For chocolate ganache
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Vanilla Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
Vanilla Whipped Cream (recipe follows)

Make crust: Butter 9-inch-diameter glass or ceramic pie dish. Stir butter
and chocolate in heavy small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Mix
in cookie crumbs. Press onto bottom and up sides of prepared dish.
Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Make chocolate ganache: Heat cream and butter in medium saucepan
over medium heat until mixture is hot (do not boil). Remove from heat.
Add chocolate and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Reserve 2 tablespoons
chocolate ganache in small bowl at room temperature; pour remainder
over crust. Chill crust until chocolate ganache is firm, about 30 minutes.

Thinly slice 3 bananas. Arrange banana slices over chocolate. Whisk
Vanilla Pastry Cream until smooth. Spread pastry cream evenly over
bananas. Drizzle reserved chocolate ganache over pastry cream. Draw
toothpick through pastry cream and chocolate to marbleize. Refrigerate
until pastry cream is set, about 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead.
Cover and keep refrigerated.)
Spoon Vanilla Whipped Cream around edges of pie, or spoon whipped
cream into pastry bag that's fitted with large star tip and pipe cream
around edges of pie. Slice remaining banana. Garnish pie with banana
slices. Makes 8 servings.

Vanilla Pastry Cream
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Bring half and half to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk sugar,
eggs, egg yolk and flour in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in
hot half and half. Transfer to saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until
mixture thickens and comes to boil, about 5 minutes. Boil 1 minute.
Pour into medium bowl. Stir in vanilla. Press plastic onto surface of
pastry cream. Cover; chill until cold, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1
day ahead. Keep chilled.) Makes 2 cups.

Vanilla Whipped Cream
1 cup chilled whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in large bowl until stiff peaks
form. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.) Makes 1 3/4 cups.

Featured Archive Recipes:
Banana-Coconut Cream Pie
Banana Cream Pie
Chocolate-Banana-Coconut Cream Pie
White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

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