Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream Pie

The amazing Spike of Spike Bakes chose this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie (she has the recipe for you here). In continuing the trend of insanity that I was struck with for last week's bread pudding (for which I made brioche), I made Dorie's chocolate ganache ice cream instead of buying ice cream. It's the very best chocolate ice cream, period. If I brought some inferior store-bought chocolate ice cream into this house, M. would go on strike and I'd have to carry the garbage out myself. No siree. Not on my watch.

I came *this close* (gesturing, fingers almost together) to adding bananas. I bought them. I thought about them. I monitored their ripeness with the pie in mind.

Then, I read the part of the recipe where Dorie instructs us to puree the bananas in the food processor before adding the chocolate ice cream. I heard brakes screeching, train whistles, sirens and all manner of DANGER! STOP! DON'T DO IT! warnings. I put down the bananas, took a deep breath, and went on without them. Paired with Dorie's chocolate ganache ice cream, this pie didn't need bananas competing with its sublime flavor.

This pie has an interesting crust that was fun to make. You saute coconut in melted butter until browned and then add crushed shortbread cookies. It made a delicious pie crust. I pressed it in a buttered pie plate and froze it while we went to San Francisco for a fun midweek play day.

When we came home, relaxed but exhausted, I put the ice cream in the crust while M. jumped on a conference call. And then we each had a slice for dinner. I quizzed M. relentlessly: Do you think it would have been good with the pureed bananas (wish I had a photo of the "Are you kidding me" look he gave me). Do you think the chocolate ice cream dominates the crust ("Isn't that the point of a filling?"). What do you think of it with the pecans? ("Really good.") How could it be better? ("It can't. It's perfect.")

With that, I sat back and savored every bite, in complete agreement with his assessment. He is a great, appreciative audience for my baking, but he's also a very thoughtful and helpful taster.

I hope you have someone special to share this with, someone who appreciates everything you do but gives you feedback in a positive, supportive way. That, my friends, is even sweeter than pie.