If you come from a tropical island, then you know how accessible coconuts are.
When I was growing up, coconut trees were everywhere. We never had to travel far to find coconuts or a street-corner coconut vendor.
In fact, we had a coconut tree in our own backyard. So cool.
I love all the things we can do with coconut, but my all-time favorite is coconut cream pie.
Please don’t shake your head or roll your eyes when you read what I’m about to tell you, but my favorite coconut cream pie is from a huge supermarket chain. Yes, I said it.
The crust and filling complement each other in a beautiful way. There’s nothing fancy about the pie. It’s just a simple, but very tasty, pie that I wish I could eat every day.
Unfortunately, this year our favorite store-bought pie was nowhere to be found. When we asked the baker, she said they no longer bake it because no one was buying it. I couldn’t believe it. This tragic news led me to search for a delicious homemade coconut cream pie recipe. After a few failed attempts, I came up with this scrumptious tart.
If you are a coconut cream pie lover like me, you must try this. Enjoy!
Coconut Sweet Pastry Crust
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- You’ll also need a 14 x4 Rectangular Tart Pan with Removable bottom
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar until pale, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix on medium speed until just combined.
Form into 2 small flattened rounds. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
For this recipe you’ll be using only one of the pastry crust rounds. You can use this pastry crust recipe for lemon bars, raspberry tarts or fruit tarts.
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Remove one round from refrigerator and Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes
Using your fingers press the dough firmly against bottom and side of the tart pan and spread evenly. Prick the bottom with a fork and place a piece of parchment paper into pan leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill with dried beans or ceramic pie weights and bake until the edges are just beginning to turn light golden about 10 minutes. Remove parchment paper and weights; continue baking until golden, 5 to 10 minutes. The tart should be firm and light golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool completely before filling.
Pastry Cream
You’ll have about 2 1/2 cups of pastry cream
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. In a small bowl whisk milk and egg yolks. Add milk mixture and butter to the saucepan. Place saucepan on medium heat and bring to a low boil. Cook for about 1 minute once the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Strain the mixture if you see any signs of lumps. Cover with plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap is against the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.
Toasted Coconut
Ingredient:
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 325° F. Spread the coconut evenly onto a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden, stirring once, 5 to 10 minutes.
To Assemble
Spread pastry cream evenly in cooled crust. Top with toasted coconut
and chill until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
