In the photo: a mile-high slice of coconut cream pie, sitting pretty atop a beautiful graham cracker crust. COCONUT CREAM PIE Part 1 – Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients Method Set aside if the recipe you are using doesn’t call for a pre-baked pie crust. If you do need to bake the pie crust first, preheat oven to 375F. Bake pie crust for about 6 or 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Note: with this recipe, you will want to pre-bake the pie crust. Part 2 – Coconut Cream Pie Filling
1-1/2 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cups sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
In a large bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Pour into a nine-inch pie plate and press around bottom and up sides to cover completely. Place in refrigerator about an hour.
Ingredients
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup coconut milk
2 eggs
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
1 teaspoon coconut extract
Method
In a medium saucepan, combine half-and-half, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the toasted coconut and coconut extract. Pour into pie crust and chill 3 or 4 hours until the mixture is firm.
Note: See Part 4 below on toasting coconut.
Part 3 – Meringue
Ingredients
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
Method
Over a glass (or copper or stainless steel) bowl, separate the egg whites from the yolk; remove any egg yolk or shell that made its way into the whites with a clean spoon, not your fingers. Allow egg whites to sit at room temperature for about a half-hour; warmer eggs whip better.
Using an electric blender, begin whipping the egg whites and continue until soft peaks have formed. Gradually add the sugar, a few teaspoons at a time, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. The egg white tips should stand straight up and there should be no runniness.
Place under the broiler of the oven for just a few minutes – keep watch so the meringue doesn’t burn; the meringue should be glossy and the peaks slightly browned.
Part 4 – Toasted Coconut Garnish
Ingredients
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Method
Preheat oven to 350F. On a rimmed baking sheet, evenly spread out coconut then place in the oven, removing every 2 minutes or so to stir and redistribute evenly. Toast until coconut is golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Sprinkle toasted coconut on top of pie.
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Although cream pies make their way on many tables, it seems that the South particularly embraces this type of dessert, especially when the heat and humidity of the summer sets in.
My paternal grandmother, who raised me in suburban Atlanta, was always making a cream pie, it seemed. She would make delicious chocolate cream pies, banana cream pies and coconut cream pies. Often, she’d make a custard pie like coconut custard or egg custard. She also made wonderful lemon meringue pies.
Sometimes the crust was a traditional flaky pie crust, which she made with lots of Crisco; sometimes it was a graham cracker crust which she would prepared with plenty of butter.
Unlike cakes, which seemed to be relegated to more special occasions, pies were a very common occurrence. They always appeared on our Sunday dinner table, along with: fried chicken, baked ham, collards or greens of some sort, fried okra, macaroni and cheese and both biscuits and cornbread.
Pies would pop up during the week, too, just because.
There was – and still is – something very comforting about a cream pie, even beyond the emotions which it evokes. The richness and velvety smoothness of it; the full flavor of the fruit (or chocolate); the coolness when served right from the refrigerator – are all hallmarks of a cream pie done right.
Part of the fun of pies – and food in general – was watching my grandmother make it. There would be large mixing bowls and wooden spoons and an old electric hand-mixer that sounded like it was on its last leg. I loved watching her make the meringues about the best, and licking the mixer’s beaters clean of the remaining sugary globs of egg whites.
I treasure the memories and the inspirations.
P.S. mark on your calendar May 7; it is NATIONAL COCONUT CREAM PIE DAY.
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For more of my adventures in food, check out my blog: www.patrickevanshylton.com
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Note: the above photo of the coconut cream pie is the offering from Chef Kevin Wong of Boardwok Restaurant in Virginia Beach.
