Banana cream pie problem

On Wed 26 Jan 2005 08:01:37a, Ginny Sher tittered and giggled, and giggled
and tittered, and finally blurted out...

Quoted message said:

I'm hosting a birthday dinner this Saturday night. The birthday girl
has requested a banana cream pie for dessert. Since I've never made
one, I thought I would practice using a recipe from Bon Appetit
magazine. It called for a custard made from whole milk, whipping
cream, vanilla, sugar, cornstarch and a little butter (ingred. listed
from memory). For the crust I used a graham cracker base with added
mashed banana. The problem is the custard did not congele properly
and it turned out a soupy mess. (tasted fine however).

There was mashed banana in the crust, on the crust, in the custard? Where?
Was this your addition, or in the original recipe?

Quoted message said:

The next time, I used a different recipe calling for condensed milk
rather than whipping cream and whole milk. I disliked the softer
texture of the crust made with banana, so I used a more traditional
graham cracker recipe for the crust, which I preferred. Same problem
with the custard portion... soupy.

Personally, I would used a baked pastry crust for pie istead of a crumb
crust, but that should have anything to do with the custard not setting.

Quoted message said:

My questions are 1) does cornstarch have a short shelf life?

No. I've had cornstarch on the shelf for years and it works fine.

What are the quantites you're dealing with? Possibly the recipe calls for
too little cornstarch for liquid. How many eggts? Just yolks?

Quoted message said:

seems the only common denominator and my stash of it is probably old..
2) Maybe I didn't cook it long enough? FWIW, both recipes called for
the cornstarch slurry to be added in the beginning of the process and
for the mixture to be heated till bubbling and thickened. I know
cornstarch can lose its effectiveness if heated too much.

That's a two-edge sword. Possibly too little or too long, either can be a
problem. Over-stirring can also cause a problem, either during cooking or,
especially, afterward. It will thin the custard.

When I make banana cream or coconut cream pie, the custard (without the
eggs) is cooked until just thickened and bubbling, then the eggs are
tempered with a bit of the custard and returned to the custard. I continue
cooking at least a full 5 minutes after the mixture is once again bubbling.
My "test" is that a teaspoon should be able to stand upright in the custard
for it to be done.

Quoted message said:

I'd rather not prepare the birthday dessert from a pudding *mix* if I
can avoid it, but I don't want to make a 3rd mistake either. Your help
is always appreciated.

Ginny

Basically, we need more details to determine the problem.

Wayne

Ginny Sher said:

I'm hosting a birthday dinner this Saturday night. The birthday girl
has requested a banana cream pie for dessert. Since I've never made
one, I thought I would practice using a recipe from Bon Appetit
magazine. It called for a custard made from whole milk, whipping
cream, vanilla, sugar, cornstarch and a little butter (ingred. listed
from memory). For the crust I used a graham cracker base with

I've never heard of adding mashed banana to a graham crust - that
shouldn't have messed up the filling, though.

I use a cooked custard in a pastry crust (baked blind). I use an egg
white wash on the bottom of the crust before baking, and use parchment
paper to line the shell, weighted down with dried beans. Here's the
recipe, which I've never had fail. Notice whole eggs are used and go
in at the beginning of the cooking process. I use skim milk because
that's what I have on hand; no noticeable difference.

You can use this recipe for any vanilla-flavored cream pie - mostly, I
make coconut cream pie.

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 T all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
3 cups milk
1 T butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium to large bananas, sliced
1 baked pie shell
Sweetened Vanilla Whipped Cream

In medium saucepan stir together sugar cornstarch flour and salt. Whisk
in eggs one at a time until well blended. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook
over medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a boil.
Whisk and Boil for one minute. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and
vanilla. Add sliced bananas and mix gently. Pour into baked pie shell.
Cover with plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for 6-8 hours or until
firm. To serve, top with sweetened vanilla-flavored whipped cream. I
use powdered sugar in the whipped cream, so it doesn't collapse.

N.

"Ginny Sher" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm hosting a birthday dinner this Saturday night. The birthday girl
has requested a banana cream pie for dessert. Since I've never made
one, I thought I would practice using a recipe from Bon Appetit
magazine. It called for a custard made from whole milk, whipping
cream, vanilla, sugar, cornstarch and a little butter (ingred. listed
from memory). For the crust I used a graham cracker base with added
mashed banana. The problem is the custard did not congele properly
and it turned out a soupy mess. (tasted fine however).

