate Sauce
1/4 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, cornstarch and 1 cup of the heavy cream. Whisk to blend well. Set aside. Combine the remaining 2 cups cream, 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, and the vanilla bean in a large heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat, Whisk to dissolve the sugar and bring to a gentle boil, about 10 minutes.

Combine the half-and-half and butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until a thin paper-like skin appears on the top. Do not boil. Add the chocolate and vanilla and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool.

(The sauce can be kept refrigerated for several days, but it must be returned to room temperature before serving. )