Banana Pineapple Cream Pies

Late July. Hartford humid. The family rhythms steady. The food bank steady. Cocina week six pasteles condensed format. Walter loved pasteles. Fatima had family pasteles tradition and was effectively a TA in week six.

Mami declining slightly. Sleeping more. Eating less. The pattern continued.

Wednesday I sat with her four hours. She was lucid for two of them. She told me about Papi — Miguel, my father — and his death in 2010. She had been reflective about him in the last year. She said, "Carmen, your father was a good man who drank too much. Both true. He loved us. He failed us. He died at sixty-eight. Sixteen years ago." I said, "Mami, yes." She said, "Carmen, I will see him soon." I said, "Mami." She said, "Carmen, do not be sad about Papi seeing me. He has been waiting." I held her hand. I did not cry. I had cried so much in the past year that I had developed a regulation. The crying came at scheduled times now.

Sunday dinner: family. Lucas's seventh birthday is November. He was already planning the menu. He wanted pernil and tostones. He had asked me to teach him to make tostones from scratch in August. I said yes. Wepa.

Lucas is already planning his November birthday menu — pernil, tostones, the whole spread — and something about that kind of joyful, forward-looking hunger makes me want to meet it with sweetness. Mami was sleeping more that week, eating less, and the hours I spent holding her hand called for something light and hopeful at the table come Sunday. These Banana Pineapple Cream Pies are exactly that: tropical, simple, no oven required, and the kind of thing a seven-year-old could help assemble while learning that cooking is how we show love.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes (includes chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 pre-made graham cracker pie crusts (6-inch), or 1 standard 9-inch graham cracker crust
8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, well drained
2 ripe bananas, thinly sliced
2 cups whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Maraschino cherries or toasted coconut flakes, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Drain the pineapple. Press the crushed pineapple firmly in a fine mesh strainer or between paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. Excess moisture will make the filling runny, so take your time here.
Beat the cream cheese base. In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed to beat the softened cream cheese until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat again until fluffy and well combined.
Fold in the fruit. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the drained crushed pineapple into the cream cheese mixture until evenly distributed. Then fold in the whipped topping in two additions, being careful not to deflate it.
Prep the bananas. Toss the banana slices in the lemon juice to prevent browning. Arrange a single layer of banana slices across the bottom of each pie crust.
Fill the crusts. Spoon the pineapple cream filling evenly over the banana layer, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula.
Chill until set. Cover each pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. The filling will firm up as it chills.
Garnish and serve. Before serving, top with additional whipped topping, a few fresh banana slices, and maraschino cherries or toasted coconut if desired. Slice and serve cold.

Nutrition (per serving)

Banana Pineapple Cream Pies — Sweet Plans Made on a Sunday