You have to plan ahead for this one. Buy bananas that are ripe and then let them get nearly black/brown before accepting them as the rrrrrripe bananas needed for this recipe. Another great option: at the bakery, we peel just ripe bananas, freeze them, and let them finish developing flavor in the freezer for 2 days or up to 2 weeks. Said rrrrrripe bananas are the difference between having your banana pie tasting like banana Laffy Taffy and the most delicious, deep banana cream pie ever.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 775 g (3 cups)

　　225 g rrrrrripe bananas (about 2)

　　75 g heavy cream (1/3 cup)

　　55 g milk (1/4 cup)

　　100 g sugar (1/2 cup)

　　25 g cornstarch (2 tablespoons)

　　2 g kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon)

　　3 egg yolks

　　2 gelatin sheets

　　40 g butter (3 tablespoons)

　　25 drops yellow food coloring (1/2 teaspoon)

　　160 g heavy cream (3/4 cup)

　　160 g confectioners’ sugar (1 cup)

　　

Step 1

Combine the bananas, cream, and milk in a blender and puree until totally smooth.

　　

Step 2

Add the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and yolks and continue to blend until homogenous. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan. Clean the blender canister.

　　

Step 3

Bloom the gelatin (see page 29).

　　

Step 4

Whisk the contents of the pan and heat over medium-low heat. As the banana mixture heats up, it will thicken. Bring to a boil and then continue to whisk vigorously for 2 minutes to fully cook out the starch. The mixture will resemble thick glue, bordering on cement, with a color to match.

　　

Step 5

Dump the contents of the pan into the blender. Add the bloomed gelatin and the butter and blend until the mixture is smooth and even. Color the mixture with yellow food coloring until it is a bright cartoon-banana yellow. (It’s a ton of coloring, I know, but banana creams don’t get that brilliant yellow color on their own. Womp.)

　　

Step 6

Transfer the banana mixture to a heatsafe container, and put in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes—as long as it takes to cool completely.

　　

Step 7

Using a whisk or a mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the cream and confectioners’ sugar to medium-soft peaks. (When you pull the whisk away from the whipped cream, the mounds of cream hold their shape softly.) Add the cold banana mixture to the whipped cream and slowly whisk until evenly colored and homogenous. Stored in an airtight container, banana cream keeps fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge.

　　

Notes

Step 8

Powdered gelatin can be substituted for the sheet gelatin: use 1 teaspoon.

　　

Elsewhere in this book

Step 9

Banana cream is used in the Banana Layer Cake (page 193). The cream also tastes great when layered with Cereal Milk Panna Cotta (page 37).

　　Reprinted with permission from Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi with Courtney McBroom. Copyright © 2011 by MomoMilk, LLC. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Christina Tosi is the chef and owner of Momofuku Milk Bar, called "one of the most exciting bakeries in the country" by Bon Appètit. As founder of the desserts programs at Momofuku, including Noodle Bar, Ssäat;m Bar, Ko and Má Pêche, Christina was most recently shortlisted for a James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Award. Christina and her confections have appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and Live! with Regis and Kelly, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her three dogs and eats an unconscionable amount of raw cookie dough every day.