The next time, I used a different recipe calling for condensed milk
rather than whipping cream and whole milk. I disliked the softer
texture of the crust made with banana, so I used a more traditional
graham cracker recipe for the crust, which I preferred. Same problem
with the custard portion... soupy.

My questions are 1) does cornstarch have a short shelf life? It
seems the only common denominator and my stash of it is probably old..
2) Maybe I didn't cook it long enough? FWIW, both recipes called for
the cornstarch slurry to be added in the beginning of the process and
for the mixture to be heated till bubbling and thickened. I know
cornstarch can lose its effectiveness if heated too much.

I'd rather not prepare the birthday dessert from a pudding *mix* if I
can avoid it, but I don't want to make a 3rd mistake either. Your help
is always appreciated.

Cornstarch doesn't have a short shelf life. The problem is most likely due
to your technique. Egg yolk contains an enzyme, amylase, that digests
starch. If you don't denature the enzyme by bringing the custard to high
enough temperature for a sufficient length of time, your custard will not
set well and will thin over time. Saliva also contains amylase, so if you
contaminated the custard with a spoon that you use to taste the mixture,
this can also have the same effect. I would suggest that you get a
thermometer to test the temperature of the custard. As I recall, you have
to bring the mixture to 180F for at least 2 minutes. There is a tendency to
avoid prolonged heating of custards because they will scorch and/or curdle.

If you only heated the mixture until it bubbled and thickened, you probably
didn't heat it enough. It is very unlikely that you heated it too long.

Quoted message said:

My questions are 1) does cornstarch have a short shelf life? It
seems the only common denominator and my stash of it is probably old..
2) Maybe I didn't cook it long enough? FWIW, both recipes called for
the cornstarch slurry to be added in the beginning of the process and
for the mixture to be heated till bubbling and thickened. I know
cornstarch can lose its effectiveness if heated too much.

I'd rather not prepare the birthday dessert from a pudding *mix* if I
can avoid it, but I don't want to make a 3rd mistake either. Your help
is always appreciated.

Ginny

I might not have been clear. The first crust contained mashed banana
in the crust mixture, which I believe caused it to lose the crunchy
texture of a regular crumb crust. The mashed banana was the only
additional ingredient that differed in the two recipes. My comments
about the crust were only to inject my opinion about which one I
preferred, but in no way to infer it had any bearing on the
consistency of the custard.

Here are the ingredients and basic instructions for both custards...

Custard recipe for 1st pie
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c whipping cream
1 1/2 c whole milk
3 lg egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

the recipe calls for adding the sugar and cornstarch, whisk in cream,
milk, then yolks... Whisk over med-hi heat till boils apx 6 min...
remove and add butter, vanilla... etc. Cool and whisk occasionally,
etc.

Custard recipe for 2nd pie
3 TBS cornstarch
1 2/3 cup water
1 14 oz can condensed milk
3 egg yolks beaten
2 TBS butter
1 TSS vanilla ext

Disolve cornstarch in water; add condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook
and stir until bubbly and thickend. Remove from heat, add vanilla and
butter....cool slightly, etc.

Thanks to all who posted in reply.

Ginny

On Wed 26 Jan 2005 11:28:54a, Ginny Sher wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

I might not have been clear. The first crust contained mashed banana
in the crust mixture, which I believe caused it to lose the crunchy
texture of a regular crumb crust. The mashed banana was the only
additional ingredient that differed in the two recipes. My comments
about the crust were only to inject my opinion about which one I
preferred, but in no way to infer it had any bearing on the
consistency of the custard.

Here are the ingredients and basic instructions for both custards...

Custard recipe for 1st pie
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c whipping cream
1 1/2 c whole milk
3 lg egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

the recipe calls for adding the sugar and cornstarch, whisk in cream,
milk, then yolks... Whisk over med-hi heat till boils apx 6 min...
remove and add butter, vanilla... etc. Cool and whisk occasionally,
etc.

This is certainly a reasonable recipe, although I would probably increase
the numer of egg yolks to 5. But that's just me.

Here's what I would do differently. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
Whisk in milk and cream. Cook mixture until it begins to thick and bubble.

Meanwhile, beat egg yolks in a separate bowl. Add about a cup of the hot
filling to the egg yolks, by spoonfuls, stirring constantly. When well
incorporated, stir egg mixture into custard. Continue cooking until the
mixture is _very_ thick and bubbling well. Cook for at least 5-6 minutes.
Then remove from heat and add butter and vanilla, stirring well to combine.

