Heat The Milk To Steaming. At least 8 hours in advance (if you can), steep the bananas in milk. Heat the milk in a saucepan until it's steaming (don't boil or simmer, just heat until steaming).

Cover The Bananas. Add sliced ripe bananas to a heat-proof bowl or container and pour the steaming milk over the bananas.

Steep 8-24 Hours. Cover and chill in the fridge at LEAST 8 hours to steep. The longer you steep, the stronger the banana flavor. I recommend 12-24 hours when possible. If you steep less than 8 hours, the banana flavor will be weaker.

Strain. When you're ready to make your banana cream pie filling, place a fine mesh sieve over a liquid measuring cup and strain the bananas out of the milk. Discard the bananas, saving as much of the milk as possible. (The bananas will be soaked, so they are unsuitable for the pie.)

Preheat The Oven & Prep The Pie Pan. Set out an 9-inch pie pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Crush & Measure The Graham Crackers. In a food processor (or a gallon-size zip-top bag with a rolling pin or sturdy cup), crush the graham crackers until no large chunks remain. Measure the crumbs and add them to a large bowl.

Combine Crumbs With Sugar & Butter. Add sugar and melted butter to the graham cracker crumbs and use a fork to lightly combine, until the crumbs are well coated with the melted butter and sugar.

Transfer To Pie Pan. Pour the graham cracker crust mixture into your pie pan and use your fingers or the back of a measuring cup (my favorite) to gently pat the crumbs outward and up the sides of the pan. (Try not to pack them down too tightly, or it can be difficult to slice later.)

Bake & Cool. Place the pie crust in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the crust begins to turn golden. Let the crust cool to room temperature before adding the pie filling. (This goes faster if you place the pie pan on a wire rack.) Make sure to cool the crust to ensure a light, crisp texture. 

Combine Milk, Cream & Egg Yolks. Add strained banana milk to a large liquid measuring cup, then add about 1/4 cup cream, making sure you have at least 1 3/4 cups liquid. (Sometimes the bananas absorb more or less milk.)

Combine Sugar, Cornstarch & Salt. Add sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a medium saucepan and whisk until well combined.

Add The Custard Mixture. Pour the milk/cream mixture into the saucepan with the sugar and cornstarch. Add egg yolks and whisk until this mixture is completely smooth before you turn on the heat. (You can even use an immersion blender so it's perfectly smooth) Whisking constantly, stir the custard over medium or medium-low heat 8-10 minutes, or until it thickens significantly. You should easily see the trail your whisk is making and the pudding should be very thick at this point. If you don't cook it enough here, it will not set up firmly in the fridge. You want the custard to move more like jello and not like liquid.

Stir In Vanilla. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vanilla or vanilla bean paste. Whisk until totally smooth. (If you notice any lumps at this point, you can strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.)

Cool Filling & Add To Crust. Press plastic wrap or food wrap into the surface of the pudding and set the pan aside to cool to room temperature (20-30 minutes). You can speed this up by popping the pan into the fridge to cool down. When the pudding has reached room temperature, pour into the baked, cooled crust and smooth the surface.**

Cover & Chill. Re-cover the surface of the pudding (you can re-use the same plastic wrap) to avoid a "skin" forming on top, then chill the pie at least 4 hours to set. Top with whipped cream & your favorite garnishes!