Banana Coconut Cream Pie

I have been holding this recipe out on you. But I think you deserve to know about it now.

It’s one of my Top 10 Desserts Ever- and trust me when I tell you it’s a long, long, long list that I’ve carefully selected the Top 10 from. It might even make my Top 5, but I need to do some soul-searching on what desserts to include and what ones to bump off the list, and I don’t have time for that right now.

Picture this masterpiece of a pie… a coconut crust covered with a layer banana slices, then covered with a layer of rich coconut-vanilla cream, then topped with a thick layer of lightly sweetened whipped cream. Oh, and toasted coconut sprinkled overtop for good measure as a garnish. Take deep breaths.

“Could there be a better dessert, ever?” asked The Husband after he blew out the birthday candles on his massive wedge of a slice and took his first bite. (Yes, I made Banana Coconut Cream Pie for him as his birthday dessert. Who says it has to be cake on a birthday?) I must say- his compliment threw me aback.
“But what about lemon bars?” I asked, mouth agape. “I always thought lemon was your favorite dessert?” (See Lemon Curd if you, too, like the pleasures of lemon desserty-goodness).
He nodded in agreement that I wasn’t insane, that he did like lemon. “Yeah, but this is better.”
I apologized for not making it for him for at least the last 18 months. What a horrible baking blogger I’ve been- holding this recipe out on you, my loyal reader, and holding out on The Husband’s apparent favorite dessert ever.

So there you have it- a new winner. I’ll be making a bit more of this pie, and I wholeheartedly think you need to make it to realize it’s your new favorite, too.

Adapted from Better Homes and Garden’s recipe… this recipe is gluten-free!

COCONUT CRUST:

1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut (Angel Flake, ideally)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

FILLING:

2 1/2 cups half-and-half cream (or light cream, or milk)

1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cornstarch

4 egg yolks

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 – 3 bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch thick coins

WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING:

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

3 tablespoons shredded coconut, toasted
1. CRUST: Preheat oven to 375°. In a medium bowl, melt butter and mix with coconut. Press into a 9″ pie plate and bake for 8 – 12 minutes, until golden (see photo). Remove from oven and allow to cool.
2. CREAM FILLING: In a medium bowl, combine cream and coconut. Microwave for 1 minute (to bring to room temperature); allow to rest while you prepare for step 3. Strain out coconut with a fine-meshed sieve. Make sure you still have 2 1/2 cups of cream, so add more if necessary.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually add cream, whisking to incorporate. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking almost constantly. Cook until thickened and bubbly, then reduce heat.
4. In a medium bowl, slightly beat egg yolks with a fork. Stir a spoonful of the hot cream filling into the yolks, then stir in another spoonful. Pour about half of the remaining hot cream into the yolks, stirring constantly. Pour all of the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining cream filling, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and cook for 2 more minutes, whisking. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in butter and vanilla into cream mixture.
6. Place sliced bananas over bottom of the coconut crust. Pour cream filling over top and refrigerate until set and cooled.
7. WHIPPED CREAM: In a large bowl, beat heavy whipping cream with sugar until firm and spreadable. Spread evenly over cooled cream filling. Sprinkle toasted coconut over top… slice, and enjoy!
Tips:
- LOVE coconut? Want more of it? Cheers to coconut! Simply stir a cup of coconut into the cream when you add the butter and vanilla… and don’t bother pre-soaking the coconut in like in Step 2 above. You’ll end up with a coconutty-creamy inside filling. Different texture than just cream- but worth it.
- Hate bananas? Well, it’s kind of odd that you’re even reading this recipe if that’s the case… but oh well. Skip them! Coconut cream pie is wicked on it’s own.
- Why all the fuss with the yolks? Yeah, I know. You need to gradually increase the temperature of the yolks so they don’t scramble- like they would if you heated them up right away by adding them to the hot cream. “Tempering” is the word, in case you care.
- Toasting the coconut for the garnish is easy… put it in a non-stick pan and heat over medium, stirring often, until golden. (Or place on a baking sheet in your hot oven for a few minutes, when the pie crust is baking.)
- Be careful not to over whip the cream. I might have done this here, and had to start over. Sigh.
- Storage is a bitch, because of the cream top. Try not to cover with plastic or foil directly. You could always put toothpicks in the cream then drape plastic wrap over that- but it’s risky. Eat the pie within a day.
- Enjoy!!!
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June 1st, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: Bananas, Coconut, Gluten-Free, Pies