The Best Banana Pie for My Mom: Pay de Yelapa

Like a banana cream pie, but from paradise

Paola’s Banana Custard Pie with Caramelized Sugar for Milk Street Kitchen

What’s better than relaxing to the sounds of the sapphire-blue waves on a secluded beach only reachable by boat? How about eating a freshly baked banana pie while sunbathing?

Yelapa is that beach where this literal dream exists.

A tiny beach community known for its tropical pies in Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, about 45 minutes away from Puerto Vallarta via water taxi. I grew up going to Yelapa on Sundays with my familia, and if I think about Yelapa a little too much, I get teary.

Los pays (the proper spelling for pies in Mexico) de Yelapa are legendary. I can still see the joy on my mom’s face while biting into a warm slice of Yelapa pie. I know very few people in my life that are as brave, kind, and cutthroat as my mom.

When I was six years old, I confessed that I had stolen a piece of bubblegum from a tiendita, and instead of telling me “not to do it again,” she took me back to the store the next day to confess to the owner, pay them back, and ask for forgiveness.

She used to make me the biggest Minnie-like moños (hair bows) for my hair in a different color for every day of the school week. I’d show up to school with a moño as big as my head, but even bigger school lunches: ceviche molido, dainty burritos de machaca, enchiladas, and the biggest thermo of icy agua fresca.

She took me to McDonald’s when it first opened in Vallarta and asked the manager if they could give us a tour of the “kitchen” to show me that there was no real food at that “restaurant.” When I was 16 years old, I wanted to get a degree in industrial design from one of the most expensive private universities in Mexico (ugh). So what did she do? She took me to City Hall to ask the mayor of Puerto Vallarta to help me secure a scholarship. We waited outside of his office for weeks until they gave us an appointment to see him and then she told me to state my case and ask him for a scholarship. I did. I got it and it changed the trajectory of my life.

But my relationship with my mom is complicated because we’re basically the same person. It’s almost as if she lives vicariously through me in the most demanding and loving ways. Especially when she tells me that I’m a better cook than she is: “superaste a la maestra.” In a way, I’m still trying to make her proud of that little girl from 1987.

The sturdy crust in a Yelapa pie is salted and shortbread-like because the pie has always meant to be eaten while dipping your toes into the ocean with no utensils around. The way the caramelized bananas shatter in your mouth against the creamy vanilla custard is just like Nena and me.

This recipe is for anyone with complicated feelings or a complicated relationship with their mother. I see you. I hope that this mixtape that I made for you helps you find peace today.

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The Best Banana Pie for My Mom: Pay de Yelapa

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

195 grams (1½ cups) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt, divided
57 grams (4 tablespoons) salted butter, cut into pieces
57 grams (¼ cup) vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1 pound ripe but firm bananas
2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup whole milk
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
40 grams (3 tablespoons) granulated sugar (optional, for caramelizing the top)

Step 1

Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle position. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Make a well in the center; set aside.

Step 2

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, shortening, and ¼ cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, stirring to melt the solids. As soon as they’re melted and the mixture is simmering, pour it into the well of the dry ingredients. Working quickly, stir with a silicone spatula until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened and without any dry patches; the dough will be very soft and wet. Turn it out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and, using your hands, form it into a 6- to 8-inch disk.

Step 3

Cover the dough disk with another large sheet of plastic wrap and roll it into a 12-inch round of even thickness. Peel off the top sheet of plastic. Using the bottom sheet of plastic, carefully flip the round into a 9-inch pie plate, centering it as best you can. Ease the dough, still on the plastic, into the corners and up the sides of the pie plate. Carefully peel off the plastic. If needed, patch any tears in the dough. Trim the excess dough and flute or crimp the edge. Carefully line the dough with a large sheet of foil, gently pressing it into the corners and up the sides, then fill with about 2 cups of pie weights or dried beans.

Step 4

Bake until the dough is set, 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the foil with weights, then prick the pie shell all over with a fork to deflate any air bubbles and prevent additional ones from forming. Bake until the shell is lightly browned, another 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool until barely warm to the touch. Reduce the oven to 325°F.

Step 5

Peel the bananas and slice them into ¼-inch rounds. Lay as many slices in the pie shell as will fit in a single, tightly packed layer, then set the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Add the remaining banana slices to a blender, along with the whole eggs plus yolk, milk, condensed milk, vanilla, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth, 15 to 30 seconds.

Step 6

Pour the mixture into the pie shell, taking care not to overfill it (some of the banana slices will rise to the surface); the pie shell may not hold all of the filling, depending on how much it shrank during prebaking. Carefully transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the filling is puffed and lightly browned at the edges and the filling jiggles only slightly when the pie plate is gently shaken, 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Step 7

If caramelizing the top, sprinkle the sugar evenly onto the cooled pie. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar until spotty brown. Serve within an hour, before the sugar crust softens. 

Tip: If making the pie ahead, caramelize the sugar right before serving, as refrigeration will soften the sugar crust.