Habanero Banana Cream Pie

Have you ever tried adding habaneros to your dessert? The combination of sweet and spicy can elevate the taste to a whole new level. Habaneros have a fruity flavor and are extremely spicy, but when combined with sweet bananas, creamy custard, and a fluffy whipped topping, they create a unique and exciting flavor experience. This habanero banana cream pie is definitely worth a try if you're looking for something different and delicious. And if you want something mild, just leave out the habaneros.

Baking with Grandma

I used to love visiting with my Grandma to get her to show me how to bake.  My Grandma was an amazing baker.  I know if the "Best Baker in America" show had been on when she was young, she would have won!  It's amazing how many great things she baked!  Her homemade bread was so fluffy and delicious.  When I was a kid, and would visit Grandma and Grandpa, she would make bread, and we were allowed to have it as soon as it came out of the oven.  Yes, she put butter and fresh Strawberry jam on this homemade bread.   IT WAS AMAZING!!!.  She also made incredible pies, cakes, pastries, rolls, cinnamon buns (Oh, the Cinnamon Buns!), pudding, and so many other things.  This banana cream pie is one of my top 50 things she made!  Like I said everything was amazing.

Having my Grandma spend time with me to explain how to bake some of her prize recipes was awesome.  She did tell me Banana Cream Pie might be easier for me to learn, and that I should, "just buy a crust" and "don't worry about making one right away".   I guess she wanted me to be successful on my first try. OR, it could be that on my first try at making one of her signature Marshmallow Rolls, she tried it and immediately asked what brand of dates I used.  Then she said, "It must be a different brand than I have EVER had."....Who knew there were different brands of dates???  I think she was just being nice and that I made it wrong.  Grandma's are the best!

Grandma's Recipe for Banana Cream Pie

I was recently looking back through some of my Grandma's old recipes and have been enjoying making some with my mom. It's important to note that my mom never learned how to bake because she was too busy having fun with horses. However, we're having a lot of fun going through the recipes and have decided to experiment with the Banana Cream Pie recipe.

We made a few changes to my grandma's banana cream pie recipe. We love to add fresh peppers to desserts for a sweet and spicy flavor.  So for this recipe we added Habanero peppers to the cream, which worked out great! My Grandpa loved spicy food.  I remember that he used to take white homemade bread, add butter and cut up pickled cherry peppers.  Of course, he thought it was funny when I wanted to taste his sandwich.  So I know he would have loved this recipe! 

Not Your Normal Banana Cream Pie

To create the new version of the pie, we added chopped-up Habanero peppers to the cream and sliced a pepper into small pieces to use as a topping. The added spice really enhances the sweetness from the bananas, creating a unique and delicious flavor.

All you need to do is prepare the cream pie filling by following the recipe below. Then, add chopped Habanero peppers to it. The amount of Habanero peppers can be adjusted as per your preference for spiciness. We added one tablespoon of Habanero peppers, which was perfect for us, but you can add more or less depending on your taste buds. Trust me, it was delicious! However, if you're not a fan of spicy food, you can simply omit the Habanero and still enjoy the original version of the pie that's just as delicious.

Banana Cream Pie Crust

On my Grandma's recommendation, we purchased a graham cracker pie crust.  My Grandma always made homemade pie crust, and this pie would be great with a pastry pie crust.  It is really your preference.  My preference was to follow Grandma's orders and buy the crust!!!

How to Make a Banana Cream Pie

Making a heavenly delicious custard is the key to the Habanero banana cream pie recipe. I used to be afraid of making custard because TV shows always portrayed it as difficult to make without separating. However, my grandma's recipe is easy to follow, and the custard is so delicious that you will want to eat it out of the pan. But resist the temptation and use it to make the pie!

Preparing Smooth Custard

If you want to make your custard super smooth and creamy, I've got a little trick for you. First off, separate your egg yolks and whites and set it aside. Then, mix together some sifted flour, sugar, and salt. Next, slowly add some milk to the mixture and heat it up over medium heat. Make sure you keep stirring it so it doesn't burn.

When heating the milk, heat it until it becomes hot and little bubbles start to form on the side of the pan. Make sure not to bring it to a boil. Take the pan off the heat and use a large spoon to take a spoonful of the hot milk mixture. Stir it into the beaten egg yolks. Stir, Stir, Stir! This will temper the eggs so that the custard won't separate. Once the eggs and milk are mixed together, pour the mixture into the pan with the rest of the milk.

After the custard is finished, stir in the vanilla and butter. Chop the Habanero and stir it into the custard (optional! Only add the habanero if you want it spicy). Then cover and place the custard in the refrigerator. And voila! Your custard will be perfect.

After the custard is cooled

Put sliced bananas on the bottom of the pie, then pour on the (Habanero) custard filling.

Spread the custard evenly over the bananas.

Make the Whipped Cream Topping for the Banana Cream Pie

We made whipped cream to cover the Habanero Banana Cream Pie.  The pie can also be covered with cool whip or, like my Grandma made, Meringue.  Let me know if you want a copy of her Meringue recipe, I will be happy to share.

Spread the whipped cream on top of the banana cream.

You can make this pie look even more delicious by adding some banana slices around the edges and some habanero rings on top. You can even put a habanero on top just for fun, but be careful not to eat the whole pepper, trust me on this one!

This isn't our normal "cut the calories" type of recipe.  Everyone needs to have a little dessert once in a while!!!  And this one is sooooooo good.

Please let us know what you think of the new version of my Grandma's Banana Cream Pie.  We hope you love it as much as we do.  If you do make this please share it with us, I know it would make my grandma very happy.

If you want to try another one of my grandma's recipes.  Check out her meatloaf recipe.  It's a great recipe.  Not low in calories, but delicious!

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