Bananas Foster Pie

February. The month that tests your patience with winter and rewards it with the first suggestion that the whole thing isn't permanent. By the first week of February I'm already watching for signs: the length of the afternoon, the angle of the sun off the snow, the way the horses stand in the south-facing corner of the pasture where the ground is starting to warm. I read the season the way you read a person — not by what they're saying but by where they've put their weight.

Tom came over for Sunday dinner and brought the first chapter of the third book. It was eleven pages, handwritten, which surprised me — I didn't know he still wrote by hand. He said he always writes the first draft by hand for a new project, and types it when he knows it's right. The chapter was about the first mule he ever failed to shoe: a mare named Ruby who would not allow it, who defended herself with such intelligence and calm persistence that he finally just set her foot down and gave her a carrot and went home. The chapter was about what you learn from what you can't force, which is apparently what the third book is going to be about. I told him it was good. He said "just good?" I said "very good." He seemed satisfied.

The galley proofs arrive next week. Sarah emailed to prepare me: the galley is the book as it will look when printed, and I'll have one pass to catch remaining errors before it goes to press. She said most authors find the first galley read emotional. I'm choosing to be prepared for that rather than surprised by it.

Patrick's PT Donna has been doing home visits since January, which Patrick pretends to accept grudgingly but which I'm fairly certain he enjoys. She's straightforward and funny and treats him as someone who is managing a condition rather than someone who is being managed by one. He does his exercises. On Wednesday he showed me that he can button his shirt all the way to the top without difficulty — a thing the adjusted medication and the PT have restored to him. He showed me the way he'd show me something he fixed in the barn: with quiet pride and no drama.

Chicken pot pie this week, with the deep winter pie crust that uses lard and stays flaky even when it cools. February deserves a pot pie. Patrick had the corner piece.

The pot pie was the whole meal, and nobody needed anything else — but Tom stayed for dessert and I’d had the bananas sitting on the counter all week, past their yellow peak and just into the soft sweetness that means they’re ready for something. Bananas Foster Pie is what happens when you want dessert to feel as unhurried as the rest of the day: warm butter, brown sugar, a little rum, and fruit that’s had time to become what it was going to be. Patrick had a second slice. That told me everything I needed to know about how the evening went.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 pre-baked 9-inch pie shell (homemade or store-bought)
4 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum (or 1 teaspoon rum extract plus 3 tablespoons water)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Set your pre-baked pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
Make the Bananas Foster base. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble, about 3 minutes.
Add the rum and bananas. Carefully pour in the rum (it may sputter) and stir to combine. Add the banana slices and cook gently, turning once, until the bananas are just softened and well coated, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
Make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and heavy cream until smooth. Slowly pour the cooled banana mixture into the egg mixture, stirring constantly so the eggs don’t scramble. The filling should be thick and fragrant.
Fill and bake. Pour the filling evenly into the pre-baked pie shell. Bake on the center rack for 30–35 minutes, until the filling is just set at the edges but has a slight wobble in the center. It will firm up as it cools.
Cool before slicing. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature with a generous spoonful of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Nutrition (per serving)

Bananas Foster Pie — The Sweet End to a February Sunday