Banana Cream Pie

This is Grandma Leu's filling recipe, and I have yet to find a better one. I like to use a novelty crust, below, rather than a plain crust. The whole thing is just plain yummy!

1-1/4  cup  flour
1/2  cup  chopped pecans or coconut
1/4  cup  brown sugar
1/2  cup  butter or margarine

Mix together until everything is moist. Form into a ball and pat into a pie pan. Prick with a fork and bake @400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool before filling.

Filling:
3  cups WHOLE milk, scalded
1-1/8  cups  sugar
3/4  cup  (scant)  flour
4  eggs, separated
3  Tbs  butter
1-1/4  tsp  vanilla
1/4  tsp  salt
2 - 3  bananas, sliced

Mix flour, sugar, and salt; add scalded milk to make a paste. Put paste into pan of milk. Cook until it starts to thicken, stirring constantly.

With a fork, beat egg yolks (reserve whites). Add 1/2 cup thickened pudding to yolks and stir quickly. Pour this back into pan of hot pudding. Stir quickly. Continue stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla. Stir and cool slightly.

Before it is completely cool, pour into baked and cooled pie crust. Add sliced bananas and cover with pudding.

Meringue:
4  egg whites, room temperature
1/4  tsp  cream of tartar, optional
3/4  cup  sugar

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, until stiff and peaks form. Slowly beat in sugar. Spread over pie, sealing up to the edges of the crust. Sprinkle with a little sugar.  Bake @350 degrees until lightly golden, about  8-12 minutes.