It’s almost Easter, y’all, and would you believe I have no idea what I’m cooking this weekend? That’s right. I haven’t planned the first thing. That’s because for the first time in 34 years, I won’t have children or grands here for Easter. It feels funny to think about just the two of us on Easter, but you see, we and the kiddies and grands have been on the go so much over the past few weeks that we all decided it was simply too much for either of us to hit the road again this weekend. So that means it’s going to be just me and BeeBop. Just us two. I mean, there’s not even a dyed egg in the house, though I might just have to do something about that. BeeBop needs his yearly treat of deviled eggs, you know :-)
If you’re like me and haven’t done your menu planning for Sunday, here’s an idea for dessert. Coconut meringue pie! Yum. Coconut is one of my favorite flavors and one that I always associate with Easter and the arrival of Spring. This is a very old-fashioned tasting, custardy coconut pie. It’s rich and good and all things wonderful. The filling is a luscious boiled custard with coconut added. The meringue is piled high and sweet with that slightly toasted taste. What better ending for your Easter feast?
I know I’ve told you all before that I cannot make a pie crust to save my life. If you can make one, please do! Otherwise, one of those nice refrigerated ones works great for this recipe.
Start by placing your pie crust into a pie plate or pan and baking it according to the package instructions. Let it cool completely before continuing with the recipe. Now, I admit that my pie plate is a little too big for my crust, but it’s just so pretty and I love to use it so I improvise the best I can. Yours will look nicer :-)
Separate the eggs. Lightly beat the yolks and set both aside for now. Next, mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt in the top of your double boiler. Place it over the boiling water and gradually add the milk.
Cook this mixture, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes or until it has thickened.
Slowly add a small amount of the hot mixture to the egg yolks stirring constantly. Add the tempered yolks back to the custard mixture and return the pan to the top of the boiling water. Continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the butter, vanilla and coconut. Stir together until well combined. Pour the custard mixture into the cooled pie shell. Set aside while preparing the meringue.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium high speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla, beating until stiff and glossy.
Spread meringue over pie filling being careful to seal the meringue to the edges. Bake for 10 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.
Enjoy!
Coconut Meringue Pie
Ingredients
- 1 prepared pie crust
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 ½ tblsp. cornstarch
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 2/3 cups milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 tblsp. butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 4 egg whites
- ½ tsp. cream of tartar
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Place pie crust in pie plate and cook according to package instructions. Allow to cool completely.
- Separate the eggs. Lightly beat the yolks. Set both yolks and whites aside.
- Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in the top of a double boiler.
- Gradually add milk and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Slowly add ¼ of the hot mixture to the slightly beaten egg yolks stirring constantly.
- Return the pan to the top of the double boiler, stir in the tempered egg yolks and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Add butter, vanilla and coconut. Stir together until well combined.
- Pour mixture into cooled pie shell. Set aside while preparing the meringue.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium high speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the sugar and vanilla, beating until stiff and glossy.
- Spread meringue over pie filling being careful to seal the meringue to the edges.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.
Notes
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Other coconut pies you might enjoy from around the internet:
- Coconut Cream Pie from King Arthur Flour
- Taste of Home’s Coconut Pie
- Frozen Coconut Pie from Kraft Foods
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