December 2013 -

Coconut Cream Pie Recipe

Let me say first that this Coconut Cream Pie is completely worth the effort! There maybe be short cuts or substitutes for homemade pudding pie filling, but there’s nothing quite like the real thing.

Don’t let the difficulty of homemade pudding worry you, if that sort of thing does. Like all things worth doing, this pie takes a little patience and practice, but again it’s fantastic! When making this Coconut Cream Pie recipe, focus on this one thing for 20 minutes, and you’ll have a pie you’ll be very pleased with.

Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut milk
2 cups half-and-half
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked coconut, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 baked pastry shell

Method:
1. In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, half-and-half, eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Stir until smooth.
2. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Use a whisk or a rubber spatula to keep the mixture moving as it heats.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and 3/4 cup of the coconut (not toasted).
4. Pour pudding into the pie shell and chill for 2 to 4 hours.
5. Meanwhile, toast the remaining 1/4 cup of coconut. Spread it evenly on an ungreased cooking sheet and bak in a 350F oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Stir occasionally. Be attentive: coconut will brown quickly.
6. Sprinkle toasted coconut over the top before serving. Or add whipped cream or whipped topping and toasted coconut both, if you prefer.

Note: You can also toast all of the coconut in this recipe, before assembling the ingredients. I prefer un-toasted coconut inside the filling.

Pecan Pie Recipe

Pecan Pie, from Why Not Pie — Pecan Pie, Photo by Doug & Diane Russell

There are as many different Pecan Pie recipes as there are ways to say “pecan.” That is to say, there are a lot of variations on the classic Pecan Pie.

A couple years back, I made several kinds of comparison pies– with all white sugar, all brown sugar, all corn syrup, or various mixtures — and had taste-testers let me know what they thought. I’d like to say that’s how I developed a really great pecan pie recipe, but maybe it was just good luck.

This recipe calls for a variety of sweeteners to add depth to the filling, so you’ll find white sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup and a touch of molasses. Fill your crust to the top, but don’t overfill. You may find yourself with a little excess filling, depending on the depth of your pan, but save it for another pie.

Pecan Pie

Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 whole eggs, beaten
1.25 cups of chopped pecans
1 unbaked Pie Crust

Method:
1. Prepare pie crust. Line pan and crimp edges.
2. Mix sugar, brown sugar, molasses, salt, corn syrup, vanilla, butter, and eggs together in a large bowl.
3. Spread chopped pecans evenly in the bottom of the pie shell.
4. Pour the syrup mixture over the pecans.
5. Lightly spray foil with non-stick cook spray, and then cover the pie, lightly folding foil over crust and filling. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for about 20 more minutes, checking frequently so crust or pecans does not burn.
6. Pie is finished when center is firm and not too soft. Center should spring back when touched. If pie does not set up, cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes longer.
7. Allow pie to cool before slicing into thin pieces.

Cranberry Pie Recipe

Cranberry Pie, Photo by Diane & Doug Russell

Cranberry Pie seems invented specifically for the holidays! Cranberry Pie a perfect pie for the season when fresh cranberries abound at the markets and groceries.

Cranberry Pie captures the fresh bright flavor of cranberries. This pie calls for a bit more sugar than I usually put in a 9-inch pie, but in this case, it is completely necessary. The sweetness helps tame and balance the zingy but wonderful cranberry taste.

Fresh cranberries aren’t available year-round, and even frozen cranberries can be hard to come by. If you fall for this pie or love cooking with cranberries, you should buy extra bags of cranberries when you see them fresh in the grocery store. Pop a few bags in the freezer for future use. Cranberries don’t need to be washed before freezing; just rinse them before use and add them to your recipes.

Cranberry Pie

Ingredients:
4 cups cranberries
1 and 1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon orange juice
1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
pince of salt
1 tablespoon butter
Double crust pie pastry

Method:
1. Briefly pulse 3 cups of cranberries in food processor or chop them coarsely.
2. Add chopped cranberries, whole cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, orange juice, and salt into a large bowl and mix well.
3. Line pie pan with pastry, and then add the cranberry mixture.
4. Dot with butter, and then cover with top crust.
5. Trim extra dough and crimp edges.
6. Bake at 375 F for about 40-45 minutes.