Assemble pie while filling is still hot, and avoiding beating or stirring
the custard too much after it has been off the heat. Cool and refrigerate.

P.S. - I don't care for the custard made with sweetened condensed milk.

Wayne

Could it be that you're not giving it time to set up? In my experience, most
custards need some time after cooking to get really thick and custard-like.

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Wed 26 Jan 2005 11:28:54a, Ginny Sher wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

I might not have been clear. The first crust contained mashed banana
in the crust mixture, which I believe caused it to lose the crunchy
texture of a regular crumb crust. The mashed banana was the only
additional ingredient that differed in the two recipes. My comments
about the crust were only to inject my opinion about which one I
preferred, but in no way to infer it had any bearing on the
consistency of the custard.

Here are the ingredients and basic instructions for both custards...

Custard recipe for 1st pie
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c whipping cream
1 1/2 c whole milk
3 lg egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

the recipe calls for adding the sugar and cornstarch, whisk in cream,
milk, then yolks... Whisk over med-hi heat till boils apx 6 min...
remove and add butter, vanilla... etc. Cool and whisk occasionally,
etc.

This is certainly a reasonable recipe, although I would probably increase
the numer of egg yolks to 5. But that's just me.

Here's what I would do differently. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
Whisk in milk and cream. Cook mixture until it begins to thick and
bubble.

Meanwhile, beat egg yolks in a separate bowl. Add about a cup of the hot
filling to the egg yolks, by spoonfuls, stirring constantly. When well
incorporated, stir egg mixture into custard. Continue cooking until the
mixture is _very_ thick and bubbling well. Cook for at least 5-6 minutes.
Then remove from heat and add butter and vanilla, stirring well to
combine.

Assemble pie while filling is still hot, and avoiding beating or stirring
the custard too much after it has been off the heat. Cool and
refrigerate.

P.S. - I don't care for the custard made with sweetened condensed milk.

Wayne

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Wed 26 Jan 2005 11:28:54a, Ginny Sher wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

I might not have been clear. The first crust contained mashed banana
in the crust mixture, which I believe caused it to lose the crunchy
texture of a regular crumb crust. The mashed banana was the only
additional ingredient that differed in the two recipes. My comments
about the crust were only to inject my opinion about which one I
preferred, but in no way to infer it had any bearing on the
consistency of the custard.

Here are the ingredients and basic instructions for both custards...

Custard recipe for 1st pie
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c whipping cream
1 1/2 c whole milk
3 lg egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

the recipe calls for adding the sugar and cornstarch, whisk in cream,
milk, then yolks... Whisk over med-hi heat till boils apx 6 min...
remove and add butter, vanilla... etc. Cool and whisk occasionally,
etc.

This is certainly a reasonable recipe, although I would probably increase
the numer of egg yolks to 5. But that's just me.

Here's what I would do differently. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
Whisk in milk and cream. Cook mixture until it begins to thick and bubble.

Meanwhile, beat egg yolks in a separate bowl. Add about a cup of the hot
filling to the egg yolks, by spoonfuls, stirring constantly. When well
incorporated, stir egg mixture into custard. Continue cooking until the
mixture is _very_ thick and bubbling well. Cook for at least 5-6 minutes.
Then remove from heat and add butter and vanilla, stirring well to combine.

Assemble pie while filling is still hot, and avoiding beating or stirring
the custard too much after it has been off the heat. Cool and refrigerate.

P.S. - I don't care for the custard made with sweetened condensed milk.

Wayne

Thanks, Wayne. I agree the custard made with cream and milk is
better. Next try I'll increase the number of egg yolks and follow
your guidelines. Hopefully it will come out right since it will be for
the real deal party.

Thanks,
Ginny

Ginny Sher said:

Custard recipe for 2nd pie
3 TBS cornstarch
1 2/3 cup water
1 14 oz can condensed milk
3 egg yolks beaten
2 TBS butter
1 TSS vanilla ext

Disolve cornstarch in water; add condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook
and stir until bubbly and thickend. Remove from heat, add vanilla and
butter....cool slightly, etc.

I think the trick is in the thickness when you take it off the heat.
Custard consistency changes with cooking time, anywhere from a Creme
Anglaise to a really stiff custard. Corn starch has a pretty long shelf
life.

