Pie Recipes #73 - Banana Cream Pie with Toasted Coconut Topping

1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk
2 egg yolks or 1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas
1 baked pie shell, 9-inch
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped, sweetened with a little sugar if desired

PREPARATION:
Mix sugar with flour and salt in top of a double boiler. Gradually stir in milk; continue cooking, stirring constantly, over boiling water until thickened. Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To the beaten egg add a small amount of the milk mixture while stirring vigorously; return egg mixture to the milk mixture in the double boiler and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 more minutes over hot water (not boiling). Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla then cool. Slice 2 bananas into the baked pie shell. Pour cooked mixture over bananas all at once. Chill for 1 hour or more. Put coconut in a shallow pan and toast by baking at 350 for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Coconut should be lightly browned. Cool coconut and set aside. Just before serving, spread pie with whipped cream and thinly slice remaining banana. Sprinkle toasted coconut evenly over the top of the pie and arrange banana slices around the pie's outer edge.