Strawberry Banana Cream Pie | Banberry Pie Recipe

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This banana cream pie with fresh strawberries is inspired by the "banberry pie" that can be found at Polly's restaurants in Southern California. My version here uses an all butter pie crust to encase layers of fresh vanilla pastry cream and sliced bananas. We'll also top it with some sliced and glazed strawberries and vanilla whipped cream.

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Step by step:

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Read this before you begin

Measure by weight, if possible.

Measuring by weight is the best way for you to replicate my recipes. I develop recipes using ingredients (even liquids) measured in grams, which is why you see them listed first in the recipe cards. For measurements under 5 grams, I will typically only list the volumetric measurements (teaspoons, etc.), as most home scales are not precise for such small weights.

In most cases, I have converted grams to volumetric measurements (aka US customary units) for bakers who prefer this method. However, the measurements are not as precise and may have awkward proportions. The recipes should still work, but for the ultimate precision, try to use weight.

This is the OXO scale I use daily. I also purchased this budget version of a good scale, which I keep at my Mom’s house for baking. If you’re interested in other tools I use for my baking, I’ve compiled a list here.

Use room temperature ingredients.

All my ingredients should be used at room temperature, or 65-75 °F/18-24 °C. I will always indicate if you need something outside this range. If no details are given, room temperature is the default. 

Pay attention to the ingredient descriptions.

I try not to be brand-specific, but I will always note an interesting result from a type of ingredient, be it negative or positive. 

A specific note regarding salt: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt for everything on this site except for frostings. In frostings, you want the salt to dissolve more easily, and kosher salt tends to leave granules behind. If you substitute table salt (more finely granulated) for recipes that list kosher salt, you must use half the volume indicated in my recipes.

Substitutions are hard.

That’s not to say they’re impossible, though. For instance, in many cases, substituting reduced fat for whole milk (and thus reducing fat by less than 2%) will probably be fine. Using applesauce for oil or even Greek yogurt when sour cream is listed will definitely alter the fat content and adversely affect the crumb texture and density of the cake.

I experiment for hours to get these recipes to work for us. First, try to make them as written or use one of my tested substitutions, which I often dedicate a section to. Then, if necessary, you can make modifications afterward. Even then I would be pretty cautious, as substitutions are one of the hardest things to investigate in recipe development.

Read all the recipe instructions before beginning.

I’m in the “Pre-read the Chapter before Class Lecture” club... and I invite you to join! Baking new recipes can be intimidating, so let’s set you up for success. I want you to think about timeframes. Most fillings and frostings can be made ahead of time, and give you an extra day for mental space. Also, as you become a more proficient baker, you can anticipate and recognize steps. (“Oh, this has a meringue step, so I’ll need an extra clean bowl…” etc.) Ensure you go down the ingredient list and have everything at the right temperature.

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Ingredients

All Butter Pie Crust

  • 8 tablespoons (113g, 4 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in chunks
  • 1 cup + 3 tablespoons (140g, 5 oz) all purpose (or pastry flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 tablespoons ice cold water
  1. Place your cut butter in the freezer while you measure/prep your other ingredients.
  2. Add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder to the processor. Pulse about 10 times to combine.
  3. Add about a quarter of the cold butter to the flour mixture (you can approximate, it doesn't have to be precise) and pulse about 8-10 times. This coats the flour thoroughly with a bit of fat. You shouldn't really see any butter remaining.
  4. Add the rest of the cold butter to the flour mixture and pulse about 8-10 times. Lift the lid, and use a fork (or CAREFULLY with your fingers) to sift the mixture. There should be large butter pieces remaining about the size of large peas.
  5. Pour the flour and butter mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vinegar to the smaller amount of water in a small bowl and pour onto dough. Use a spatula to press and mix the water into the dough, making sure there are no dried bits of flour on the bottom of the bowl. Pick up some dough with your fingers. Press it together. Does it stick together easily? If not, add more water, a half teaspoon at a time, until you can form the dough into a large ball.
  6. Pour the dough out onto plastic wrap, form it into a disc. Cover tightly and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. For best results, let it rest overnight.
  7. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400. Roll out pie crust, dock the bottom of the crust and place inside a 9" pie plate. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 mins. Remove weights and bake for 10-15 minutes more to get a proper browning. While crust is hot, brush with egg white to seal. Set aside to cool.

