Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Coconut Cream Pie Sent From Heaven

I love being a baker. I get the most wonderful satisfaction from mixing and stirring and watching my creations transform in the oven... and tasting, of course; tasting is one of the best parts. What I love the most, though, is being able to share my love for baking through other people tasting the treats I labor to create.
Divine Coconut Cream Pie
August 10th was no exception. It was my Dad's birthday and I knew exactly what my gift to him would be. I would bake him none other than his favorite of everything I've ever baked... this coconut cream pie.
        Now, let me tell you-- this pie is divine. Incredibly so. So amazingly good, in fact, that on that day I ended up personally devouring the remnants of the cream filling that were left in the big pot I cooked it in. See, there's always some left in there that your spatula just can't manage to collect. For some bizarre and inexplicable reason, whatever is left of the filling always ends up in my tummy (I have no idea how that happens).
My Dad goes crazy for this pie. He tells people about it and then I have a bunch of people asking me to make them pie--not that I mind that one bit. I do love baking for other people's enjoyment as well as my own. Plus, it's nice to be known for this pie-- it's a major contributor to my good baking reputation.
After my family and I went out for pizza as a dinner celebration for my Dad's special day, we came home. Sometime after we opened up the good ol' fridge and pulled out the result of my hard day's work. Dad cut the pie into 8 slices, which has become our pie standard. Here are some pictures of the process...
The first piece was cut free of its brothers and sisters! 
Can you believe I used to hate coconut? Crazy, right? I know. Just these past few years I've taken a serious liking to it, mostly because of this heavenly coconut cream pie.
Until you've taken your first bite of this coconut purity, you have not lived.
And THIS, my friends, was my slice:
It didn't last very long--not on my watch.
Divine.




Divine Coconut Cream Pie
Recipe Yield: 1 9-inch Pie
Print This Recipe


Ingredients


GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:
  • 1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (such as Honey Maid©)
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
FILLING:
adapted from Allrecipes
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup flaked coconut


Directions


To Make Crust:
  1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon until well-blended. Press mixture into an 8 or 9-inch pie plate.
  3. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool. If recipe calls for unbaked pie shell, just chill for about 1 hour.
To Make Filling:
  1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is thick and bubbly. Reduce heat to low and cook 2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat.
  2. Beat the egg yolks slightly. Gradually stir 1 cup of the hot mixture into yolks. Return the egg mixture to the saucepan and bring the entire mixture to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes before removing the pan from heat.
  3. Stir butter, vanilla, and coconut into hot mixture. Pour hot filling into baked pie crust. Cool. Top with whipped cream if desired. If not serving immediately, cover and chill to store the pie. 
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12 comments:

  1. Mmm....looks like a wonderful addiction waiting to happen. Beautiful pie.

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  2. You're right on, it definitely is an addictive pie! Thanks for the comment.

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  3. Ooo a coconut pie! You've found my weakness.

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  4. Do you think you could use coconut milk to make this?

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  5. Christina- Coconut pie has become my weakness as well! Thanks for the comment.

    Mamie- Though I haven't yet tried using the coconut milk myself, I've heard it works wonderfully in coconut cream pie. I've seen it used in recipes in place of all or most of the regular milk in the pie. So if you'd rather not substitute the full amount, you could for example replace 1 cup regular milk with 1 cup coconut milk. I would imagine it adds even more coconut flavor. I definitely think it would be worth a try!

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  6. Wow, Nicole, this pie looks amazing! I am really keeping this bookmarked to make on October 27, my mom's birthday. Coconut is her favorite and I don't think I've ever had a coconut cream pie. I can't wait to try this. :)

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  7. Thank you! My dad is a major coconut fan and he goes nuts for this pie, so I hope it makes your mom's birthday just as special as it did my dad's. I wish her a happy birthday in advance! :)

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  8. Oh wow! This looks stunning and I have no doubt that it tastes absolutely divine. Bookmarking this recipe. This one deserves to be made. Will let you know how it turns out! :)

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  9. I hope you enjoy it! Please do let me know, I'm very eager to learn how it goes. :)

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  10. New follower. This looks so good. I love anything with coconut. Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

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  11. I was wondering ,what does one do to taste a pie that looks soooooo  mmmmmmmmm  good...........

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  12. 3 Researches SHOW Why Coconut Oil Kills Fat.

    The meaning of this is that you actually burn fat by consuming Coconut Fat (including coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).

    These 3 researches from major medical magazines are sure to turn the conventional nutrition world upside down!

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