The Last Slice of Coconut Cream Pie (and the Banana Bread I Still Bake)
In downtown McKinney, Texas, near the courthouse, sat The Pantry—a decades-long staple in the community. This popular café offered all the best comfort foods… chicken pot pie, meatloaf, quiche, sweet breads, and pies. I can’t forget the pies.
The last time I dined at The Pantry was in August 2021. My younger brother and I had returned to our hometown to spread some of Rich’s—my big brother’s—ashes in the creek behind the home we grew up in. On the morning of our last day there, we decided to grab coffee at the café. As we waited in line to order, we agreed we should share a piece of pie.
When it was our turn, the cashier apologized—there was only one slice of pie left and it was coconut cream.
We both froze for a second, unable to exhale or take another breath. Coconut cream pie was Rich’s favorite. A lump formed in my throat. We both nodded. Of course we would take the last slice of coconut cream.
The café has since closed after years of feeding locals and visitors. I’m grateful to have one of the coveted cookbooks, now stained with drops of butter, milk, and flour… and filled with notes from years of baking. The buttermilk pie, chocolate chip pie, and banana bread have become go-to recipes—ones I now have memorized after 30 years of baking them on repeat.
Some recipes become more than something you bake—they become a way to hold on to a memory.
This banana bread recipe is versatile and easy to make. You can bake it as loaves or muffins. Chocolate chips, pecans, butterscotch chips, or cinnamon can all be added for extra flavor. We love them as chocolate chip muffins, topped with cream cheese frosting. (Pictured below).
