A classic from south of the border
Coconut Cream Pie
Ricardo Tested
It may sound strange, but I test classic American pie recipes when I’m on vacation. I ate many (many!) pieces of pie until I finally tried a slice of one of the most iconic pies in the United States: coconut cream pie.
A pie, or a piece of cake, takes us right back to our childhood. I can still remember the taste of the coconut pie my mother made when I was growing up. In my quest to create the ultimate version, I tested everything from the crust to the filling. I even tried making my own coconut milk! In the end, I tried many different versions only to get back to my mother’s original recipe — probably inspired by one of her classic
American cookbooks. It has all the richness of the yolks and the right balance of whipped cream. It’s a taste of vacation.
Sometimes, I go a long way to come back to the original idea. I travel great lengths to try many different things in search of the essence of a recipe. And most of the time, the essence is right next door.
Short crust pastry 1-1/4 cups (190 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (115 g) cold unsalted butter, diced
3 tbsp (45 ml) ice water Coconut filling
1/2 cup (105 g) sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 egg
3 egg yolks
1 can (14 oz/398 ml) coconut milk
1 cup (250 ml) (250 ml) milk
1 cup (250 ml) + 2 tbsp (130 g) sweetened shredded coconut 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla Whipped cream
1-3/4 cup (430 ml) 35% cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
Short crust pastry
In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and pulse a few times, until it forms peasized pieces. Add the water and pulse just until the dough starts coming together. Add more water as needed. Remove the dough from the food processor and form into a disc.
On a floured work surface, roll the dough to form a circle about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Line a 9-inch (23 cm) glass pie dish with the circle of dough. Remove the excess dough around the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) overhang. Crimp the overhang of dough in a series of curves to make a decorative pattern. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Cover the dough with foil and fill with dried peas or ceramic pie weights.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the peas and foil. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the dough is lightly golden. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Coconut filling
In a small pot off the heat, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the egg and egg yolks. Mix well. Add the coconut milk, milk, 1 cup (250 ml) (120 g) of shredded coconut and the vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom and sides of the pot, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat. Pour into the cooled crust.
Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream. Let cool and refrigerate for 4 hours or until completely chilled. In a small skillet, toast the remaining shredded coconut for 2 minutes or until golden. Let cool completely. Whipped cream
In a bowl, whisk the cream, icing sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until firm peaks form. Garnish the pie with the whipped cream and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.