Turmeric Thai Banana Cream Pie

To be completely transparent here, the recipe name was born before the recipe itself came to fruition. One day I was craving a slice of banana cream pie while drinking a cup of Tanglewood Turmeric Thai tea latte, and it just clicked. Here’s a fun recipe that can be made dairy-free that pairs oh-so-perfectly with our Turmeric Thai tea! 

Turmeric Thai Banana Cream Pie

Yields 1 pie, serves 4-8

For the pie crust 

1 1/2 cups (180g) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

½ cup + 1 tablespoon (117g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, cold

3 to 5 tablespoons (43g to 71g) ice water

For the Turmeric Thai Tea banana filling

2 large unripened bananas, mashed

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 cup Tanglewood Turmeric Thai Tea concentrate

1/2 cup milk of choice

1/2 cup sugar

5 large egg yolks

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 large unripened bananas, sliced ½-inch thick, optional garnish

½ cup toasted coconut flakes or chocolate shavings, optional garnish 

For the coconut whipped cream topping

1 can coconut cream, refrigerated overnight 

3 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Heat the bananas, butter, and brown sugar over medium heat in a small saucepan till the bananas are golden brown and sticky. Remove the pan from the heat and place in a blender or food processor and blend till the mixture is smooth.  

Heat the Turmeric Thai Tea concentrate, milk and ¼ cup of the sugar over low heat in a medium saucepan until the mixture is scalding.

Whisk together the egg yolks, rest of the sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour about ¼ cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, constantly whisking to avoid curdling the eggs. Then pour the warmed egg mixture into the saucepan, and then add the banana mixture as well. You'll need to whisk the mixture constantly till it’s thickened to a custard-like texture of yogurt, about 10-20 minutes. Carefully remove the custard from the heat and into an ice bath to quickly cool it down. Continue to cool in the refrigerator.

Next, prepare the pie crust. Whisk the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter, working it in with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture is crumbly throughout, like sand. Add 2 tablespoons of the water and stir.

Pour in enough of the water to create a chunky consistency, barely holding itself together; it should look a bit dry.

Shape the dough into a 1-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Dust a clean surface with a bit of flour and roll the pie dough to about 12" for a 9" pie. Carefully place the dough in a pie pan and prick the bottom surface with a fork which will help keep it flattened. Line the crust with a piece of parchment paper and fill it with your choice of oven-safe and food-safe pie weights like dried beans, rice, etc.

Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and take out the pie weights and parchment paper, then continue to bake for 15 more minutes, until it's golden brown across the bottom. Remove the crust from the oven, and cool it on a rack while you make the whipped cream topping.

Scoop the solid part of the coconut cream from the can, leaving the liquid aside. (You can save the coconut milk liquid for other applications. Whisk together the refrigerated coconut cream solids with the powdered sugar till medium peaks form. Place in the fridge to keep cool.  

To assemble the pie, you have the option to line the base of the pie crust with the sliced bananas. If you are skipping the optional add-on bananas, pour the cooled Turmeric Thai Tea-banana pastry cream evenly over the crust. Top with the coconut cream. Garnish with the optional coconut flakes or chocolate shavings.

You are gonna want a glass of iced Turmeric Thai tea with this!