By Addy Bodnaruik

With the New Year approaching rapidly, everyone scrambles to create a list of resolutions that it seems rarely become accomplished. Don’t you hate watching year after year go by without a thing changing? This year try something a little simpler.

Join me and the Sullivan County Dairy Court in eating the right diet, while including three servings of dairy every day and getting 60 minutes of exercise as well. Together we can accomplish those resolutions and feel great while doing them.

A healthy treat doesn’t have to taste bad. Try this pie. It’s my absolute favorite, and it contains two out of the three servings of dairy you need.

Banana Coconut Crème Pie

14 oz sweet shortcrust pastry

1 2/3 cup whole milk

6 egg yolks

1/4 cup soft brown sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 Tbsp. creamed coconut

4 ripe bananas

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

Coconut shavings and demerara sugar to finish (optional)

Heat the oven to 350˚. Line a 9-inch pie dish with the pastry, cover with grease-proof paper, and bake covered for 20 minutes. Take out the grease-proof paper and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the pastry is just dry. Bring the milk to a simmer. Whisk the eggs, sugar and cornstarch together. Whisk in a little milk to temper the eggs, and then whisk in the remainder. Pour back into the cleaned milk pan and cook, stirring over a low heat, until the custard thickens, about
20 minutes. Off the heat, add the vanilla and then whisk in the coconut. Pour into a bowl, cover with tin foil and chill until very cold. Slice the bananas. Put the pie crust on a plate and add a layer of banana followed by some of the coconut pastry cream. Continue layering until you have used up all the pastry cream, piling it up in the center if you need to. Whip the cream and pile this on top—the pie should look quite over the top. Toast the coconut in a dry pan until it browns around the edges and sprinkle it over the pie with the demerara sugar (if wanted).

[Addy Bodnariuk is the Sullivan County Dairy Princess.]