Banana Cream Pie

Dessert is always a favorite subject for me. I have many loves. Chocolate chip cookies, lemon bars, pumpkin bread pudding, apple pie, cherry pie, chapple pie (I'll tell that story one day), flourless chocolate cake, bacon fat spiced cookies, those peanut butter cookies with the hershey's kisses on top. 

It's too hard to pick a favorite or to even pick one that says: AMERICA. Well, maybe that's a little easier: American as Apple Pie. Ice Cream Sundaes. Sheet cake with over-sugared frosting drawings of minions or superman. But let's not go there. Let's go to that place our 5 year old selves might go. To that place that feels like home, childhood, and goes perfectly at the end of a picnic. Those are a few of my favorite things and this banana cream pie in a jar is too. 

Banana Cream Pie

From: The Mac + Cheese Cookbook 50 Simple Recipes from HomeRoom by Allison Arevalo and Erin Wade
With thanks to ChineseGrandma for writing up the recipe

5 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
½ cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 large bananas, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
18 to 24 vanilla wafers
Heavy whipping cream + one teaspoon sugar, whipped (optional)

1.    To make the custard: In a bowl whisk together 1 cup of milk, egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and vanilla. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the remaining 4 cups of milk and 1 cup of cream over medium heat.
2.    When the milk mixture begins to simmer, add the milk-yolk-cornstarch mixture and whisk rapidly. Continue stirring over medium heat for a few minutes until the mixture thickens.
3.    Remove pudding from the heat and pour into a large bowl. Let cool at room temperature for an hour or more (it continues to thicken as it cools).
4.    To assemble: In eight-ten 6-ounce mason jars, layer 2 or 3 vanilla wafers, 2 or 3 banana slices, and 1/2 cup of pudding. Repeat to fill.
5.    Cover each jar and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
6.    Before serving, top with whipped cream (optional) and/or fresh banana slices or cookie crumbles if you like.