Hawaiian Dream Cream Pie

I've had this recipe on hold for a week like this one, when I didn't take the time to bake a pie.  I made bunny cakes for the extended family Easter gathering but neglected to take any pictures.  Maybe next year I'll post how to make these cute Easter cakes.  For now I'll share the recipe I made up for the pie we named "Hawaiian Dream Cream Pie".

My son Trevor is a stage technician, and has enjoyed working at the Sundance Film Festival.  Before he left for a couple of weeks of rubbing elbows with celebrities in January, he brought his wife over for some pie.  It was another of those pie occasions when I scoped out the fridge and pantry to see what I had to work with before deciding what kind of pie to make (I think the "Dream" part came into the name because the paradise of Hawaii really did feel like a dream during the cold and dark of January).  I ended up inventing this one and Trevor and Christi rated it highly, so here's the recipe:

Hawaiian Dream Cream Pie

Baked pastry for one crust pie (9 or 10 inch)
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla (Mexican preferred)
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 - 2 bananas
8 oz can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup sweetened whipped cream
maraschino cherries (optional)

• Beat the egg yolks with a fork in a medium sized bowl and set aside.  Mix together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan then gradually stir in the milk.  Cook on medium, stirring constantly, until it boils.  Boil and stir for one minute.
• Stir half the milk mixture gradually into the egg yolks, then stir it all back into the hot mixture in the pan. Boil and stir one minute, then remove from heat.  Stir in the butter, vanilla and coconut.  Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the mixture and let cool.
• Slice the banana into the bottom of the pie shell, then pour the pudding mixture over the top.
• Refrigerate the pie, with plastic wrap covering it (to avoid forming a "skin") until set.
• Carefully spread pineapple over the top of the pie, then cover with whipped cream.
• Let chill until completely set (several hours is best).
• Garnish with cherries if desired.