2. This is the world’s best coconut cream pie recipe ever. I’ve perfected this
gourmet food recipe over the past decade until it’s become my most-requested
pie. It’s unreal. And I’m spilling the secrets to you.
I love coconut cream pie, but I got frustrated with the overly-sweet, stringy,
and fake tasting pies that people kept trying to pass off. Some horrible people
even put almond extract in their coconut pies–and you need to stop that in the
name of all that is good.
I decided to make my own recipe without all the pitfalls and with tons of
real coconut flavor, and that started with coconut milk instead of dairy milk.
The coconut milk adds a subtle, true coconut flavor that helps you avoid the
fake coconut taste that ruins too many pies. Make sure it’s coconut milk, and not
cream of coconut. The milk and coconut solids usually separate while in the can,
so you’ll need to whisk it together before adding it to the recipe.
3. My second secret? Using finely shredded unsweetened coconut instead of the
regular sugared, flaked kind. I find mine at natural food stores or at grocers with
great bulk sections, like Winco. It’s unsweetened and more finely cut, avoiding a
hallmark of inferior coconut pies: stringy coconut. You can use regular flaked
coconut, but try putting it through the food processor to break it up, and then
reduce the amount of sugar in the pie.
4. Cooling the custard properly before pouring it in the blind-baked crust will
help it retain a crisp shell. Did I use the snow on my back porch to help cool the
custard? You bet I did.
I was able to cut the chill time of the pie by an hour by cooling the custard
in the snow! (Then again, I had to stir it the whole time so it wouldn’t get a skin,
so I probably didn’t save much.)
5. Ingredients
Coconut Custard Filling:
4 egg yolks
1/3 c. plus 2 tsp cornstarch
3 cups of milk (1 can of coconut milk + enough milk to equal 3 cups)
3/4 c sugar, plus 1 TBL
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 TBL butter
3/4 c shredded coconut
1 baked pie shell, 9 or 10″ (I use the Cook’s Illustrated Perfect Pie Crust
recipe, the one with vodka.)
Topping:
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1.5 cups whipping cream
1/3 c sugar
3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin (opt)
6. Instructions
1. Whisk the yolks in a bowl, set aside. Stir cornstarch, sugar, salt together in a
medium saucepan. Whisk in the milk carefully to avoid lumps. Cook, stirring
constantly over medium heat. Let it boil one minute, then add half the
filling into the yolks, whisking to temper the yolks. Add the mixture back
into the pan and cook over heat, boiling for another minute. Remove from
heat. Add vanilla and butter. Cool the filling slightly (about 30 minutes) and
pour into a baked pie shell. Cover custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate
for 2 hours until set.
2. To toast coconut: spread sweetened, flaked coconut over a cookie sheet
and put into a 400 degree oven. Stir occasionally and shake around until
coconut is golden brown. Don’t walk away (I’ve burned many, many sheets
of coconut walking away.) Cool before using as a topping.
3. Beat the cream and sugar together until whipped to soft peaks, spread over
the pie. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.
4. –If you want to keep the pie for a couple days, it’s best to stabilize your
whipping cream before you beat it. Sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons
of cold cream. Allow it to bloom (just hang out for about 5 minutes) and
then nuke the mixture for about 20 seconds (watch it closely!) to melt the
gelatin and cream together. Stir with a fork until combined, warming it as
needed until melted. Add the mixture in a slow stream into the rest of the
whipping cream, and finish beating the cream to soft peaks.
Source: http://todaysmama.com/2013/02/the-worlds-best-coconut-cream-pie-recipe-ever/