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

  • 1/2 cup (100g, 3.5 oz) granulated sugar
  • half a vanilla bean (or 1 tsp of  vanilla paste/extract)
  • 2 cups (484g, 17 oz) whole milk (or half&half)
  • 6 egg yolks, from large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons (28g, 1 oz) cornstarch
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoons (14g, 0.5 oz) unsalted butter
  1. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use the sugar to scrub out all the seeds from the pod. Pour in your milk/half and half, whisk to combine. Turn the burner on medium-low. Slowly bringing the milk to a simmer allows the vanilla pod to infuse it with flavor. I try not to rush this step too much. (If you are using vanilla paste or extract, skip this part and just heat the milk. You will add the flavor in step 6.)
  2. While the milk is heating, in large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together until completely combined.
  3. When you see bubbles along the perimeter of the milk saucepan and steam slowly rising, turn off your burner. Slowly ladle a few tablespoons of steaming milk into the egg mixture, whisking the entire time. This allows the eggs to gradually increase in temperature. (Doing this step too quickly will cook the eggs, and will yield scrambled eggs in your pastry cream.) Add a couple more ladles of milk into the eggs and continue to whisk.
  4. Pour the rest of the milk into the egg mixture, whisk to combine.
  5. Place a large fine mesh strainer over your now-empty saucepan. Pour the egg-milk mixture through the strainer and back into the saucepan. This catches any large coagulated egg pieces, as well as your vanilla pod. Remove strainer.
  6. Turn the burner back onto medium-low and whisk until the mixture is thick and custardy, which may take a few minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter (and vanilla paste/extract, if using).
  7. At this point you can push the pastry cream through a (clean) strainer again to get a super duper smooth texture. Or you can immediately scrape into a container (which is what I do when I'm lazy) and cover the surface with plastic wrap, and allow to cool before using.

Make Toppings: Glaze, Fruit and Whipped Cream

  • 1/2 cup fruit juice, such as apple or fruit punch
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fruit pectin
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 pound of fresh strawberries, cut into halves
  • 2 just ripened bananas
  • 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold from fridge
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
For the Glaze:
  1. Warm up the fruit juice in a small saucepan
  2. Mix the sugar and pectin in a bowl, add to the saucepan
  3. Bring to a boil, let boil for 3-4 minutes
  4. Add the lemon juice and whisk
  5. Remove from heat and let sit until thicken like a loose apricot jelly. It may take up to 30 mins to completely cool down.
For the whipped cream:
  1. Add the heavy whipping cream and 1 TB of sugar to a mixing bowl, whip until you get stiff peaks. You can place this in a piping bag if you want to pipe designs on the pie.
  2. Chop your strawberries and bananas into slices or halves.
Final Assembly:
  1. Add a layer of pastry cream on the cooled pie crust, then add bananas, then pastry cream, then bananas and finish pastry cream.
  2. Lay the strawberries along the top.
  3. Glaze the berries.
  4. Pipe decorative border with whipped cream along the perimeter.
  5. Let pie set for a few hours in the fridge before cutting.

‍

All Butter Pie Crust

  • 8 tablespoons (113g, 4 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in chunks
  • 1 cup + 3 tablespoons (140g, 5 oz) all purpose (or pastry flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 tablespoons ice cold water
  1. Place your cut butter in the freezer while you measure/prep your other ingredients.
  2. Add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder to the processor. Pulse about 10 times to combine.
  3. Add about a quarter of the cold butter to the flour mixture (you can approximate, it doesn't have to be precise) and pulse about 8-10 times. This coats the flour thoroughly with a bit of fat. You shouldn't really see any butter remaining.
  4. Add the rest of the cold butter to the flour mixture and pulse about 8-10 times. Lift the lid, and use a fork (or CAREFULLY with your fingers) to sift the mixture. There should be large butter pieces remaining about the size of large peas.
  5. Pour the flour and butter mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vinegar to the smaller amount of water in a small bowl and pour onto dough. Use a spatula to press and mix the water into the dough, making sure there are no dried bits of flour on the bottom of the bowl. Pick up some dough with your fingers. Press it together. Does it stick together easily? If not, add more water, a half teaspoon at a time, until you can form the dough into a large ball.
  6. Pour the dough out onto plastic wrap, form it into a disc. Cover tightly and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. For best results, let it rest overnight.
  7. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400. Roll out pie crust, dock the bottom of the crust and place inside a 9" pie plate. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 mins. Remove weights and bake for 10-15 minutes more to get a proper browning. While crust is hot, brush with egg white to seal. Set aside to cool.

