Like my good friend Nora Coccaro, I’m cuckoo for coconut. And I’ve made all kinds of coconut sweets the 25 years since I began this website–old-timey coconut layer cake, my aunt’s coconut custard cups, coconut brûlée. However I’ve stayed away from the dreaded coconut cream pie. “Dreaded” as a result of it’s such a staple of Southern delicacies, I felt I used to be tempting the satan by treading on sacred territory. You understand, since I’m such a dyed-in-the-wool New Englander. It’d be like Kentuckian bragging about making wonderful clam-shack fried clams.
Being the cooking Icarus I’m, I made a decision, “Oh, what the hell?” and determined to fly too near the solar, and I made this pie.
After making what I deemed to be the BEST coconut custard north of Savannah, Georgia, I bought a bit cocky, as Icaruses are wont to do, and completely screwed up the meringue. I overbaked it. Then I underbaked it. Then, humbled by my tumble, completely baked it.
What makes this pie totally different, and in my view higher, is it makes use of a butter-based crust, not the normal graham cracker crust. The savory-sweet mixture is a winner. Plus the filling is added to the crust as soon as it’s cooled, making for simpler dealing with.
Why My Testers Beloved This
From the wealthy coconut taste to the gentle, ethereal meringue topping and creamy custard, the accolades from our testers have been overwhelming. For a number of, it was their first try at a home made pie with meringue topping, they usually have been delighted with the outcomes.
What You’ll Must Make This
- Pie crust–You need to use your favourite home made or store-bought pie crust for this recipe. You’ll solely want a single pie shell, so in case your recipe makes a double crust, freeze half of the dough for a future pie recipe.
- Eggs–You’ll be utilizing the egg yolks to make the custard filling and the egg whites for making the meringue topping. Chilly eggs are simpler to separate than room-temperature ones, so separate your eggs whereas they’re chilly, then pop the whites again into the fridge till about quarter-hour earlier than you’re able to whip them.
- NOTE: Be very cautious when separating your eggs, because the smallest quantity of fats from the egg yolks can wreck a meringue.
- Milk–I like to recommend utilizing full-fat milk for the creamiest rich-tasting custard.
- Coconut–Relying in your sweetness choice, you need to use sweetened or unsweetened coconut. I choose flaked coconut, as a result of it provides extra texture to the custard. However as I reside in a culinary cemetery, so I can get solely shredded coconut.
- Butter–I like to recommend utilizing unsalted butter in baking for the reason that salt ranges in salted butter can range. If all you might have is salted butter, omit the salt from the filling.
- Vanilla extract–Solely the true stuff, please!
Make Coconut Cream Pie
- Beat the egg yolks in a medium bowl.
- Whisk the sugar, flour, and salt collectively in a medium saucepan.
- Whisk within the milk till all of the dry components have dissolved. Set the saucepan over medium warmth and cook dinner, stirring ceaselessly, till the combination thickens right into a easy sauce. Take away from the warmth.
- Slowly add 1/2 cup of the new milk combination into the crushed eggs yolks, stirring continually. That is referred to as “tempering.” Pour the tempered egg combination into the saucepan with the new milk.
- Cook dinner till the custard is thick, then let it boil for 1 minute. Take away from the warmth. Stir in 1 cup of the coconut, the butter, and vanilla. Press a sheet of plastic wrap on the floor and let the custard cool fully.
- Unfold the cooled filling into the pie crust.
- Beat the egg whites on medium pace till foamy.
- Enhance the pace to excessive and slowly beat within the sugar till the egg whites are shiny and maintain agency peaks.
- Pile the meringue on high of the custard filling within the pie, mounding it barely within the heart.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut over the meringue. Bake at 350°F till the meringue is golden. Cool to room temperature earlier than serving.
Frequent Questions
An undercooked meringue or one with an excessive amount of liquid in it could actually launch beads of liquid that pool on high of the meringue. To keep away from this, you’ll be able to beat 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar into the meringue to assist stabilize it.
The 2 pies are very comparable, nonetheless, a coconut cream pie has a custard that’s cooked on the stovetop earlier than being added to a cooked pie shell, as on this recipe. For a coconut custard pie, the raw custard is positioned within the pie shell and thickens because it bakes.
For a custard to thicken, the eggs should attain a temperature scorching sufficient to kill their starch-digesting enzyme, alpha-amylase. This occurs barely under boiling, at round 190°F (88°C). In case your custard’s not thickening, examine the temperature and cook dinner it a bit longer.
The meringue topping is traditional and conventional, but when it’s to not your liking, you’ll be able to change it with home made whipped cream topped with a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes. (Depraved straightforward.)
You can also make and freeze your pie crust as much as 3 months earlier than baking, however I don’t advocate freezing the completed pie. The filling and topping will each turn into watery and start to separate when thawed.
Useful Ideas
- Let your custard cool fully earlier than including it to the crust and topping with the meringue. Heat custard could cause the meringue to deflate and turn into moist.
- To chop picture-perfect slices of pie with out deflating the meringue, dip your knife in a glass of scorching water earlier than making every reduce. The knife will glide proper by way of.
Storage Directions
Meringue-topped pies are finest served the day they’re made, however should you can refrigerate it for as much as 2 days. Place a couple of toothpicks within the meringue topping, then loosely cowl the pie with plastic wrap, utilizing the toothpicks to cease the plastic wrap from touching the meringue.
Extra Nice Custard Pie Recipes
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When you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, take into account leaving a overview, a star ranking, and your finest picture within the feedback under. I really like listening to from you.–David
For the coconut custard filling
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Make the coconut custard filling
In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks.
In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, flour, and salt. Use a fork or a whisk to combine them properly.
