Cooking By Laptop

You can have your Christmas and your Easter and your Independence Days. For me, the best food day of the year is March 14.

Because Pie.

Pi? Right? Got it? 3.14? The 14th day of the 3rd month. All the excuse I need to eat pie. Actually, I don’t really need an excuse, I’ll eat pie any time, but it’s nice to have a day to back me up.

This recipe is inspired by a recent episode of Good Eats I just watched. In it, Alton Brown explores the world of Banana Pudding. Now, if you, like me, are not from down south, you may not be familiar with the dish that is Banana Pudding. It’s basically a cooked vanilla pudding, and in between are layers of fresh bananas and vanilla wafers. It’s all topped off with either whipped cream or a toasted meringue.

It sounds freaking amazing.

Inspired by this concept, I decided my 2018 Pi Day Pie would be a Banana Cream Pie. Yass Kween!

I also had this bag of vegan graham cracker crumbs in my cupboard I’d acquired a ways back, and had yet to test out and put to use, so it became the base of my pie.

The filling is coconut-based, and while I don’t always love coconut in every sweet dessert (not that I don’t love coconut, I do, but it sometimes takes over as a flavour), in this one it works because bananas and coconut are sisters from other misters. Both are tropically-grown and remind me of pina coladas and warm days at the beach.

So, no matter what pie you are consuming this March 14 (homemade or store-bought, I won’t judge), I wish you the happiest of Pi Days.

Banana Cream Pie {Vegan}

(makes 1 7″ pie)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegan, gluten free graham cracker crumbs (I used PaneRiso)
• 1/4 cup melted vegan butter
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup non dairy milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2-3 ripe bananas
• 1 recipe coconut whip (or store-bought)

Method:

1. First make the crust. Place the graham crackers in a small bowl and add the sugar. Mix, then add in the melted vegan butter and mix until everything is combined. Press into a buttered 7″ pie pan, then bake in a 350 degree oven for about 9-10 minutes.
2. Remove crust from the oven and allow to cool.
3. While the crust is baking and cooling, prepare the filling. In a medium saucepan, combine the cornstarch and sugar, and whisk well to combine. Top with the coconut milk and the non-dairy milk, and whisk well. Turn the heat on to medium-low, and slowly bring to a boil. Continue whisking until the pudding thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and the vanilla.
4. Pour the pudding into a heat-proof bowl, and cover with plastic wrap (make sure the plastic wrap is touching the top of the pudding to prevent it from creating a “skin”). Place in the fridge and allow to cool several hours or overnight.
5. To build the pie: slice the bananas into 1/2″ slices. Place a layer of sliced bananas on the bottom of the crust and top with a generous dollop of the pudding. Smooth it down, add another layer of bananas and the rest of the pudding. Finish the pie with a dollop of coconut whip.