Maybe you should consider a custard mix like Horne's. It's practically fool
proof and makes a decent banana cream pie. Save the cream for a whipped
cream topping.

On Wed 26 Jan 2005 06:34:58p, Ginny Sher wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Wed 26 Jan 2005 11:28:54a, Ginny Sher wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

I might not have been clear. The first crust contained mashed banana
in the crust mixture, which I believe caused it to lose the crunchy
texture of a regular crumb crust. The mashed banana was the only
additional ingredient that differed in the two recipes. My comments
about the crust were only to inject my opinion about which one I
preferred, but in no way to infer it had any bearing on the
consistency of the custard.

Here are the ingredients and basic instructions for both custards...

Custard recipe for 1st pie
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c whipping cream
1 1/2 c whole milk
3 lg egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla

the recipe calls for adding the sugar and cornstarch, whisk in cream,
milk, then yolks... Whisk over med-hi heat till boils apx 6 min...
remove and add butter, vanilla... etc. Cool and whisk occasionally,
etc.

This is certainly a reasonable recipe, although I would probably
increase the numer of egg yolks to 5. But that's just me.

Here's what I would do differently. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and
salt. Whisk in milk and cream. Cook mixture until it begins to thick
and bubble.

Meanwhile, beat egg yolks in a separate bowl. Add about a cup of the
hot filling to the egg yolks, by spoonfuls, stirring constantly. When
well incorporated, stir egg mixture into custard. Continue cooking
until the mixture is _very_ thick and bubbling well. Cook for at least
5-6 minutes. Then remove from heat and add butter and vanilla, stirring
well to combine.

Assemble pie while filling is still hot, and avoiding beating or
stirring the custard too much after it has been off the heat. Cool and
refrigerate.

P.S. - I don't care for the custard made with sweetened condensed milk.

Wayne

Thanks, Wayne. I agree the custard made with cream and milk is
better. Next try I'll increase the number of egg yolks and follow
your guidelines. Hopefully it will come out right since it will be for
the real deal party.

Thanks,
Ginny

Ginny, just remember that stirring the custard while cooking is important,
but it's just as important to stir it as little as possible after the
cooking is complete. Also, by cooking the custard through the initial
thickening before adding the egg yolks, it's much less likely to thin down.
Your overall cooking time probably needs to be increased as well.

Good luck, and please report back with your results. We'll be waiting! <g>

Regards,
Wayne

Dave Smith said:

Ginny Sher said:

Custard recipe for 2nd pie
3 TBS cornstarch
1 2/3 cup water
1 14 oz can condensed milk
3 egg yolks beaten
2 TBS butter
1 TSS vanilla ext

Disolve cornstarch in water; add condensed milk and egg yolks. Cook
and stir until bubbly and thickend. Remove from heat, add vanilla and
butter....cool slightly, etc.

I think the trick is in the thickness when you take it off the heat.
Custard consistency changes with cooking time, anywhere from a Creme
Anglaise to a really stiff custard. Corn starch has a pretty long shelf
life.

Maybe you should consider a custard mix like Horne's. It's practically fool
proof and makes a decent banana cream pie. Save the cream for a whipped
cream topping.

After reading responses to my post, I think I undercooked the custard.
I'd prefer to use a "homemade" recipe rather than a mix as I have a
reputation to uphold with my friends <g>. Just to play it safe, I
will replace the conrstarch though. I can't remember how old it is and
at some point, it must lose its thickening powers, eh? And... I will
add a few more egg yolks.

Thanks,
Ginny

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Wed 26 Jan 2005 06:34:58p, Ginny Sher wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Wed 26 Jan 2005 11:28:54a, Ginny Sher wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> I might not have been clear. The first crust contained mashed banana
> in the crust mixture, which I believe caused it to lose the crunchy
> texture of a regular crumb crust. The mashed banana was the only
> additional ingredient that differed in the two recipes. My comments
> about the crust were only to inject my opinion about which one I
> preferred, but in no way to infer it had any bearing on the
> consistency of the custard.
>
> Here are the ingredients and basic instructions for both custards...
>
> Custard recipe for 1st pie
> 1/2 c sugar
> 1/3 c cornstarch
> 1/4 tsp salt
> 1 1/2 c whipping cream
> 1 1/2 c whole milk
> 3 lg egg yolks
> 1/2 vanilla bean
> 2 TBS unsalted butter
> 1 tsp vanilla
>
> the recipe calls for adding the sugar and cornstarch, whisk in cream,
> milk, then yolks... Whisk over med-hi heat till boils apx 6 min...
> remove and add butter, vanilla... etc. Cool and whisk occasionally,
> etc.
>

This is certainly a reasonable recipe, although I would probably
increase the numer of egg yolks to 5. But that's just me.

