Saturday, November 26, 2011

Oh my, Coconut Pie

Coconut Cream Pie (the quick version)

My neighbor has been asking me for the past two years if I would teach her how to make a coconut cream pie.  I had time this week so she and I made this pie and also a Cherry-Raspberry Pie.  I don’t believe this one made it out of their house for the family dinner the next day.
I do make my own pie crust for this recipe, but I save time when making the filling.  I usually make the filling first and allow it to chill out in the refrigerator while baking the crust.  When the crust is cooled then I can pour the filling in it and allow a few hours for it to set up before serving.

Ingredients:

Filling:
2 boxes of Jell-O instant vanilla pudding and pie filling (4.5 oz boxes)
1 ¾ cups of coconut milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp coconut extract
1 cup toasted unsweetened, shredded coconut

Set aside another ½ cup or more of toasted, unsweetened, shredded coconut
You will need an additional cup of whipping cream to whip up and place on top of the pie before serving.  (Or if you prefer use canned whipped cream to top pie)

Directions:
Toast 1 ½ cups of coconut in a 350 degree oven until it is golden brown.

Mix all the ingredients together and beat it with an electric mixer for at least 2 minutes.  Fold in 1 cup of the toasted coconut.    Allow pie filling mixture to set up in the refrigerator while you make the pie crust.


Pie Crust (makes one standard 9-inch pie crust)
Preheated oven of 400 degrees

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon fine salt
¼ cup cold, unsalted butter
¼ cup Crisco
¼ cup cold water
1 egg white beaten
Butter

Butter a 9-inch pie plate and set it aside.
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Cut the butter and Crisco into the flour mixture until it resembles small pea size pieces.  Sprinkle cold water over the mixture and toss with a fork.  Gather the dough together into a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or longer.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough between two pieces of waxed paper until it is large enough to fit the pie plate with an inch of overhang.  Fold the excess dough under and crimp the edges or press the edges down with the tines of a fork.
Tear off a piece of foil about 20 inches long and place it in the pie crust leaving long “wings” on either side.  You will use these wings later as handles to lift out the pie weights.  Fill the foil with either metal pie weights or dry beans (which are reserved only for this purpose, you can’t eat them later).  Bake in a preheated, 400 degrees oven for 15 minutes.  Remove the pie crust from the oven, using the “wings” on the foil carefully remove the weights and foil, set aside, lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees.  Take a fork and prick the pie crust all over, about 10 or 15 times.  Put the pie crust back in the oven for another 15 minutes.  Take the pie crust out and paint the entire surface of the crust with the beaten egg white, this is what will keep it from getting soggy.  Put the pie crust back in the oven for 2 minutes.  Remove from the oven and place the pie shell on a rack to cool.  When completely cool, fill, refrigerate for at least one hour.

 Top the pie with whipped cream, canned or fresh whipped, and sprinkle with reserved
½ cup toasted coconut.  Serves 8 or more.




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