Mom's Coconut Custard Pie

This is probably my favorite dessert and my Mom made it for my birthday every year, right on up until she moved to Heaven. You can make your own pie crust if you'd like but I take a short cut and use a thawed Marie Callender's deep dish flaky pie crust sold in the freezer section. I have included my Mom's easy pie crust recipe just in case. Click on the photos and take a closer look at that creamy custard!

Mom's Coconut Custard Pie

1 (9 inch) unbaked refrigerated pie crust
3 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 full tablespoon vanilla extract
1 more egg separated (total of 4 eggs in recipe)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Separate one egg…keep the yolk for now and save the white for your egg wash later in the recipe.

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and heavy cream. Heat until just starting to boil – be sure to watch it because it will go from barely simmering to heavy boiling rather quickly. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, combine the one egg yolk, the three whole beaten eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Now slowly (it is important to pour very slowly) add in the hot milk mixture continuing to whisk vigorously and continuously so that the egg mixture already in the bowl does not cook. Once the hot milk mixture is completely blended in, add in the coconut and nutmeg and mix well.

Place the unbaked pie crust on a cookie sheet lined with a silicon mat. Brush the insides (bottom, sides and top) with that egg white you put aside to help prevent the crust from getting soggy. Carefully pour the custard mixture into the pie crust.

Bake for 35 minutes then carefully place strips of aluminum foil over the exposed crust to prevent it from getting too dark. Reduce the oven temp to only 250 degrees and put pie back into the oven to bake for about 20 minutes or until the filling is just about set. It should not be wet and jiggly but not completely firm or solid.

Remove from oven and cool on rack. When pie is just about room temperature then place in refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Basic Butter Pie Crust                             

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons of frozen butter, cut into pieces
4-6 tablespoons cold ice water

Whisk together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in butter with your fingertips, pressing it into the flour mixture and breaking it up, until mixture resemble very coarse sand and no pieces larger than a large pea remain. Using a fork, stir in ice water until dough almost comes together into a ball. Press dough into a ball with your hands and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 30-60 minutes before rolling.

Place unwrapped dough onto a lightly floured surface and press into a disc. Roll out until it is a circle about 11-inches in diameter. Hold your pie plate over the dough to ensure that there is enough overhang to cover the sides of the pie dish. Carefully roll dough around your rolling pin and unroll it into the pie plate. Press dough gently into the dish; do not stretch the dough.

Chill crust for 30 minutes before using to prevent the dough from shrinking during baking.

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Mom's Peaches and Cream Pie

I've been trying to re-create my Mom's Peaches and Cream pie for years. It is one of the best pies you've ever tasted with sweet peaches nestled in a creamy vanilla custard, cradled in a rich, buttery, and flaky crust.  I can get the pie crust right and the rich vanilla custard tastes just like my Mom's.  The problem is I just can't seem to turn out a pretty pie like she did. Her pie was absolutely beautiful every time she made it. Even so, it is so delicious and still one of my favorite of all the pies she ever made.

Mom's Peaches and Cream Pie

Basic Pie Crust

1-1/2 cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)

3 cups All-purpose Flour

1 whole egg

5 Tablespoons Cold Water

1 Tablespoon White Vinegar

1 teaspoon Salt

In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Separate the dough into thirds. Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)

When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the counter top use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.

With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Filling

8 large ripe but firm peaches
2 tablespoons of sugar for peaches
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Peel peaches with a vegetable peeler using the serrated edge. Slice peaches in half horizontally and remove the pit. Place them face side up and sprinkle sugar on the top of each one. Use more sugar if needed. Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes and then flip peaches over. Continue to bake on other side.

While peaches are baking for the first 15 minutes, prepare your pie crust or use a frozen deep dish refrigerated pie crust. Cut a circle of parchment paper to cover bottom and add pie weights on top. I use beans to weight down my pie crusts. Bake pie crust in oven at the same time you are ready to flip the peaches over and bake on the second side for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and lift the parchment paper with pie weights from the crust. Cut peaches in half and place in a circle all around the outside of the crust and in the middle. Turn down the oven to only 325 degrees while you make the custard.

In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of sugar, flour, salt, cream, vanilla and egg yolks mix with wooden spoon or whisk until smooth. Pour custard all over the peaches. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes or until custard is set. Cool completely before slicing. 

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Mom's Coconut Custard Meringue Pie

The combination of a smooth and creamy custard and sweet coconut is what I call incredible!  Then top it with a light fluffy meringue....oh my! I loved this pie when I was little and my Mom could make meringue that stood up so tall! She taught me all the tricks to making "mile-high" meringue. I will share them with you at the end of the recipe.

My Mom's Coconut Custard Meringue Pie

Pie Shell:

1 1/3 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled, cut in small cubes or slices
1/4 cup Shortening (I use Crisco)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

1 1/4 cup of sweetened flaked coconut, divided
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of whole milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons of butter at room temperature
1 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Meringue:

1/2 cup water
1 cup super fine sugar
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust: In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the butter, lard and zest until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle the ice water and toss with a fork to blend. Gather the dough into a ball. If excess flour remains, add a few drops more ice water. Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for 1 hour in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pastry into a 12 inch circle. Fit into a 9 inch pie pan and fold edge under. Then line the pastry shell with a sheet of foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Set pie pan on baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Remove weights and foil and bake another 5 minutes until bottom firm and light golden, Cool on a rack. I usually brush my crust with an egg white and a little water before baking to keep it from getting soggy.

Filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then spread 3/4 cup of the coconut on a baking sheet and then place your baking sheet in the oven and bake your coconut for 5 minutes or until its golden brown. You will need to stir your coconut around occasionally. When done, transfer your toasted coconut to a plate and let it cool a bit.

To make the custard, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk until smooth in a heavy large saucepan. Cook and stir the mixture over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. You will then want to reduce the heat and cook while stirring for 2 minutes longer. Remove the saucepan from the heat and then stir in a small amount of hot mixture into a bowl that you have beaten your eggs in. This is called tempering the eggs and you do it so that you don’t create scrambled eggs in your mixture. Once the eggs are tempered add in your egg mixture to the saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Your next step is to remove the saucepan from the heat and then gently stir in your toasted coconut, butter and vanilla extract. After your custard has cooled slightly you will want to pour your custard into the pie shell that you have already baked. Set your pie aside to cool while you make your meringue topping.

Meringue: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to vigorous boil over medium-high heat. Once syrup comes to rolling boil, cook 4 minutes (mixture will become slightly thickened and syrupy). Remove from heat and set aside.

With electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl at medium-low speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Add salt and cream of tartar and beat, gradually increasing speed to medium-high, until whites hold soft peaks, about 2 minutes. With mixer running, slowly pour hot syrup into egg whites. Add vanilla and beat until meringue has cooled and becomes very thick and shiny, 5 to 9 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, mound meringue over filling, making sure meringue touches edges of crust. That's an important step so that meringue does not begin to shrink and pull away from crust, leaving a gap.

Use spatula to create peaks all over meringue and sprinkle with the toasted coconut. Place the pie into your preheated oven and bake at 325 degrees or until the meringue is golden brown. This should take 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure that the coconut you sprinkled on top doesn't burn. Then cool on a wire rack to room temperature. YUM!

Tips for making the perfect tall meringue.....

Always make sure your bowl and beaters are free of any grease or oil. The tiniest speck of oil causes great volume loss.

Always use eggs that are a few days old and make sure they are at room temperature before you use them. If you have to start with cold eggs, put them in a bowl of warm water to bring their temperature.

Don’t use your hands to separate the egg yolk from the whites. I know its the most convenient way for most of us, but oil can wreck a good meringue too! Just use the shells, transferring the yolk back and forth between the two and letting the whites fall into one bowl and the yolks into another.

Use glass or metal bowls and keep your hands out of the bowls and away from any surface that would touch the egg whites. You want no oil whatsoever. Plastic bowls often retain oils from foods and the slightest oil from your hands will not help your meringue.

Add the sugar after the whites have reached the soft peak stage when they're fluffy and when you lift the beater the peaks fold over the beater edge). Superfine sugar works the best when making meringues. (Don’t worry if you don't have this in the pantry because you can make your own using your food processor or blender by pulsing your sugar a few times to break the crystals up into smaller ones).

Your meringue is done when you lift the beater out and the whites stand at attention! Don't stop and take a break during the beating process, start it and work it through and you'll have the perfect mile high meringue for your pies!

By the way, don't put a meringue pie in the refrigerator. Store at room temp under a glass or metal bowl. If you store in the fridge, you'll have leaky, weepy meringue. Enjoy!

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Sugar Cream Pie

I can't really tell you when this pie originated. Some say it dates back to the 1800's and it was a favorite from the Amish and the Shakers.  I just know that the recipe was in my Mom's collection of old recipes and I can remember she made it a lot.  If you like custard as much as I do, this pie is for you. The custard is rich and thick and creamy and has a distinct vanilla flavor. Then it's topped with a coating of cinnamon sugar kind of like a Creame Brulee.  OMG....you have to try this one!  I make it simple by starting off with a store bought pie crust but you can make your own if you'd prefer.

Sugar Cream Pie

  4 tablespoons cornstarch

  ¾ cup granulated sugar

  4 tablespoons butter, melted

  2¼ cups heavy cream

  1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  1  9-inch pre-baked Pie Crust or homemade
  2 tablespoons of melted butter
   
  Cinnamon Sugar

    Mix 1/4 cup granulated white sugar with 1 tablespoon cinnamon.  
    Set aside. 
  
   Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pre-bake your pie crust until golden  
   brown and then cool while preparing filling.

Mix the cornstarch and sugar together in a small to medium bowl. Whisk together the heavy cream and melted butter and pour it into a heavy bottom saucepan.  Add the sugar and whisk or stir constantly while cooking over medium heat.  Make sure you stir constantly or it will burn. 

Allow to cook until the custard begins to thicken and come to a boil.  Allow it to come to a low boil for about a minute and then remove from heat. Stir in pure vanilla until smooth. Whisk in vanilla and pour filling into pre-baked pie crust.

Once you have filled your pie shell, drizzle the other 2 tablespoons of melted butter over top of pie and sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar. 

Place the pie under the broiler until butter bubbles and surface starts to brown. This won’t take long so stay and watch it until it browns.

Cool and refrigerate pie for at least 4 hours or until center is set.  Serve and enjoy!

Want a bite?

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