Here's what I would do differently. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and
salt. Whisk in milk and cream. Cook mixture until it begins to thick
and bubble.

Meanwhile, beat egg yolks in a separate bowl. Add about a cup of the
hot filling to the egg yolks, by spoonfuls, stirring constantly. When
well incorporated, stir egg mixture into custard. Continue cooking
until the mixture is _very_ thick and bubbling well. Cook for at least
5-6 minutes. Then remove from heat and add butter and vanilla, stirring
well to combine.

Assemble pie while filling is still hot, and avoiding beating or
stirring the custard too much after it has been off the heat. Cool and
refrigerate.

P.S. - I don't care for the custard made with sweetened condensed milk.

Wayne

Thanks, Wayne. I agree the custard made with cream and milk is
better. Next try I'll increase the number of egg yolks and follow
your guidelines. Hopefully it will come out right since it will be for
the real deal party.

Thanks,
Ginny

Ginny, just remember that stirring the custard while cooking is important,
but it's just as important to stir it as little as possible after the
cooking is complete. Also, by cooking the custard through the initial
thickening before adding the egg yolks, it's much less likely to thin down.
Your overall cooking time probably needs to be increased as well.

Good luck, and please report back with your results. We'll be waiting! <g>

Regards,
Wayne

Good advice. I'll report back after the party. I'm also making a few
other dishes which I have never prepared before, mainly Asian ones -
Korean short ribs, Thai chicken breasts (Cook's Illustrated recipe)
and Tom Yum Goong soup. Wish me luck!

Ginny

On Thu 27 Jan 2005 07:55:32a, Ginny Sher wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Wed 26 Jan 2005 06:34:58p, Ginny Sher wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

On 26 Jan 2005 18:52:07 GMT, Wayne Boatwright <[email hidden]> wrote:

>On Wed 26 Jan 2005 11:28:54a, Ginny Sher wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
>> I might not have been clear. The first crust contained mashed banana
>> in the crust mixture, which I believe caused it to lose the crunchy
>> texture of a regular crumb crust. The mashed banana was the only
>> additional ingredient that differed in the two recipes. My comments
>> about the crust were only to inject my opinion about which one I
>> preferred, but in no way to infer it had any bearing on the
>> consistency of the custard.
>>
>> Here are the ingredients and basic instructions for both custards...
>>
>> Custard recipe for 1st pie
>> 1/2 c sugar
>> 1/3 c cornstarch
>> 1/4 tsp salt
>> 1 1/2 c whipping cream
>> 1 1/2 c whole milk
>> 3 lg egg yolks
>> 1/2 vanilla bean
>> 2 TBS unsalted butter
>> 1 tsp vanilla
>>
>> the recipe calls for adding the sugar and cornstarch, whisk in
>> cream, milk, then yolks... Whisk over med-hi heat till boils apx 6
>> min... remove and add butter, vanilla... etc. Cool and whisk
>> occasionally, etc.
>>
>
>This is certainly a reasonable recipe, although I would probably
>increase the numer of egg yolks to 5. But that's just me.
>
>Here's what I would do differently. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and
>salt. Whisk in milk and cream. Cook mixture until it begins to thick
>and bubble.
>
>Meanwhile, beat egg yolks in a separate bowl. Add about a cup of the
>hot filling to the egg yolks, by spoonfuls, stirring constantly. When
>well incorporated, stir egg mixture into custard. Continue cooking
>until the mixture is _very_ thick and bubbling well. Cook for at
>least 5-6 minutes. Then remove from heat and add butter and vanilla,
>stirring well to combine.
>
>Assemble pie while filling is still hot, and avoiding beating or
>stirring the custard too much after it has been off the heat. Cool
>and refrigerate.
>
>P.S. - I don't care for the custard made with sweetened condensed
>milk.
>
>Wayne

Thanks, Wayne. I agree the custard made with cream and milk is
better. Next try I'll increase the number of egg yolks and follow
your guidelines. Hopefully it will come out right since it will be for
the real deal party.