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

  • 1/2 cup (100g, 3.5 oz) granulated sugar
  • half a vanilla bean (or 1 tsp of  vanilla paste/extract)
  • 2 cups (484g, 17 oz) whole milk (or half&half)
  • 6 egg yolks, from large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons (28g, 1 oz) cornstarch
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoons (14g, 0.5 oz) unsalted butter
  1. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use the sugar to scrub out all the seeds from the pod. Pour in your milk/half and half, whisk to combine. Turn the burner on medium-low. Slowly bringing the milk to a simmer allows the vanilla pod to infuse it with flavor. I try not to rush this step too much. (If you are using vanilla paste or extract, skip this part and just heat the milk. You will add the flavor in step 6.)
  2. While the milk is heating, in large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together until completely combined.
  3. When you see bubbles along the perimeter of the milk saucepan and steam slowly rising, turn off your burner. Slowly ladle a few tablespoons of steaming milk into the egg mixture, whisking the entire time. This allows the eggs to gradually increase in temperature. (Doing this step too quickly will cook the eggs, and will yield scrambled eggs in your pastry cream.) Add a couple more ladles of milk into the eggs and continue to whisk.
  4. Pour the rest of the milk into the egg mixture, whisk to combine.
  5. Place a large fine mesh strainer over your now-empty saucepan. Pour the egg-milk mixture through the strainer and back into the saucepan. This catches any large coagulated egg pieces, as well as your vanilla pod. Remove strainer.
  6. Turn the burner back onto medium-low and whisk until the mixture is thick and custardy, which may take a few minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter (and vanilla paste/extract, if using).
  7. At this point you can push the pastry cream through a (clean) strainer again to get a super duper smooth texture. Or you can immediately scrape into a container (which is what I do when I'm lazy) and cover the surface with plastic wrap, and allow to cool before using.

Make Toppings: Glaze, Fruit and Whipped Cream

  • 1/2 cup fruit juice, such as apple or fruit punch
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fruit pectin
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 pound of fresh strawberries, cut into halves
  • 2 just ripened bananas
  • 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold from fridge
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
For the Glaze:
  1. Warm up the fruit juice in a small saucepan
  2. Mix the sugar and pectin in a bowl, add to the saucepan
  3. Bring to a boil, let boil for 3-4 minutes
  4. Add the lemon juice and whisk
  5. Remove from heat and let sit until thicken like a loose apricot jelly. It may take up to 30 mins to completely cool down.
For the whipped cream:
  1. Add the heavy whipping cream and 1 TB of sugar to a mixing bowl, whip until you get stiff peaks. You can place this in a piping bag if you want to pipe designs on the pie.
  2. Chop your strawberries and bananas into slices or halves.
Final Assembly:
  1. Add a layer of pastry cream on the cooled pie crust, then add bananas, then pastry cream, then bananas and finish pastry cream.
  2. Lay the strawberries along the top.
  3. Glaze the berries.
  4. Pipe decorative border with whipped cream along the perimeter.
  5. Let pie set for a few hours in the fridge before cutting.

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Instructions

Adriana's Notes

Ingredients
Instructions

All Butter Pie Crust

  • 8 tablespoons (113g, 4 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in chunks
  • 1 cup + 3 tablespoons (140g, 5 oz) all purpose (or pastry flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 tablespoons ice cold water
  1. Place your cut butter in the freezer while you measure/prep your other ingredients.
  2. Add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder to the processor. Pulse about 10 times to combine.
  3. Add about a quarter of the cold butter to the flour mixture (you can approximate, it doesn't have to be precise) and pulse about 8-10 times. This coats the flour thoroughly with a bit of fat. You shouldn't really see any butter remaining.
  4. Add the rest of the cold butter to the flour mixture and pulse about 8-10 times. Lift the lid, and use a fork (or CAREFULLY with your fingers) to sift the mixture. There should be large butter pieces remaining about the size of large peas.
  5. Pour the flour and butter mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vinegar to the smaller amount of water in a small bowl and pour onto dough. Use a spatula to press and mix the water into the dough, making sure there are no dried bits of flour on the bottom of the bowl. Pick up some dough with your fingers. Press it together. Does it stick together easily? If not, add more water, a half teaspoon at a time, until you can form the dough into a large ball.
  6. Pour the dough out onto plastic wrap, form it into a disc. Cover tightly and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. For best results, let it rest overnight.
  7. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400. Roll out pie crust, dock the bottom of the crust and place inside a 9" pie plate. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 mins. Remove weights and bake for 10-15 minutes more to get a proper browning. While crust is hot, brush with egg white to seal. Set aside to cool.

