Best coconut pie I have ever had. What more is there to say? I have been in love with this recipe and making this pie for years. Someone told me I should sell my pies after eating this. As fate would have it, I did have a chance to sell my pies to a little cafe in Virginia. Fun times.
You can also make coconut mini pies, from the Tish Boyle Sweet Dreams website. Or make coconut cream shortbread bars. I tried the bars and people liked them at work but I felt the crust was too hard.
Coconut Cream Pie by Tish Boyle
Flaky Pie Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch chunks and frozen
3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening, frozen
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
Coconut Filling:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1 3/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut (toast 1/2 cup of it for 7-8 minutes in a 350 degree oven--this is for the garnish)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Topping:
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.
Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with the
metal chopping blade and pulse on and off until combined. Scatter the
butter pieces and the shortening, in large chunks, over the flour
mixture. Pulse the machine on and off until the mixture resembles coarse
meal. Add 6 tablespoons of the ice water and process until the mixture
just starts to come together. (If the dough seems dry, add the remaining
2 tablespoons water as necessary. Do not allow the dough to form a ball
on the blade, or the resulting crust will be tough.)
2.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface, divide it in half, and shape
each half into a thick disk. Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap
and chill for at least 2 hours.
Roll out the crusts:
3.
Have ready six 5-inch pie pans (not tartlette pans). Lightly flour a
large work surface. Allow the dough to soften at room temperature just
until it is pliable (about 20 minutes). Place 1 disk on the floured
surface and sprinkle some flour over it. Roll the dough from the center
out in every direction, flouring the work surface as necessary to
prevent sticking. You want a round about 1/8 inch or slightly less
thick. Cut out 2 6 1/2-inch circles from the dough and press each circle
into a pie pan. Trim the edges of the dough with scissors, leaving
about 1/2 inch of overhang. Tuck the overhanging dough underneath
itself, pressing it onto the rim of the pan. Flute the edge by pinching
the dough from the outside in a V shape with your thumb and index finger
while poking the center of the shape with the index finger of your
other hand from the inside. Repeat with the remaining dough and pans,
gathering up the scraps and rerolling them as necessary to make 6 pie
crusts. If you like, brush the edges of the crust with an egg yolk
whisked with a little water.
Bake the crust:
4.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line pie crust with a square of lightly
buttered aluminum foil, buttered side down, covering the edge of the
crust so that it doesn't get too brown. Fill the lined crust with pie
weights, dried beans, or raw rice. Bake the pie crust for 15 minutes.
Remove the weights and foil. Prick the bottom of the crust well with a
fork and bake the crust for another 10-12 minutes, or until the edges
are golden and the bottoms are baked through. Cool the pie crust on a
wire rack.
Make the Coconut Filling:
5.
In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt
until well combined. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup of the coconut milk to
form a smooth paste. Whisk in the remaining coconut milk and the whole
milk. Place over medium heat and bring to a slow boil, whisking
constantly. Remove the pan from the heat.
6.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Whisk about 1/2 cup
of the hot coconut mixture into the yolks, then return the yolk mixture
to the saucepan. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil,
whisking constantly. Continue to boil, whisking constantly, for 1
minute, or until very thick. Remove from the heat, scrape the bottom of
the pan with a spatula, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter
pieces until melted. Whisk in the vanilla and 1 1/4 cups of the
untoasted coconut (reserve the remaining 1/2 cup toasted coconut for
garnish). Divide the warm filling among the pie crusts and press a piece
of plastic wrap directly on the surface of each pie filling.
Refrigerate the pies for at least 4 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.
Make the Whipped Cream Topping:
7.
In an electric mixer, using the whisk attachment or beaters, beat the
cream on medium-low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to
medium-high and add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat until the
cream forms stiff peaks.
8. Scrape the whipped cream into a
pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip. Pipe rosettes over the chilled
pies and sprinkle with the reserved toasted coconut. Serve immediately
or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Comments