Thanks,
Ginny

Ginny, just remember that stirring the custard while cooking is
important, but it's just as important to stir it as little as possible
after the cooking is complete. Also, by cooking the custard through the
initial thickening before adding the egg yolks, it's much less likely to
thin down. Your overall cooking time probably needs to be increased as
well.

Good luck, and please report back with your results. We'll be waiting!
<g>

Regards,
Wayne

Good advice. I'll report back after the party. I'm also making a few
other dishes which I have never prepared before, mainly Asian ones -
Korean short ribs, Thai chicken breasts (Cook's Illustrated recipe)
and Tom Yum Goong soup. Wish me luck!

Ginny

Have fun, have wonderful food, and enjoy!

Wayne

"Ginny Sher" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm hosting a birthday dinner this Saturday night. The birthday girl
has requested a banana cream pie for dessert. Since I've never made
one, I thought I would practice using a recipe from Bon Appetit
magazine. It called for a custard made from whole milk, whipping
cream, vanilla, sugar, cornstarch and a little butter (ingred. listed
from memory). For the crust I used a graham cracker base with added
mashed banana. The problem is the custard did not congele properly
and it turned out a soupy mess. (tasted fine however).

The next time, I used a different recipe calling for condensed milk
rather than whipping cream and whole milk. I disliked the softer
texture of the crust made with banana, so I used a more traditional
graham cracker recipe for the crust, which I preferred. Same problem
with the custard portion... soupy.

My questions are 1) does cornstarch have a short shelf life? It
seems the only common denominator and my stash of it is probably old..
2) Maybe I didn't cook it long enough? FWIW, both recipes called for
the cornstarch slurry to be added in the beginning of the process and
for the mixture to be heated till bubbling and thickened. I know
cornstarch can lose its effectiveness if heated too much.

I'd rather not prepare the birthday dessert from a pudding *mix* if I
can avoid it, but I don't want to make a 3rd mistake either. Your help
is always appreciated.

Ginny

Ginny,
Without your recipe, it's hard to say what may have been the problem. I have
a recipe that's flour based, rather than cornstarch. The recipe is for a
black bottom banana cream pie. The black bottom portions a chocolate
ganache that serves two purposes: flavor, because I love chocolate and
banana together, and it keeps the pastry crust crisp where custards can make
them soggy. It works great with coconut cream pie too. However, if you want
to skip that part you can also do a light eggwhite wash on the crust prior
to baking and sprinkle with sugar. This will also create a moisture barrier
to keep it crisp.
Here's the recipe:
For Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp baker's sugar (superfine...regular granulated can be used)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening or unsalted butter, chilled
3 tablespoons ice water

Directions
1. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a
pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles
coarse crumbs. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture
with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the
dough comes together.
2. Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap,
and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
3. Roll out dough, and put in a 9" pie plate. Pierce with a fork all around,
especially around the inner edge. Bake at 425*f for 9-11 minutes, or until
golden brown.

For Black Bottom:

1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
5 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate (Or semi-sweet, or a mixture of
both), chopped fine

Directions:

Heat cream until hot, but do not boil. Add chocolate and let sit for 1-2
minutes, then stir until smooth. Let cool 10 minutes. Spread over baked,
cooled pie crust.

For Custard:

1 1/2 cups milk, divided into 1 and 1/2 cups
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 -1 inch strips vanilla bean
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
3 egg yolks
2 Tbsp butter

1. Heat 1 cup milk, and 1/2 cup cream with vanilla bean over med heat until
very hot. Let
steep for 15 minutes, then remove vanilla beans, split, and scrape seeds
with the back of a knife. Add to hot milk. Rinse pods, and dry for use in
vanilla sugar if desired.
2. Place milk back over heat and heat to scalding. Whisk remaining milk with
flour and salt, then whisk into hot milk. Stirring often, bring to a slow
boil.
3. Whisk yolks and sugar together until light and lemon colored. Add 1/2 cup
hot thickened milk to egg yolks and whisk, then pour back into pan, stirring
constantly. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Immediately cover with
plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming and chill.
5. When completely cooled, slice 2-3 bananas, and place slices in crust atop
the chocolate ganache. Top with custard. I also then top with freshly
whipped cream, but I prefer to do this on the individual slices rather than
on the whole pie.
Continue to chill until ready to serve.
Hope this helps!
kimberly