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

  • 1/2 cup (100g, 3.5 oz) granulated sugar
  • half a vanilla bean (or 1 tsp of  vanilla paste/extract)
  • 2 cups (484g, 17 oz) whole milk (or half&half)
  • 6 egg yolks, from large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons (28g, 1 oz) cornstarch
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoons (14g, 0.5 oz) unsalted butter
  1. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use the sugar to scrub out all the seeds from the pod. Pour in your milk/half and half, whisk to combine. Turn the burner on medium-low. Slowly bringing the milk to a simmer allows the vanilla pod to infuse it with flavor. I try not to rush this step too much. (If you are using vanilla paste or extract, skip this part and just heat the milk. You will add the flavor in step 6.)
  2. While the milk is heating, in large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together until completely combined.
  3. When you see bubbles along the perimeter of the milk saucepan and steam slowly rising, turn off your burner. Slowly ladle a few tablespoons of steaming milk into the egg mixture, whisking the entire time. This allows the eggs to gradually increase in temperature. (Doing this step too quickly will cook the eggs, and will yield scrambled eggs in your pastry cream.) Add a couple more ladles of milk into the eggs and continue to whisk.
  4. Pour the rest of the milk into the egg mixture, whisk to combine.
  5. Place a large fine mesh strainer over your now-empty saucepan. Pour the egg-milk mixture through the strainer and back into the saucepan. This catches any large coagulated egg pieces, as well as your vanilla pod. Remove strainer.
  6. Turn the burner back onto medium-low and whisk until the mixture is thick and custardy, which may take a few minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter (and vanilla paste/extract, if using).
  7. At this point you can push the pastry cream through a (clean) strainer again to get a super duper smooth texture. Or you can immediately scrape into a container (which is what I do when I'm lazy) and cover the surface with plastic wrap, and allow to cool before using.

Make Toppings: Glaze, Fruit and Whipped Cream

  • 1/2 cup fruit juice, such as apple or fruit punch
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fruit pectin
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 pound of fresh strawberries, cut into halves
  • 2 just ripened bananas
  • 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold from fridge
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
For the Glaze:
  1. Warm up the fruit juice in a small saucepan
  2. Mix the sugar and pectin in a bowl, add to the saucepan
  3. Bring to a boil, let boil for 3-4 minutes
  4. Add the lemon juice and whisk
  5. Remove from heat and let sit until thicken like a loose apricot jelly. It may take up to 30 mins to completely cool down.
For the whipped cream:
  1. Add the heavy whipping cream and 1 TB of sugar to a mixing bowl, whip until you get stiff peaks. You can place this in a piping bag if you want to pipe designs on the pie.
  2. Chop your strawberries and bananas into slices or halves.
Final Assembly:
  1. Add a layer of pastry cream on the cooled pie crust, then add bananas, then pastry cream, then bananas and finish pastry cream.
  2. Lay the strawberries along the top.
  3. Glaze the berries.
  4. Pipe decorative border with whipped cream along the perimeter.
  5. Let pie set for a few hours in the fridge before cutting.

