Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2005

Show: Emeril LiveEpisode: Southern Sunday Supper

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (33)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(33)

Cook Time:
5 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
6 to 8 servings

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: 2 hr 0 min
Cook: 5 min
Total:: 2 hr 20 min

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Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
5 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked, unsweetened coconut
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
1 (9-inch) baked pie shell, recipe follows
1/3 cup toasted coconut
Whipped cream, for garnish

Directions

In a nonstick 1-quart saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar, coconut milk, and 1 cup milk. Scald mixture.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch together to make a slurry. Whisk egg yolks with salt in medium bowl. Temper yolks by adding 1/2 cup scaled milk mixture to yolks and whisk well. Add yolk mixture and slurry back into milk mixture and whisk vigorously over medium heat until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut, vanilla, and butter. Whisk until uniformly incorporated.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Chill the pie completely, about 2 hours.

To serve, top with toasted coconut and a dollop of whipped cream.

Pie shell:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening

6 to 7 tablespoons ice cold water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well. Add the shortening and mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water and let sit 1 minute. Either using a fork or your hands, carefully press the mixture together to form a soft ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a circle about 12 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Gently fold the circle of dough in half and then in half again so that you can lift it without tearing it, and unfold into a 9-inch by 2-inch deep-dish pie pan. Crimp the edges and chill again for 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake pie shell until golden, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely before using.

Yield: 1 deep-dish pie shell

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie
Carol Weston, FL 11-11-2009
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Wow, wow and wow!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this pie as a gift for a friend's birthday. The pie was out of this world! In the future, I'm going to try the custard... alone as a dessert and serve it with whipped cream and toasted cocunut. Bam, Emeril.Read more
recipe Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie
Katy New York, NY 10-23-2009
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Delicious!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This pie was delicious! I took advice from another reviewer and used sweetened coconut but reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup... instead of 3/4 cup. The custard will thicken, you just need to wait the full 2 minutes. Yummmy!!Read more
recipe Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie
Annette Brookville, IN 07-24-2009
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Oh Yeah,Baby!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This is one of the best recipes for coconut cream pie. Really KILLER! For those of you who had a problem with it being runny,... maybe they used skim or low fat milk. Gotta have some fat to make it thicken. FoodNetwork is the Best!Read more
recipe Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie
M Montclair, NJ 04-13-2009
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Delicious - if too runny can be fixed
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I wasn't sure if the custard had thickened enough, but since the recipe said about 2 minutes, I went with that. When I... checked the next morning, the pie was still very runny. I stuck it in the oven (covering the crust with foil) at 400 for about 20 minutes and it set completely. It cut beautifully and everyone raved about how delicious it was.Read more
recipe Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie
Jenn Flagstaff, AZ 03-28-2009
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Yummy!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Best homemade coconut cream pie ever!!
recipe Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie
Dawn Ladera Ranch, CA 11-30-2008
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Great Flavor!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I have to admit that the flavor of this pie is fabulous, but honestly, my filling did not set up like that of many other... reviewers. I have the feeling I did not cook it long enough (I guess my idea of "thick" and Emeril's are different, so I will cook it longer next time) and perhaps add a little extra cornstarch. On another note, finding unsweetened flaked coconut can only be found in my local health or specialty food store (Whole Foods, Wild Oats, or in my case, Henry's), so don't bother trying to find it at a regular grocery store. Also, when you DO find it, next time I would pulverize it a bit in the food processor before adding it to the filling, as the organic unsweetened flakes are a little too thick and chewy - just try one out of the bag and you'll see what I mean! Overall, a great coconut cream pie that I will try again - with cooking time modifications! Bravo Emeril!Read more