Pour the milk into the pan and stir properly with a whisk or a spatula till all the things may be very properly mixed and the dry components appear to have dissolved.
Place the saucepan over medium warmth and cook dinner, nonetheless stirring with the whisk or spatula, till the combination heats up and nearly reaches a boil and steams and thickens right into a easy, velvety sauce, 6 to eight minutes. Take away the pan from the warmth.
Scoop out about 1/2 cup of the new milk combination with a measuring cup. Start stirring the crushed egg yolks with a whisk or a big spoon and slowly, slowly begin to add the 1/2 cup of the steaming scorching milk combination, stirring continually as you pour. (This warms up the eggs and discourages them from curdling.)
Slowly pour the egg yolk and milk combination again into the combination within the pan, stirring till fully integrated.
Place the pan again over medium warmth and proceed to cook dinner, stirring and scraping the underside of the pan typically, for two to three minutes. Proceed to cook dinner, nonetheless stirring and scraping however a bit extra often, till the combination thickens significantly and begins retaining its form when a blob is dropped from the spoon.
Let it come to a delicate however noisy boil, with massive, blobby bubbles surfacing, popping, plopping, and steaming like lava in a cartoon volcano. Let it boil gently for 1 minute. Take away the pan from the warmth.
Add 1 cup of the coconut, the butter, and the vanilla to the custard within the pan and stir to mix. When the butter is melted and integrated into the custard, place a sheet of plastic wrap instantly onto the floor of the custard and set it apart to chill to room temperature.
When the custard has cooled to room temperature, take away the plastic wrap and scoop the custard filling into the pie crust.
Make the meringue
Warmth the oven to 350° F (176°C)
Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl with an electrical mixer on medium pace till foamy.
Enhance the pace to excessive and steadily add the sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Beat the egg whites till they swell up into plump, shiny, comfortable clouds that maintain agency, curly peaks.
Assemble and bake the pie
Scoop the meringue on high of the cooled custard filling, spreading all of it the best way to the crust and mounding the meringue barely within the heart of the pie.
Create swoops and swirls within the meringue for ornamental impact and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of the coconut excessive of the meringue.
Place the coconut cream pie on the center rack of the oven and bake till the meringue is a good looking golden brown, 10 to fifteen minutes. Place the pie on a cooling rack or a folded kitchen towel and let cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or, if desired, refrigerate and serve chilled.
- Cool it fully–Let your custard cool fully earlier than including it to the crust and topping with the meringue. Heat custard could cause the meringue to deflate and turn into moist.
- Chopping the pie–To chop picture-perfect slices of pie with out deflating the meringue, dip your knife in a glass of scorching water earlier than making every reduce. The knife will glide proper by way of.
- Storage–Retailer leftover pie, loosely tented with plastic wrap within the fridge for as much as 2 days.
Serving: 1 sliceEnergy: 434 kcalCarbohydrates: 50 gProtein: 8 gFats: 23 gSaturated Fats: 14 gMonounsaturated Fats: 6 gTrans Fats: 1 gLdl cholesterol: 83 mgSodium: 191 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 31 g
Diet data is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Recipe © 2010 Nancie McDermott. Images © 2024 David Leite. All rights reserved.
Recipe Testers’ Evaluations
I did it! I made my first cream pie with a meringue topping, and it turned out nice. I’ve this recipe for coconut cream pie to thank for it. It took me by the hand and walked me by way of with nice success.
I simply stood again and listened to the oohs and ahhs and grinned just like the Cheshire Cat with my lovely completed pie. I’m positive this pie can be good with any home made pie crust, however I extremely advocate the meals processor pie crust. Evidently, I’ll be making each the crust and pie once more.
The scent of the home made coconut cream pie filling was so good that it nearly didn’t make it into the crust! (By the best way, I decreased the butter by 1 tablespoon and used non-fat milk. It was nonetheless actually wealthy tasting.) My household beloved it.
Additionally, we ate one piece that night–the still-warm meringue had a burnt marshmallow taste (yum). Then we ate one other within the morning out of the fridge. It actually does style good both approach.
I’m so glad this was my first try at a home made coconut pie, because the pie turned out flawless. The creamy home made coconut pie filling was silky and candy, with bits of coconut in it. The meringue was gentle and ethereal however with a little bit of chew from the toasted coconut and golden-brown high.
This jogged my memory of my Texas childhood! Coconut cream pie recipes have been supplied at each church dinner and household perform. This explicit pie has a scrumptious custard and the puffs of meringue end it off completely.
The directions for the filling appeared a bit lengthy however have been vital so as to maintain the custard from curdling. We sit up for making this once more.
This pie had an amazing taste and creamy texture. I used my very own pie crust recipe and sweetened coconut. I used my hand mixer to make the meringue and can use my KitchenAid subsequent time. It took a really very long time for my meringue to get to the appropriate consistency however the consequence was a really nice-looking toasted coconut meringue that had everybody drooling.
The home made coconut cream pie filling for this pie was wonderful. I didn’t have complete milk readily available, so I used one cup of half-and-half and a couple of% milk for the remaining. I used sweetened shredded coconut, and the quantity was good for every chunk; nonetheless, those that don’t take pleasure in consuming shredded coconut by itself could wish to reduce barely.
Be sure the coconut custard is totally cooled earlier than placing the meringue on high to bake. I rushed this step, and I believe it induced my meringue layer to separate from the filling and get a bit runny.
I refrigerated the pie in a single day, and within the morning, it seemed rather less watery. I don’t assume it affected the style in any respect, however the look wasn’t as good. And on a closing word, my meringue ended up relatively squat and restrained, not as buoyant and exuberant as I had hoped.
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