Lorie's Ultimate Coconut Cream Pie

I'm not going to say much about this recipe.  It's my baby and was created simply because I never had real success with any of the coconut pie recipes I had made.  (Anyone ever make a pourable coconut pie before, or is that just me?)  It's one of my all time favorite pies and I worked really hard to get it just the way I wanted.  So even if no one else in the world loves it...I love it. 

Here are some notes:

-This makes a lot of filling.  I find my 9 1/2 inch glass pie plate is filled to the very top when I make it, but when I use a foil pie plate, I cannot fit all of the filling in.  No worries there.  I just put the excess in a small bowl, let it set up for a while in the fridge and eat it with a spoon.

*Update 10-4-11:  Yesterday, I tripled my filling and got four 9-inch foil pie plates filled to the rim, plus a small bowl leftover.  Once the filling in the pies and the bowl set up in the refrigerator for several hours, I was able to spoon the extra filling in the bowl back onto the pies to make them even thicker without them flowing over.  Just a thought.  Also, a reader commented that she did not use the full amount of crust in her pie, so she lined a mason jar with the remainder, baked it, then added the leftover filling.  How cute would that be? I personally use all my crust even when making the smaller foil pie plates because one of my favorite parts of the pie is the crust.

-It has gelatin, cornstarch, and eggs to thicken it.  It does not, however, taste like gelatin, cornstarch or eggs.

-Four kinds of coconut:  real coconut milk, cream of coconut, coconut extract and shredded coconut.

-The crust has both butter and shortening and I really like it that way.  I know some people prefer all butter, but I think shortening gives it a nice, flaky texture.

-The vinegar in the crust helps to make it tender.

-My son-in-law thinks this would be great in a graham cracker crust.  Something to think about.

-I am dying to add pineapple to this pie one day.  I think that would be lovely.  Maybe with a little rum extract?

-One day I will make this with a fresh coconut.  I'll let you know how it turns out. Or you let me know if you do it first.

This recipe was a winner in the pie category in the Perfect Three contest sponsored by The Cooking Channel.  Recipe here.  Video here.  I am putting the recipe on my blog because sponsors often remove links and I want this pie to live on forever. :)

Lorie’s Ultimate Coconut Cream Pie

Printable Recipe

Crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

1 teaspoon white vinegar

2-3 tablespoons ice cold water

Filling:

1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
1 envelope (about 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 (13.5-ounce) can pure coconut milk

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 large whole egg
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon coconut extract

1 (15-ounce) can cream of coconut

2 1/2 cups shredded, flaked coconut, divided (sweetened, flaked coconut from the baking aisle)

Topping:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening and 1/4 cup cold cubed butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the vinegar and 2 tablespoons water, until mixture forms a ball, adding more water if necessary. Pat into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll dough out to fit a 9 1/2-10 inch glass pie plate. Place crust in pie plate and trim and crimp edges.  Place the dish on a baking sheet for easier handling.  Prick the bottom and sides of the crust well with a fork.  Line the inside of the crust with a piece of foil, allowing edges to extend several inches beyond the perimeter.  Place 2 cups of dried beans in the crust to weight it down during baking and prevent shrinkage.  Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is no longer raw on bottom.  Remove the foil and beans by carefully lifting the foil out by the overhang.  Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool completely.  

Place 1/2 cup cold milk in a mixing bowl (preferably with a pouring spout) and sprinkle with the gelatin. Set aside to soften for about 5 minutes.

Bring the remaining milk and coconut milk to nearly a boil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat.

When the gelatin is soft, add the sugar, cornstarch, egg and egg yolks and whisk until very well blended. Gradually whisk about a 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the gelatin mixture; repeat this process once or twice using about 3/4 cup of the hot milk mixture. Pour the warmed gelatin mixture into the saucepan with the hot milk and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for about 2 minutes or until mixture is very thick. 

Strain the pastry cream through a fine wire strainer into a large clean bowl; whisk in the butter, coconut extract, and cream of coconut until smooth. Stir in 2 cups shredded coconut.  Pour into the cooled the pie shell and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.


To make the topping, beat the heavy cream in a large bowl on high speed until foamy.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat until soft to medium stiff peaks form.  Spread over the pie.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut.   Keep refrigerated.