KAWAIHAE PIE aka Sex In A Pan

Happy Birthday Courtney!! 

Both of my boy-men, 30-something kids, always request this childhood favorite for their birthday 'cake'. Way back when, this scrumptious, banana-cream-pie-ish, layered dessert, slightly hinting of cheesecake was a family stand-by, called Sex In A Pan. 

Then a few years ago, whilst living the Hawaiian dream, up Kaloko mauka, where bananas grew in our yard, just up the hill from Kona village, I had my way with this sweet goodie, toying with the ingredients just enough to end up with today's version, now dubbed Kawaihae Pie. Ono!  And even with all those layers it's pretty darn easy peasy to make too.  Don't shy away from the more than usual 'packaged' ingredients used here. Those packages do exactly what they're supposed to do to make this dessert yummy. EAT PIE!

MY HAWAIIAN KITCHEN
Delectable memoirs of living on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai, high above the famed Kona Coast on the beguiling Big Island of Hawaii.

Dear Journal – Kawaihae is this out-of-the-way, if-you-blink-you’ll-miss-it town up Kohala way where we sometimes stop for lunch on our way to the North Shore.  It seems to feel warmer there to me than here in Kona, and sunnier.  You’ll sometimes hear talk of the changing winds of Kawaihae.  The Mumuku (wind from the uplands) and the Naulu (wind from the sea).  There’s not a lot of reef around the Big Island, but in the waters off Kawaihae you’ll find reef.  Maybe that partly accounts for Kawaihae being such a prolific fishing village in the old days.  There’s a popular harbour there  where the first ships to bring horses and cattle to the Big Island docked and just offshore is where Kevin Costner’s movie Waterworld was filmed.  All around Kawaihae there’s ancient Hawaiian heiaus (temples) and other wonderful historic sites.  It seems to me that Kawaihae is on the edge of things.  On the edge of old and new, of revered history and a little spring of new commerce, of unexpected findings and strange weather, of roads that go both ways.  It seems that if you come across Kawaihae, you’ve come across more of a rest-stop than meets the eye.  To me, it has this strange, unexplainable feeling, like you’ve stepped off to some ‘other place’.  It’s good, but somehow unworldly.  Kawaihae was on my mind when I made last night’s dessert for company.  Maybe that explains why I piled up the layers with flavors and textures hidden inside of each other. 

KAWAIHAE PIE aka Sex In A Pan - 12 -14 servings

Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham crumbs
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:
3 bananas, sliced thin
1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 - 500ml (16 ounce) container Cool Whip
2 3/4 cups milk
1 - 113g (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding
1 - 113g (3.9 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Garnish:
Banana slices tossed with a bit of lemon juice (to keep from browning) or shaved milk chocolate or chopped chocolate covered macadamia nuts, or any combination of.

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.  Mix graham crumbs, 1 heaping tablespoon sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan.  Bake 10 minutes.  Cool completely.

Layer banana slices over cooled crust.  Beat together cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth.  Stir Cool Whip into beaten mixture until creamy smooth.  Spread over banana slices.  Chill in fridge while making next layer.  Combine milk and both pudding mixes in bowl and whisk for 2-3 minutes.  Let set for 3-4 minutes.  Spoon over cream cheese layer.  Chill in fridge while making top layer.

Whip cream with 3 tablespoons sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.  Carefully spread sweetened whipped cream over pudding layer.  Refrigerate 12-24 hours.  (I always make this dessert the day ahead)  Remove outer ring of pan.  Garnish with bananas, shaved chocolate or chopped chocolate covered macadamia nuts and serve.  Let's kaukau!