"Last spring I went to New Orleans for the Crescent City Classic, an annual road race. One night I had dinner at Andrew Jaeger's House of Seafood in the French Quarter," says Gina Squires of St. Louis, Missouri. "The coconut cream pie was great."
A toasted coconut topping adds texture and flavor to this old-fashioned dessert.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
Topping
Preparation
for crust:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend graham crackers and sugar in processor until finely ground. Add butter and blend until moist clumps form. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely. Maintain oven temperature.
for filling:
Step 2
Spread coconut on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Place 1/4 cup milk in small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over and let stand 15 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, whisk sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan to blend. Gradually add 1/4 cup milk, whisking until smooth. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups milk, egg and egg yolks, whisking to blend. Reserve 2 tablespoons toasted coconut for topping; add remaining toasted coconut, butter, vanilla and salt to egg mixture. Cook over medium heat until filling thickens and boils, stirring constantly, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Immediately add gelatin mixture and stir until gelatin dissolves. Transfer to large bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of filling and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
Step 4
Beat 1/2 cup cream in medium bowl to soft peaks; fold into cooled filling. Refrigerate until filling is cold and begins to set, about 30 minutes. Transfer filling to prepared crust. Refrigerate while preparing topping.
for topping:
Step 5
Beat cream and sugar in medium bowl to firm peaks. Pipe or spoon evenly over top of filling. Sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons toasted coconut. Refrigerate pie at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. Serve chilled.
