This recipe has a few steps and so worth it. A flaky and tender crust, heavenly coconut custard, buttery roasted bananas, sweet and savory vanilla cookie crumbs and a slightly sweetened whipped cream to top it off.

One way to assemble Banana Coconut Cream Pie

Another way to assemble a Banana Coconut Cream Pie

1 blind baked Pâte Brisée pie shell (recipe follows)

Custard filling (recipe follows)

Roasted banana slices (recipe follows)

Vanilla wafer crumbs (recipe follows)

Whipping cream (recipe follows)

Pâte Brisée

Ingredients:

1¾ cups (245 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 Tbl granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks/225 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½- to 1-inch pieces

2 large cold egg yolks

3 Tbl whole milk

Directions:

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, and salt on low speed until just combined, 3 to 5 seconds. Add the butter pieces in an even layer, and briefly pulse the mixer (quickly turning the machine on and off) on the lowest speed for 3 to 5 seconds so that the flour begins to stick to the butter and doesn’t splatter. After 3 to 5 seconds, turn the mixer on low speed and leave it running until the dough is about halfway combined, about 30 to 45 seconds. The butter should slightly coat the flour, but there should still be plenty of pecan-size butter chunks. The dough should begin to hold its shape when squeezed together.

In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the egg yolks and milk until blended, about 10 seconds. Add the egg-milk mixture to the flour mixture in the standing mixer. Mix the ingredients on low speed until the dough just barely comes together and looks shaggy, about 30 to 45 seconds.

Dump the dough out onto a clean countertop (not onto the plastic wrap), then gather it together into one cohesive mound. There should be small chunks of butter visible within the dough, and the butter should still be cold. Using your palm, start at one side of the mound and smear the dough bit by bit, beginning at the top and then sliding your palm down the side and along the work surface, pushing the dough into your work surface. This is a technique known in French as fraisage. When finished, you should have no more loose flour, though the dough may still look a little shaggy.

Wrapping and Chilling Your Pâte Brisée (Pie Dough)

Lay the sheet of plastic wrap on a clean work surface. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap it tightly in the plastic wrap, ensuring that it is fully sealed. Turn the ball over and press into a disc that’s about 1-inch thick. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours or ideally overnight.

Wrapped dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen pie dough in the refrigerator for 24 hours before rolling it out and baking it.

Blind-Baking Your Pâte Brisée (Pie Dough)

Heat the oven to 350° and position a rack in the center of the oven.

Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator, and trim any jagged edges from the pie dish using kitchen shears. Leave a bit of overhang to account for shrinkage during baking.

Blind-bake the shell. Line the unbaked pie shell with parchment paper, fill the shell with an even layer of pie weights (such as uncooked rice or beans, small rocks, or pebbles), and bake until the entire shell is light brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Rotate the shell once halfway through baking. You’ll know the shell is done when you lift up one part of the parchment and see that the dough is matte in appearance. (Note: Rice or beans will not be edible after blind-baking, but they can be reused as pie weights in the future.) Let Cool

Pastry cream ingredients:

1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk

1 cup whole milk

½ cup cream

¾ cup sugar, divided

1 tsp vanilla puree

3 large eggs

1 egg yolk

1/3 cup cornstarch

½ tsp salt

2 Tbl butter

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Pastry Cream Directions:

In a medium stockpot, heat coconut milk, milk, ½ cup cream, ¼ cup sugar, and vanilla puree over medium heat just until bubbles form around edges of pot. (Do not boil.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt until combined. Whisk in egg yolks and egg until well combined.

Pour about one-fourth of hot coconut milk mixture into sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Pour sugar mixture into remaining hot coconut milk mixture in pot, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until mixture is thickened and large bubbles begin to break surface in center of pot. Remove from heat, and stir in butter until melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in 1 cup flaked coconut and cool.

Roasted Bananas

Ingredients:

3 medium bananas, peeled

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 Tbl butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°

Slice bananas into ½ inch pieces and toss with the brown sugar and butter.

In a 2 qt baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once, until bananas are browned and cooled.

Vanilla Wafer Crumbs

Makes approx. 2 cups

Ingredients:

110 grams vanilla wafers

100 grams sugar

20 grams milk powder

½ tsp salt

7 Tbl unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven 275 °

Put the vanilla wafers in a Ziplock bag and crush with a meat mallet until you have crumbs.

Pour the vanilla wafer crumbs in a medium bowl. Add the milk powder, sugar and salt and toss to mix. Add the butter and toss to coat. As you toss, the butter will act like glue, binding the dry ingredients to the crumbs and creating small clusters.

Spread the clusters on a parchment lined sheet pan `and bake for 20 minutes, at which point they should look toasted and crunch gently when cooled and chewed.

Cool the crumbs crunch completely before storing.in an air tight container. The crunch will keep fresh for 1 week at room temperature or 1 month in freezer.

Whipping Cream

Ingredients whipped cream layer:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp vanilla puree

¼ cup sweetened coconut flakes

Directions for Whipped Cream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat remaining 1 cup cream, ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla at medium speed until medium peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes.

How to assemble the pie:

Pour about half of custard mixture into a cooled blind-baked pie dough, and spread into an even layer.

Arrange a layer of roasted bananas, follow with 1 cup vanilla wafers crumbs on top of the bananas in a single layer.

Pour remaining pastry filling on top of roasted bananas and vanilla wafer crumbs, and spread into an even layer.

Arrange another layer of the roasted banana slices in an even layer over the custard, and a layer of the remaining vanilla wafers crumbs. Top with whipping cream and sprinkle with ¼ cup flaked coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Banana Coconut Cream Pie