Ingredients
- 1 gluten-free pie crust (for the folks who need to be gluten-free and dairy free, try this dough. If your guests can eat dairy, replace the “buttery sticks” with butter.)
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups coconut milk
- 4 large egg yolks, beaten
- 2 teaspoons coconut extract
- 4 bananas
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter (if you need this to be dairy free, use non-dairy “buttery sticks”)
- 3 tablespoons dark rum or kahlua
Preparation
Step 1
Baking the pie crust. Once you have your pie dough made, roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper to the size of the pie pan. Place it in the pan, press it in, and fill any holes with the extra dough. Spread a piece of buttered tin foil to fit snugly into the pie crust. Fill it with dried beans or pie weights. (This will prevent the pie crust from puffing up.) Slide the pie crust into a 375° oven and bake it for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it feels set and has started to brown. Take out the beans and set the pie crust aside to cool.
Making the custard. Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt into a saucepan on medium heat. Stir in the coconut milk, gradually, stirring all the while. When the custard has come to a boil, let it remain on the heat for 2 minutes, or until it has begun to thicken to pudding consistency. Remove from the heat.
Tempering the eggs. Stir 1/4 cup of the custard mixture into the egg yolks, stirring continuously until it is all mixed together. Pour the egg mixture back into the remaining custard. Cook on medium heat for 2 more minutes.
Finishing the cream. Remove the custard from the heat. Add the coconut extract. Stir.
Sauteeing the bananas. Melt 1 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet. Add 2 of the bananas. Sauté for a few moments. Add the sugar. Keep flipping and sautéeing. When the sugar starts to caramelize, add the rum. Reduce the rum. It might flame — don’t panic. Stir the pan by hand. When everything looks caramelized and reduced, add the remaining butter and bananas and stir. When the butter is incorporated with the rum, take the skillet off the heat.
Finishing the pie. Pour the banana mixture into the bottom of the pie crust. Cover with the coconut custard. Refrigerate overnight, ideally.
Serve.
Makes 1 9-inch pie.