‍

All Butter Pie Crust

  • 8 tablespoons (113g, 4 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in chunks
  • 1 cup + 3 tablespoons (140g, 5 oz) all purpose (or pastry flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 tablespoons ice cold water
  1. Place your cut butter in the freezer while you measure/prep your other ingredients.
  2. Add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder to the processor. Pulse about 10 times to combine.
  3. Add about a quarter of the cold butter to the flour mixture (you can approximate, it doesn't have to be precise) and pulse about 8-10 times. This coats the flour thoroughly with a bit of fat. You shouldn't really see any butter remaining.
  4. Add the rest of the cold butter to the flour mixture and pulse about 8-10 times. Lift the lid, and use a fork (or CAREFULLY with your fingers) to sift the mixture. There should be large butter pieces remaining about the size of large peas.
  5. Pour the flour and butter mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vinegar to the smaller amount of water in a small bowl and pour onto dough. Use a spatula to press and mix the water into the dough, making sure there are no dried bits of flour on the bottom of the bowl. Pick up some dough with your fingers. Press it together. Does it stick together easily? If not, add more water, a half teaspoon at a time, until you can form the dough into a large ball.
  6. Pour the dough out onto plastic wrap, form it into a disc. Cover tightly and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. For best results, let it rest overnight.
  7. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400. Roll out pie crust, dock the bottom of the crust and place inside a 9" pie plate. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 mins. Remove weights and bake for 10-15 minutes more to get a proper browning. While crust is hot, brush with egg white to seal. Set aside to cool.

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

  • 1/2 cup (100g, 3.5 oz) granulated sugar
  • half a vanilla bean (or 1 tsp of  vanilla paste/extract)
  • 2 cups (484g, 17 oz) whole milk (or half&half)
  • 6 egg yolks, from large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons (28g, 1 oz) cornstarch
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoons (14g, 0.5 oz) unsalted butter
  1. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use the sugar to scrub out all the seeds from the pod. Pour in your milk/half and half, whisk to combine. Turn the burner on medium-low. Slowly bringing the milk to a simmer allows the vanilla pod to infuse it with flavor. I try not to rush this step too much. (If you are using vanilla paste or extract, skip this part and just heat the milk. You will add the flavor in step 6.)
  2. While the milk is heating, in large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together until completely combined.
  3. When you see bubbles along the perimeter of the milk saucepan and steam slowly rising, turn off your burner. Slowly ladle a few tablespoons of steaming milk into the egg mixture, whisking the entire time. This allows the eggs to gradually increase in temperature. (Doing this step too quickly will cook the eggs, and will yield scrambled eggs in your pastry cream.) Add a couple more ladles of milk into the eggs and continue to whisk.
  4. Pour the rest of the milk into the egg mixture, whisk to combine.
  5. Place a large fine mesh strainer over your now-empty saucepan. Pour the egg-milk mixture through the strainer and back into the saucepan. This catches any large coagulated egg pieces, as well as your vanilla pod. Remove strainer.
  6. Turn the burner back onto medium-low and whisk until the mixture is thick and custardy, which may take a few minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter (and vanilla paste/extract, if using).
  7. At this point you can push the pastry cream through a (clean) strainer again to get a super duper smooth texture. Or you can immediately scrape into a container (which is what I do when I'm lazy) and cover the surface with plastic wrap, and allow to cool before using.

Make Toppings: Glaze, Fruit and Whipped Cream

  • 1/2 cup fruit juice, such as apple or fruit punch
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fruit pectin
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 pound of fresh strawberries, cut into halves
  • 2 just ripened bananas
  • 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold from fridge
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
For the Glaze:
  1. Warm up the fruit juice in a small saucepan
  2. Mix the sugar and pectin in a bowl, add to the saucepan
  3. Bring to a boil, let boil for 3-4 minutes
  4. Add the lemon juice and whisk
  5. Remove from heat and let sit until thicken like a loose apricot jelly. It may take up to 30 mins to completely cool down.
For the whipped cream:
  1. Add the heavy whipping cream and 1 TB of sugar to a mixing bowl, whip until you get stiff peaks. You can place this in a piping bag if you want to pipe designs on the pie.
  2. Chop your strawberries and bananas into slices or halves.
Final Assembly:
  1. Add a layer of pastry cream on the cooled pie crust, then add bananas, then pastry cream, then bananas and finish pastry cream.
  2. Lay the strawberries along the top.
  3. Glaze the berries.
  4. Pipe decorative border with whipped cream along the perimeter.
  5. Let pie set for a few hours in the fridge before cutting.

