Happy Pi Day and the Best Cookbook Ever!

So I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I have the best sister in the world. For Pi Day (today--3.14 for all you nerds out there), she sent me the Pie Pie Pie: Easy Homemade Favorites cookbook. This is my first cookbook devoted solely to pie, and it is quite wonderful. It outlines the necessary tools for pie-making, the most common ingredients, and has lots of recipes broken into the pie categories: fruit pies, cream pies, custard pies, chiffon pies, and (of course) candy/special celebration pies. Plus it has beautiful pictures and multiple recipes for crust--all of which I will be trying. So thanks to my sister! You are awesome!

It was quite a challenge deciding on a pie to make today to celebrate Pi Day. I finally landed on Butter Brickle Banana Cream Pie, which I will copy here:

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Butter Brickle
1/2 C sugar
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds

Filling
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 C milk
3 egg yolks
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large, ripe bananas

Make the crust as usual.

To make butter brickle, combine sugar, almonds, and butter in a large skilled. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring almost constantly, until the bubbling mixture turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Pour onto a sheet of aluminum foil and let cool completely. Crumble when dry and set aside.

To make the filling, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan. Pour in the milk and whisk until smooth. Place over moderate heat and cook, whisking almost constantly, until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble. Whisk in egg yolks and bring the mixture back to boil, and decrease the heat and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter. Let cool for 20 minutes, stirring a few times.

Spread 1/2 C of the butter brickle in the bottom of pie crust. Peel bananas and slice them and spread over brickle. Then pour filling over that, and then spread 1/2 C of the brickle over that. Spread whipped cream over the pie. Sprinkle with remaining mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve. This pie tastes the best within a couple of hours.
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My pie is in the refrigerator, and I've yet to eat it. But it looks and smells delicious. Speaking of which, The Boyfriend is in the kitchen making me catfish curry for dinner, so I've got to go. We will be celebrating in style! Happy Pi Day!