Banana Coconut Cream Pie

 This pie is like a beautiful combination of banana cream pie and coconut cream pie. So you don't have to ever choose between them. So you can have it all. So life is perfect. Because of this pie.

 This pie was a HUGE hit in my house. There was barely any of it left for me to photograph in the morning!

If you have tried my coconut cream pie, you know it's a slice of heaven. It's even been claimed as my father's favorite pie. However...this banana coconut cream pie is an improved version of that pie. Dad says it was even better than his old favorite. Dad says, so it's fact.

It's a sweet coconutty combination that makes choosing between two wonderful pies a little easier. Making decisions can be simple with this pie on a pretty plate with a cup of coffee.

Banana Coconut Cream Pie

from: Joy the Baker Cookbook

Ingredients  

Crust
¼ cup toasted shredded coconut  
1½ cups vanilla wafers or graham crackers
¼ cup granulated sugar 
1/3cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Filling
1½ cups heavy cream
1½ cups milk
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1¼ cups toasted shredded coconut
2 ripe bananas, sliced

Topping

1½ cups heavy cream 

¼ cup powdered sugar 
½ cup toasted shredded coconut
1 ripe banana, sliced

Directions

Place rack in center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. To toast the coconut; spread 3 cups coconut on a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss coconut with a spoon to ensure that the edges of the coconut don't burn. Cook coconut for another 3 minutes, then remove from the oven to toss. Repeat until coconut is evenly toasted. Remove from oven and let cool, keep oven on.

Crust
Crush vanilla wafers or graham crackers in a zip-lock bag with a rolling pin (I gave them a quick whirl in my food processor instead). In a medium bowl, mix together the crushed cookies, sugar, toasted coconut. Pour the melted butter over the dry mixture and toss with a fork, making sure to evenly moisten all the dry ingredients. Pour mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and use your fingers to press the crust into the plate and up the sides. Bake for 12 minutes, or until slightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before filling.

To make the filling; in a medium saucepan, whisk together cream and milk over medium heat and bring to a simmer. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt and egg yolks. In a steady stream, add a cup of the warmed milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. This will help warm the egg mixture and ready it for stovetop cooking.

Pour the warmed egg and milk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly. The mixture will thicken and boil. You may also want to use a spatula to scrape the edges of the pan as the mixture thickens so none gets stuck and burned. Whisk until bubbly and very thick, watch it closely and when you stop stirring for a few seconds the mixture should make large popping bubbles that break the surface, it will be about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add a vanilla and butter, and whisk until butter is melted.

Pour thickened milk mixture into a large mesh strainer fit over a bowl. Use a spatula to pass the mixture through the strainer, removing any nasty lumps. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and place in the fridge to cool completely, about 2 hours.

Once the custard is cool, remove from the fridge and fold in toasted coconut and banana slices. Pour the custard into the cooled pie crust and prepare the topping.

To make the topping; use the bowl of an electric stand mixer fit with whisk attachment. Whip cream and powdered sugar to stiff but slightly soft peaks. Dollop whipped cream on top of the pie, using a butter knife to make it pretty. Top with the coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with fresh banana just before pie is served (Bananas get brown if exposed to air too long). This pie is best eaten within 2 days.