‍

Recipe Card - Adriana's Notes

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Yield
Prep time
Cook time
Total time

Ingredients

All Butter Pie Crust

  • 8 tablespoons (113g, 4 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in chunks
  • 1 cup + 3 tablespoons (140g, 5 oz) all purpose (or pastry flour)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 tablespoons ice cold water
  1. Place your cut butter in the freezer while you measure/prep your other ingredients.
  2. Add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder to the processor. Pulse about 10 times to combine.
  3. Add about a quarter of the cold butter to the flour mixture (you can approximate, it doesn't have to be precise) and pulse about 8-10 times. This coats the flour thoroughly with a bit of fat. You shouldn't really see any butter remaining.
  4. Add the rest of the cold butter to the flour mixture and pulse about 8-10 times. Lift the lid, and use a fork (or CAREFULLY with your fingers) to sift the mixture. There should be large butter pieces remaining about the size of large peas.
  5. Pour the flour and butter mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the vinegar to the smaller amount of water in a small bowl and pour onto dough. Use a spatula to press and mix the water into the dough, making sure there are no dried bits of flour on the bottom of the bowl. Pick up some dough with your fingers. Press it together. Does it stick together easily? If not, add more water, a half teaspoon at a time, until you can form the dough into a large ball.
  6. Pour the dough out onto plastic wrap, form it into a disc. Cover tightly and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. For best results, let it rest overnight.
  7. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400. Roll out pie crust, dock the bottom of the crust and place inside a 9" pie plate. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 20 mins. Remove weights and bake for 10-15 minutes more to get a proper browning. While crust is hot, brush with egg white to seal. Set aside to cool.

Vanilla Bean Pastry Cream

  • 1/2 cup (100g, 3.5 oz) granulated sugar
  • half a vanilla bean (or 1 tsp of  vanilla paste/extract)
  • 2 cups (484g, 17 oz) whole milk (or half&half)
  • 6 egg yolks, from large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons (28g, 1 oz) cornstarch
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoons (14g, 0.5 oz) unsalted butter
  1. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use the sugar to scrub out all the seeds from the pod. Pour in your milk/half and half, whisk to combine. Turn the burner on medium-low. Slowly bringing the milk to a simmer allows the vanilla pod to infuse it with flavor. I try not to rush this step too much. (If you are using vanilla paste or extract, skip this part and just heat the milk. You will add the flavor in step 6.)
  2. While the milk is heating, in large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together until completely combined.
  3. When you see bubbles along the perimeter of the milk saucepan and steam slowly rising, turn off your burner. Slowly ladle a few tablespoons of steaming milk into the egg mixture, whisking the entire time. This allows the eggs to gradually increase in temperature. (Doing this step too quickly will cook the eggs, and will yield scrambled eggs in your pastry cream.) Add a couple more ladles of milk into the eggs and continue to whisk.
  4. Pour the rest of the milk into the egg mixture, whisk to combine.
  5. Place a large fine mesh strainer over your now-empty saucepan. Pour the egg-milk mixture through the strainer and back into the saucepan. This catches any large coagulated egg pieces, as well as your vanilla pod. Remove strainer.
  6. Turn the burner back onto medium-low and whisk until the mixture is thick and custardy, which may take a few minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter (and vanilla paste/extract, if using).
  7. At this point you can push the pastry cream through a (clean) strainer again to get a super duper smooth texture. Or you can immediately scrape into a container (which is what I do when I'm lazy) and cover the surface with plastic wrap, and allow to cool before using.

Make Toppings: Glaze, Fruit and Whipped Cream

  • 1/2 cup fruit juice, such as apple or fruit punch
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fruit pectin
  • 4 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 pound of fresh strawberries, cut into halves
  • 2 just ripened bananas
  • 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream, very cold from fridge
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
For the Glaze:
  1. Warm up the fruit juice in a small saucepan
  2. Mix the sugar and pectin in a bowl, add to the saucepan
  3. Bring to a boil, let boil for 3-4 minutes
  4. Add the lemon juice and whisk
  5. Remove from heat and let sit until thicken like a loose apricot jelly. It may take up to 30 mins to completely cool down.
For the whipped cream:
  1. Add the heavy whipping cream and 1 TB of sugar to a mixing bowl, whip until you get stiff peaks. You can place this in a piping bag if you want to pipe designs on the pie.
  2. Chop your strawberries and bananas into slices or halves.
Final Assembly:
  1. Add a layer of pastry cream on the cooled pie crust, then add bananas, then pastry cream, then bananas and finish pastry cream.
  2. Lay the strawberries along the top.
  3. Glaze the berries.
  4. Pipe decorative border with whipped cream along the perimeter.
  5. Let pie set for a few hours in the fridge before cutting.

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Instructions