Banana Cream Meringue Pie

My two favorite things...Banana Cream Pie and Meringue!!! This was such a fun experiment!!! Enjoy:

Make sure that the custard comes to a boil...it will have THICK bubbles...then you know its thickened:

I put one banana on the bottom and covered it with half of the custard. Then I put two bananas in the middle, followed by the other half of the custard (minus about 1/2 cup...there was too much because I added the bananas)



Me...sneaking a bite of the extra custard...it was incredible!!! I can't wait to taste the PIE!





I had to "pat" the meringue with a spoon to get it to have those peaks. I guess it could be smooth, but it looks cooler like this :-)


This only took 12 minutes at 400'F to get it to brown. I opened the oven and went, "AHHHH! LOOK AT MY LITTLE PIE!!!" I was so VERY proud, but no one was home to see it....but then...my roommate walked in and said, "oh my gosh, it looks professional!!! I have to take a picture!"




Original Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Banana-Cream-Pie-V/Detail.aspx
(***my notes)

Ingredients:
1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust, baked and
cooled
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk (**I used skim and it worked great)
4 egg yolks, beaten

2 tablespoons butter
1 TBS vanilla

1 large banana, sliced (***I used 3 medium bananas- one on bottom, 1/2 custard, 2 in the middle, custard, then the meringue)

Meringue for Top:
4 egg whites (**take off those yucky white things on each side of the yolk...also known as "chalazas")
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan or double boiler combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Mix well, then stir in milk and egg yolks. Whisk until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened (must come to a boil...thick bubbles). Remove from heat and stir in butter and 1 tablespoon vanilla.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C.) Pour half of custard into baked pie shell. Cover with sliced banana. Spread remaining custard over banana layer.
3. In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add white sugar and vanilla, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, covering completely.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.