Banana Cream Pie

I got this recipe from the Top Secrets Recipe Book. It is supposedly like the Marie Calenders Banana Cream Pie. The recipe calls for a regular pie crust but I prefer to make a crumb crust using vanilla wafers instead. I just made it for Thanksgiving and my cousin who loves Banana Cream Pie said it was the best one she ever had.

Crust: (once again I use a home-made vanilla wafer crust instead)
¼ cup butter
¼ cup shortening
1 ¼ cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons ice water
½ teaspoon vinegar

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cup whole milk
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 ripe bananas, sliced

Topping:
whipping cream, whipped
¼ cup slivered almonds

Beat together the butter and shortening until smooth and creamy and chill until firm. Sift together flour, sugar and salt in medium bowl. Using a fork, cut butter and shortening into dry ingredients, until mixture has a consistent texture. Mix egg yolk, ice water, and vinegar into the dough, then form it into a ball and refrigerate it for 1 hour so that it will be easier to work with. Preheat oven to 450*. When the dough has chilled, roll it out and press it into a 9-inch pie plate. Press parchment paper or aluminum foil into the crust and weight the crust down with a ceramic pie weight or another pie pan filled with dried beans. This will prevent the crust from puffing up and distorting. Bake for 15 minutes (may need to put foil around edges to prevent edges from over cooking), then remove the weight or pan filled with dried beans and prick the crust with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let the crust cool.

Make the filling by sifting together the sugar, cornstarch and salt into a medium saucepan. Blend the milk and eggs in a medium bowl, then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly for 6-8 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens, then cook for 1 minute more. Remove the filling from the heat and stir in vanilla and butter.

Put plastic wrap on the surface of the filling and let it cool to about room temperature. The plastic wrap prevents the top from becoming gummy. When the filling has cooled remove the plastic wrap and add the bananas, stir. Pour the filling into the pie shell and chill for a couple of hours before serving. Top with whipped cream and almonds.