Banana-Coconut Cream Pie with Buttermilk Crust

Steps

• 1

  In large bowl, beat all-purpose and cake flours, powdered sugar and salt with wire whisk. Cut 1/4 cup butter and the shortening into dry ingredients using pastry cutter or your fingertips until mixture looks like tiny pebbles. Not all butter and shortening pieces have to be same size.
• 2

  Sprinkle buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, over dry ingredients and mix until all flour is moistened and dough almost leaves side of bowl. Continue to stir until dough comes together. Knead a few times with your hands just to bring it together. Pat dough into a round and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour.
• 3

  Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 375°F.
• 4

  Spread coconut evenly on ungreased cookie sheet. Toast coconut in oven 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Pour coconut on plate to cool completely.
• 5

  Place chilled dough on lightly floured surface. Roll dough into large circle about 1/8 inch thick and 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch pie plate. Place dough in 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim off any excess dough, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Flute edge of crust. Line dough with piece of buttered foil, buttered side down. Shape foil so all crust is covered with foil. (Foil keeps crust from overbrowning.)
• 6

  Bake crust 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer or until dough is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature.
• 7

  In 3-quart saucepan, heat 1/2 cup of the toasted coconut, the half-and-half, milk, cream of coconut and granulated sugar to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally (do not boil or mixture may curdle).
• 8

  Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat egg yolks and cornstarch with wire whisk. When milk mixture simmers, use ladle to scoop 1 cup into yolk mixture, beating constantly with wire whisk. Repeat with another cup of milk mixture. Pour egg yolk mixture into simmering cream. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly with rubber spatula, until mixture simmers and thickens. Once thickened, cook 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly.
• 9

  Remove custard from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons butter and the vanilla. Cool 10 minutes. Pour half of the custard into cooled pie crust. Sprinkle bananas over custard and top with remaining custard. Smooth top of custard and cover directly with plastic wrap to prevent a tough layer from forming. Refrigerate until filling is cold, at least 2 hours but no more than 24 hours. Before serving, sprinkle with remaining toasted coconut. Store covered in refrigerator.