Banana Cream/Lemon Meringue Pie... because my husband makes ridiculous requests.

For his birthday dessert, my husband has request a banana cream lemon meringue pie. Yes, he wants it to be one pie that features both. It's a good thing he's worth it...

So I'm thinking of making a half batch of banana custard (using the recipe from American's Test Kitchen for banana cream pie) and a half batch of lemon curd. I am hoping that I can use a foil barrier to separate the two in my baked pie crust (and using my blow torch to color the meringue). Do you think it's possible? Will the custard and curd play nice and keep to their own side of the pie?

Jut to give you a little background into the weird food mind of my husband: last year he requested licorice spaghetti for his birthday dinner (I added licorice powder to the sauce and was surprised that it tasted pretty good); two years ago he wanted a lagkage (Danish layer cake) made with crushed flødeboller (chocolate-covered cream puffs) and crème fraîche (not so delicious); and three years ago he wanted a petrol station-purchased citronmåne cake (a tart lemon and marzipan cake that has the reputation of what police buy and eat, similar to American police eating donuts).

Posted by: CarlaCooks
October 3, 2014

4626 views
31 Comments

31 Comments

SeaJambon October 9, 2014

Fun and creative post and result! CarlaCooks -- you should get an award for all of this!!

Susan W. October 6, 2014

This has been so fun to read and your husband is hilarious. I too can't wait to see what he requests next. Great looking pie.

Chef L. October 6, 2014

I'm putting this on my calendar. Can't wait to see what next year brings!

CarlaCooks October 6, 2014

By the way, I told my husband your idea about hummingbird tongues on toast. He's intrigued and told all of his birthday guests about it! I may have really set myself up this time!

CarlaCooks October 6, 2014

Ok, the results are in: pie turned out great! Many thanks for your recommendations, inspiration, and commiseration :) Big thanks to Droplet for the winning idea of creating sections separated by banana slices. I topped the whole pie with an Italian meringue, which my husband (the birthday boy) gladly blowtorched to browned perfection.

CarlaCooks October 6, 2014

Banana custard filling.

CarlaCooks October 6, 2014

Lemon curd filling.

CarlaCooks October 6, 2014

Final result!

Nancy October 6, 2014

Glad that Droplet's idea worked & your husband was happy in his birthday pie. Have to say this has been the most amusing thread I've participated in here.

Droplet October 6, 2014

Happy that it worked out for you Carla, and thank you for taking the time to share with us :)

amysarah October 5, 2014

You could Frankenstein it: make separate pies with the same crust recipe and sized pans. After the pies cool down, cut each in half and very carefully lift half of one into the pan of the other, and vice versa. You'd basically end up with what he's requesting, no? And you'll also have an extra pie handy for throwing at him, if he cites you on a technicality ;-)

CarlaCooks October 6, 2014

Haha, great idea, amysarah! Though it would be a shame to waste a pie on a face :)

Chef L. October 4, 2014

Perhaps next year he might request Hummingbird tongues on toast. That might prove easier! Good luck!

CarlaCooks October 5, 2014

Please don't give him any ideas! At the restaurant The Ledbury in London, we had an excellent dish of pigeon organs speared on a licorice twig and cooked perfectly. My husband has been asking me to make it every since. Sorry, my love, but we will only eat such delicacies (and things that are both hard to source and time-consuming to make) while dining out :)

Droplet October 4, 2014

Or if you don't mind fiddling it with it a bit more you could arrange banana slices into a pie wedge pattern inside the baked crust (with a little bit of either custard spread on the bottom so they have something to keep the uptight) and then fill alternating wedges with the lemon and banana custards. Once you are done with the meringue top, there will be no telling what flavor you will hit with the first slice you cut.

Droplet October 4, 2014

"to keep them upright"

CarlaCooks October 5, 2014

Brilliant! I think I will do this. Should be fun :) Thanks for the idea!

Julie October 3, 2014

Maybe you could use a tin foil barrier to fill one half, remove the barrier once the half has firmed up, then add the other filling?

Patricia October 3, 2014

I'm sorry, CarlaCooks, I didn't realize, when I suggested the layering, that you wanted the fillings side by each. Well. Quite the challenge, but fun. Couldn't you just use something like a dough scraper, acting as a divider as you pour or plop in the two fillings. Then gently remove it. The two toppings should be fairly simple to place side by side. I hope you take a picture!

cookbookchick October 3, 2014

One pie but separate, eh? He DOES like to challenge you! Perhaps he's been inspired by some of those crazy cooking shows!

CarlaCooks October 3, 2014

Sorry all, I should have been more clear above: I am not planning on baking the custard and/or curd. I will make them separately, bake just the crust, then try to create a pie that is half banana cream and half lemon meringue: banana on one side and lemon on the other. The real question is how well the two separate parts will remain separated. Worst comes to worse, I'll just have a tangy, banana-y pie with half meringue on top and half whipped cream!

cookbookchick October 3, 2014

I like Patricia's idea. Because if you're completely separating the two, you might as well make two pies. Of course I don't know exactly what your husband has in mind, but it seems to me he wants the two flavor so combined in each bite.

cookbookchick October 3, 2014

* flavors -- not flavor so. Aack!!! Where is that edit button we all long for, Food52??

CarlaCooks October 3, 2014

I would LOVE to make two separate pies, but the husband has specifically stated that he wants both of them as one pie. Ah, husbands...

ChefJune October 3, 2014

Well, you shouldn't be baking either pie, other than the crust. Both lemon meringue and banana cream are made with cooked custards that are then chilled.
You will be able to keep them separate if you chill them well before you put them into your previously baked crust. and Yes, you should be fine browning your meringue with a blowtorch.

aargersi October 3, 2014

Or maybe separate the two custard layers with the sliced bananas? And also, his requests are hilarious! Does he spend the rest of the year plotting ways to torture you?

CarlaCooks October 5, 2014

I'm pretty sure he does!

Patricia October 3, 2014

Since neither filling is baked with the crust, would you consider putting the lemon curd on the bottom since it is likely heavier than the banana cream. If the layers were: sliced bananas, curd, cream, meringue, it would alternate the flavour a of two pies in an interesting way. Good luck!

Nancy October 3, 2014

CarlaCooks - ok... Sounds like best to add both banana cream & lemon curd to blind baked crust, add meringue & you're done.

Nancy October 3, 2014

I would not bake the two custards together. Fear uneven or unexpected results. suggest bake the 1/2 batch banana cream in crust, make and chill lemon curd separately, then spread on cooled banana pie, add meringue, fire up the grill or blow torch & happy birthday! Please let us know how it worked.

CarlaCooks October 3, 2014

Thanks, Nancy! The recipe I have for banana custard doesn't cook the custard in the pie crust. It's cooked separately and added to a pre-cooked crust. I'm hoping this will work!

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