Strawberry Banana Cream Pie

To make the filling, bring the milk to a slow boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.

In a separate, larger saucepan (not over heat), whisk the egg yolks together with the brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt until well blended and thick. Drizzle about ¼ of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to warm the eggs slowly. Slowly add the rest of the milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Be careful not to let the eggs curdle.

Place the saucepan with the egg and milk mixture over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Allow the mixture to boil, still whisking, for 1 minute and then remove from heat. The mixture should be thick and creamy.

Whisk in the vanilla extract and then let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in the butter, stirring constantly until the butter is incorporated. Transfer the custard to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap, allowing the plastic wrap to touch the surface of the custard so a skin doesn’t form on the top. Refrigerate until cold throughout, at least 1 hour but preferably overnight.

To assemble the pie, layer the bananas and then the strawberries along the bottom of the graham cracker pie crust. Mash the leftover banana slices and stir into the custard. Pour the custard into the pie shell and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

To make the whipped topping, beat the whipping cream until it starts to thicken. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Store in the refrigerator if not serving immediately.

When ready to serve the pie, spread the whipped topping on the pie and top with any leftover sliced strawberries. Serve pie immediately or refrigerate. Pie will last 2–3 days.

Note: this makes more whipped topping than you will need for the pie, but you can always use it as a topping for fruit, ice cream, pastries, etc. or store in the freezer for use later.

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan, via Joy the Baker.