Coconut Cream Pie

Pie Crust

• 10” pie dish
• 1 1/4 c flour
• 1 T sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 3 T ice water

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk together.  Add butter and beat until mixture looks like pea-size crumbs.   Add 2 T ice water and with dough hook, mix until dough just comes together.  If necessary, add remaining water.   Do not over mix.

Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten to form 1” thick disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Remove the crust from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  On a lightly floured board, roll out the crust to fit a ten inch pie dish.  Don’t over work the dough.  Place the dough in the pie dish  and bake the crust blind by lining the pie shell with a sheet of parchment paper and pouring dry  beans or pie weights over paper.   Bake for four minutes, remove and let it cool completely.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Line a baking pan with foil and set aside.

• 2½ c milk
• ½ stick butter, cut in pieces
• 5 large eggs
• 1 c sugar
• 3 t vanilla
• 1 heaping c sweetened flaked coconut, loose

Place the milk in a small pan over medium heat, when you see it starting to bubble on the sides turn off the heat (do not let it boil).  Add the butter so it can melt.   It should cool at least ten minutes.

Place the sugar in a large bowl and beat in the eggs one at a time.   Add a very little cooled milk mixture at a time to temper the beaten eggs.   Beat on medium high speed.   Do not add too much milk mixture at once or the eggs will scramble.

Add the vanilla and beat.   Stir in the coconut, careful to make sure it doesn’t clump.

Place the pre-baked pie crust onto the prepared baking sheet and pour the mixture into the pie shell and carefully place it all into the oven.

Bake it at 400 degrees for ten minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees for thirty five more minutes.    The pie is ready when the filling is puffed and a knife in the center should comes out clean.

If the crust is too brown but center isn't finished just cover the crust with a little foil.

Allow the pie to cool completely on a wire rack.  Then refrigerate for at least three hours, but preferably overnight.