COCONUT CREAM & CHERRY PIE, Indulgence

Another American classic, this one with a British twist...

Coconut Cream & Fresh Cherry Pie
'Gorgeous; really tasty & subtle' Taster

Coconut Cream Pie was a teenage favourite when visiting American diners.  In those days, one was offered a selection of chocolate, butterscotch, coconut and banana cream pies. What pleasure in making a choice.  

This recipe has a British twist; buried under the silken coconut custard are fresh cherries, taking advantage of the British crop at its prime.  But the sweet custard base, the whipped cream topping and the crisp pastry shell are still present and correct.

Coconut Cream & Cherry Pie is not difficult to make but there are a few stages.  Making the pastry and the custard the day before is probably a good idea.

67 used the Easy Peasy Special Occasion Pastry Shell, which one taster described as 'fantastic'.  Busy cooks can use shop bought pie shells.  Brush the shell with melted chocolate to prevent the dreaded 'soggy bottom'.  

The custard was adapted from 50's celebrity chef Robert Carrier, much of whose work is out of print.  The Blogger experimented with a new method for making custard; it's too easy to burn the bottom of the pan (especially if the cooker is not top of the line) and the custard may not come together nicely.  67's method worked but did take longer than expected; monitoring (but not continuous intervention) was required.  The flavour of the final product was exceptional.

One taster thought the custard's texture 'a bit wet'.  The Blogger was just happy the layers held together; a slight floppiness was a small price to pay for a gelatine-free filling.  

All the tasters wanted more filling, not realising the layers were deliberately thin as a means of portion control!  The simple solution is to either make 1 1/2 times the filling recipe OR (simpler) use a smaller pie shell!  

The pie is undoubtedly an Indulgence; it involves lots of sugar and dairy.  But a 25cm/9 1/2inch tart pan will give 12-16 portions.

Cost: £3.00
Serves: 12-16 people

Ingred:

    1 25cm/9 1/2inch sweet pie shell, either home-made or store bought, brushed with melted chocolate

    150gm/5 1/3oz  white or golden sugar
       1/2 pint/285ml double cream
       1/2 pint/285ml whole milk

    2 eggs,lightly beaten

    2 tbsp cornflour
    pinch salt

    7 tbsp dried unsweetened coconut (not flakes)
    
    1/2 tsp vanilla

    a generous handful fresh cherries, to cover bottom of pie plate

Garnish: half a pint of whipping cream, toasted coconut flakes, if possible, cherries with stems

Method:

1. Toast coconut in a dry frying pan over med heat until golden brown or roast in a medium oven 5-8 minutes; watch carefully to prevent burning.  Set aside to cool
2. Fill a large saucepan 1/3 full with water; bring to a simmer; have ready a heatproof bowl which sits over but not touching the simmering water
3. Beat eggs and sugar with electric beaters until thick & pale; it will take a few minutes
4. Combine cornflour with cold milk until amalgamated; set aside
5. Combine milk & cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan; heat over med-low heat; when bubbles appear around the edge of the pan, remove from heat
6. Take half a cup of milk/cream mixture and blend it with the egg-sugar mix; then mix in the rest of the milk/cream 
7. Stir cornflour mix; add to milk/cream/egg mix; blend; add toasted coconut.  Stir; pour into the large heatproof bowl and place it over but not touching the simmering water; the heat should be medium-low
8. Continue stirring with a whisk for 5 mins; then stir regularly until mixture begins to exhibit some resistance and begins to thicken (this could take 20-30 mins or less depending on your stove).  Insert a wooden spoon; run your finger down the back of the spoon - if it leaves a clear line, the custard is done.  
9. Pour into a measuring jug and cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming; cool; refrigerate until ready to use 
10. When ready to serve pie, line base with halved, de-seeded cherries; pour on custard nudging toward edges of pie shell
11. Softly whip cream for garnish, adding 1/2 tsp icing sugar and 1/4 tsp vanilla; dollop or pipe onto centre of pie; scatter with coconut flakes and stemmed cherries
12. Serve cold

Comments:
'Gorgeous!  Really tasty - not too sweet & the coconut doesn't overwhelm everything else.  The cherry flavour is really subtle.  The pastry is absolutely fantastic. i'd prefer a thicker custard.' London Ward councillor 
'This is the first thing with coconut that I have liked!' London underground driver
'Rather like this but wanted more filling. It was much better the following day, much more creamy.  The coconut is a lovely favour.  Impressed by the way you sealed the pastry to stop it getting a soggy bottom.' Political agent & 15 yr old volunteer

Tip:
If you haven't the time or energy to make custard, buy a good supermarket custard, stir in coconut and vanilla and proceed as per the recipe


For more cream pies, go to Nav Bar/Recipes/Desserts or Skinny/Low-cal...

(Questions & comments, pls email  b67goingon50@yahoo.co.uk 

and say if they can be included in the blog)

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This recipe has  been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission