Banana, coconut, sweet potato pie

This is sweet potato pie with a Caribbean twist. I still had one of the monster sweet potatoes (one and a half pounds!) from the Virginia Beach farm and I decided I wanted to make a pie with it. But I also wanted to add something to it to make it more than just a regular sweet potato pie, something that made it more of a summer pie. So I decided to add a layer of banana and coconut. I thought a corn-based grain would go well with the other flavors, and corn flakes would also provide texture. This pie turned out to be quite sweet, but with a natural rather than a sugary sweetness. Also, I make a note to add the optional topping right before serving, otherwise the cereal gets soggy, as I discovered when I ate a day-old piece. This pie is best served chilled and is a great way to get your Thanksgiving pie fix in the middle of summer.

Banana, coconut, sweet potato pie

Crust:
2 T butter, melted
1 T molasses
3 T wheat flour
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup crushed corn flakes (plain)
1 1/2 T shredded coconut flakes (unsweetened)
3 T flax seed meal
pinch of ground clove and just a touch of curry

Mix above ingredients and spread in a oiled pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Layer:
2 medium bananas, thinly sliced
coconut flakes (same kind as used for crust)

After the crust is finished baking, spread banana slices over the crust and sprinkle a thin layer of coconut over the bananas. 

Filling:
1 1/2 lb. sweet potato (boil about 25 min until soft, remove skin and mash with 2 T butter. let cool before adding other ingredients)
4 oz brown sugar
4 oz plain lowfat yogurt
2 oz almond milk (can sub soy or regular milk)
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites, whipped and mixed with 2 oz granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground clove

Mix brown sugar, yogurt, milk, yolks and spices into the mashed sweet potato. Fold in the beaten egg whites and sugar. Pour filling over the banana/coconut layer and bake for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees, or until the middle of the pie is firm.

Optional topping (add right before serving):
Mix together crushed corn flakes, chopped walnuts and some brown sugar and sprinkle over top of pie.

(Recipe and photo by H. Farrell)