Banana Cream Pie with Salty Bourbon Caramel

From the kitchen of Carly

A peanut butter crust meets silky custard and salty bourbon caramel in this reinvented classic. Creamy, nutty, and balanced with just enough salt and whiskey heat to keep you coming back for another slice.

Banana Cream Pie with Salty Bourbon Caramel

Peanut crust gives way to silky custard and sliced bananas, all crowned with salty bourbon caramel that cuts through the sweetness like a slap of cold air. The trick is getting the pastry cream smooth and cool before assembly, then working fast so the banana doesn't weep into the filling. This is the kind of pie that makes people forget their manners.

Prep
n/a
Cook
n/a
Total
n/a
Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 1 1/4 cupunsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
  • 1/2 cupall-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tspkosher salt
  • 1/4 tspbaking soda
  • 1/4 cuplight brown sugar
  • 1/4 cupsugar
  • 2 tbspunsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 largeegg yolk
  • 1/4 tspvanilla extract
  • 2 cupwhole milk
  • 3/4 cupheavy cream
  • 1/2 cupsugar
  • 3 tbspcornstarch
  • 2 tbspall-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tspkosher salt
  • 5 largeegg yolks
  • 1/4 cupunsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
  • 1 tspvanilla extract
  • 3/4 cupheavy cream, divided
  • 2 tbsppowdered sugar
  • 1/2 cupsugar
  • 1 1/2 tbspbourbon, divided
  • 1/2 tspcorn syrup
  • 3 tbspunsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
  • 1/4 tspkosher salt
  • 3/4 tspvanilla extract
  • 3ripe bananas
  • 1A 9"-diameter glass or ceramic pie dish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pulse the peanuts in a food processor until coarsely ground, then scoop out 1/4 cup of those ground nuts into a small bowl, cover, and set aside for garnish. Keep pulsing the rest until a smooth peanut butter forms, about 2 minutes.

  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. With an electric mixer, beat both sugars, the peanut butter, and butter until the mixture looks like wet sand, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, and beat until well blended, about 3 minutes (it will look clumpy at this point). Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until combined without going any further or the crust will turn tough. Gather the crumbly dough with your hands, press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish, and bake until the edges are deep golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

  3. Pour the milk and cream into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. While that heats, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt together in a large bowl, then add the egg yolks and whisk until smooth (the mixture will be very thick). Slowly stream the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly, then return everything to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, still whisking constantly, until thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Tip the pastry cream into a blender with the butter and vanilla and puree until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour into a medium bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours.

  4. Using an electric mixer or a whisk, beat 1/2 cup of cream with the powdered sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

  5. In a medium, deep saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together the sugar, 1 tablespoon of bourbon, corn syrup, and 1 tablespoon of water until the sugar dissolves. Crank the heat up, bring the mixture to a boil without stirring, and cook, occasionally swirling the pan and brushing the sides down with a wet pastry brush, until the caramel turns deep amber, 6 to 8 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat and whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup cream, butter, and salt (it will bubble up aggressively). Let it settle for 5 minutes, then whisk in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon bourbon and the vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly.

  6. Spread 1/4 cup of the pastry cream in an even layer across the bottom of the peanut crust. Slice the bananas into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and layer half of them over the cream. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of pastry cream on top, arrange the remaining banana slices over that, then cover with the rest of the pastry cream. Finish with the whipped cream and the reserved ground peanuts, and bring the bourbon caramel to the table alongside for serving.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Pulse the peanuts in two stages: coarse chunks for crunch, then a full food processor cycle until they reach peanut butter consistency. Don't skip the intermediate garnish portion or you lose texture.
  • When tempering the egg yolks with hot milk, pour slowly while whisking nonstop. Rush it and you've got scrambled eggs. Patience here saves the whole filling.
  • Slice bananas no more than 2 hours before serving and layer them straight into the chilled pastry cream. They'll weep liquid if left sitting uncovered, so cover lightly with plastic until plating.

Variations

  • Skip the bourbon and use 1 1/2 tablespoons cold brewed coffee in the caramel for earthiness without heat.
  • Swap peanuts for toasted pecans or almonds in both the crust and garnish. Toast raw nuts yourself for better flavor control.
  • Layer sliced berries or stone fruit under the pastry cream if bananas aren't in season, or mix fresh berries into the caramel after it cools slightly.

Make ahead and storage

Cover loosely and refrigerate up to 2 days. The crust will soften as bananas release moisture, so eat it fresh if you want that peanut crunch. Do not freeze once assembled; freeze components separately and assemble fresh.