Fairs used to be something special. Before big cities and large corporate productions took over, they were grand community events — places for gathering, light‑hearted competition, and the best food anyone could hope to find. During one such fair, my grandmother’s Aunt Vesta entered a competition for the best pie.
She and her close friend had gone not just for fun, but for discovery. They were always searching for new recipes to add to their growing collections. Yes, the competitions offered bragging rights, but they were also opportunities to connect, to learn, and to share. This particular day, however, marked the beginning of a long — and unexpectedly rewarding — journey.
The winner of the pie contest had created a banana cream pie unlike anything anyone had tasted. Curious and always eager to improve, Aunt Vesta asked the baker how it was made, hoping for even a hint of what made it so exceptional. The winner, understandably protective of her recipe, refused.
In my family, though, giving up simply isn’t in our nature. When we face obstacles, we find a way through them. Aunt Vesta had no idea where to begin, but she began anyway. Like a true ADHDer (only one of us has been officially diagnosed, but it’s clearly in our blood), she worked day after day, week after week, determined to recreate that winning pie. She never did figure out the original recipe. What she created instead, however, was something even better.
Aunt Vesta’s quest for the perfect pie reminds me of 2 Corinthians 4:16–18:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (NIV).
She pursued her goal not for recognition, but for the joy of discovering something better than what she had known before. And once she perfected her own recipe, she did what she always did; she shared it. These were recipes she poured her heart and soul into, and she wanted others to experience the same flavors she had — not so she could win a blue ribbon, but so she could pass on something meaningful.
Banana Cream Pie (for a 9 inch pie crust)
Ingredients for crust:
- 5 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon table salt
- 1 lb (2 ⅓ cups) Crisco
- Pie filling
- For pies with a top crust:⅓ cup flour
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions:
Step 1: Sift the 5 cups flour and the table salt into a medium bowl.
Step 2: Using a pastry cutter, cut the Crisco into the flour-salt mixture until the pieces are the size of small peas.
Step 3: For pies with a top crust: In a separate small bowl, create a paste by blending the ⅓ cup flour and the 3 tablespoons water. Add 2 cups of Crisco mixture to the paste. This will be used for the top crust.
Step 4: Evenly roll out Crisco mixture onto a well-floured surface using a rolling pin to desired thickness. Make sure surface can be easily picked up. Place pie pan upside down on rolled out dough. With a hand on the bottom of the pie pan and a hand under the surface, flip everything together so the dough can fall into the pie pan in one piece.
Step 5: Fill with desired pie filling.
Step 6: For pies with a top crust: Evenly roll out paste mixture onto a well-floured surface using a rolling pin to desired thickness. Cut out strips or shapes according to desired design. Place pieces on pie.
Step 7: Bake according to filling instructions. If crust needs to be pre-baked, bake bottom crust for 12 minutes at 425℉ in a tin pan and 400℉ in a glass pan.
Ingredients for filling:
- Baked 9” pie crust
- 2 ½ cups milk
- ⅔ cups white sugar
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2-3 fresh bananas
Instructions:
Step 1: Combine sugar, flour and cornstarch with milk in the top of a double boiler. Cook over boiling water until thickened, stirring constantly. Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
Step 2: Stir a small portion of the hot mixture into beaten egg yolks, then add to double boiler mixture and cook for another 2 minutes over hot, not boiling water, stirring constantly.
Step 3: Remove from heat, add butter, extracts, and salt. Cover and let cool completely overnight in a refrigerator.
Step 4: Once cooled, beat mixture, which should be quite stiff for at least 5 minutes until nice and creamy.
Step 5: In the meantime, whip 1 cup of the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold it gently into the pie mixture. Do not beat!
Step 6: Cut the bananas into 8 sections, then slice thinly. Place bananas in the bottom of the baked pie shell. Pour the pudding mixture over the bananas.
Step 7: Whip remaining 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream to stiff peaks. Layer on top of pie.
Step 8: Return to the refrigerator, and allow to set for several hours before serving.
Brook Danelson is a liberal studies major at La Sierra University who is following God’s lead towards becoming a teacher.