How To: Make a homemade banana cream pie

Bananas are the perfect fruit for anything, even pie. It's no wonder why banana cream pie is a favorite among dessert lovers. Fancy, intricate desserts can be pretty to look at, but rarely taste as good as a down-home classic. Pastry Chef Molly Hanson of Post 390 shares her secrets to the restaurant's best-selling dessert, the Banana Cream Pie. Start with a baked pie crust of your choice, then layer Molly's velvety vanilla pastry cream and sliced bananas. After the pie chills, top with pillows of sweet whipped cream. Simply heaven.

INGREDIENTS:

* 2½ cups whole milk
* ½ vanilla bean pod, seeds scraped
* 1 cup sugar, divided
* ½ tsp kosher salt
* 1 sheet leaf gelatin (optional but makes pie slices cleaner)
* 3 bananas
* 5 tbsp cornstarch
* 5 egg yolks
* 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 (9") pie shell, baked according to package directions.

Whipped Cream

* 2 cups heavy cream
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 tbsp sugar