State Fair Winning Recipe: Dream Cream Pie

We're continuing our segment featuring some State Fair champions. Sunday's guest won the Pillsbury Pie competition last week, and she's here to share some delicious secrets.

Karen Quartuccio of Norman took home the top prize with her Dream Cream Pie.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 Pillsbury Pet-Ritz Deep Dish Frozen Pie Crust

Filling:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup ice cold water (no ice)

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding or pie filling

1 cup flaked coconut plus 2 tablespoons toasted

3/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained well

1 1/2 cups whipped topping, plus more for topping pie

2 medium bananas, thinly sliced

Juice of 2 lemons

1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

For the Crust: Bake the Pillsbury Pet-Ritz deep dish frozen pie crust per package directions. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork so that the air and steam will release and the crust will not rise in the center while baking. Usually baking takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Allow the crust to cool while you make the pie filling.

For the Filling: Combine sweetened condensed milk and ice-cold water in an electric mixer bowl. Add the pudding (or pie filling) powder mix. Then add the coconut flakes. Drain the crushed pineapple very well, so there is no moisture in the pineapple pieces. Add to mixing bowl and combine until smooth. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in whipped topping by hand, stirring until everything is blended and is a light yellow color, not marbled. In a small bowl, dip sliced bananas in lemon juice to keep them from browning. Lay them in the bottom of the cooled, browned pie shell. Sprinkle some pecans around the bananas. Pour the pudding mixture into the pie crust and over the bananas. Smooth out the top with a knife. Gently top the pie filling with the remaining whipped topping and allow the pie to chill for 4 hours in the refrigerator before serving. It needs to get firm. Toast 2 tablespoons of coconut. Sprinkle the top with more chopped pecans and toasted coconut flakes.