Young Coconut Cream Pie

Name: Young Coconut Cream Pie
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: serves 8
Ingredients: 1 1 ⁄ 2 cups flour; 3 ⁄ 4 tsp. kosher salt; 10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1/2'' cubes and chilled; 1 cup sugar; 6 tbsp. cornstarch; 4 eggs, separated; 1 cup chopped young coconut meat, plus 3/4 cup fresh coconut water from inside coconuts; 3 ⁄ 4 cup coconut milk; 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Serves
serves 8

COURTESY BARBARA HANSEN

The filling for this pie is made with young, tender coconuts. Use a cleaver to cut off the top of each coconut; drain, reserving water, and scoop out the meat.

Ingredients

1 ¹⁄₂ cups flour
³⁄₄ tsp. kosher salt
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1/2'' cubes and chilled
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp. cornstarch
4 eggs, separated
1 cup chopped young coconut meat, plus 3/4 cup fresh coconut water from inside coconuts
³⁄₄ cup coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

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Instructions

Step 1

Whisk together flour and 1⁄4 tsp. salt in a bowl. Rub 8 tbsp. butter into flour until pea-size crumbs form. Add 4–5 tbsp. ice water; stir with a fork until a dough begins to form. Briefly knead dough; flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour.

Step 2

Heat oven to 425°. Roll dough into a 12'' circle about 1⁄8'' thick. Place in bottom of a 9'' pie plate; trim edges to fit. Freeze for 20 minutes. Prick pastry with fork; line with parchment. Fill pie with dried beans; bake until set, 15–20 minutes. Remove paper and beans; bake until golden, 8–10 minutes. Let cool. Reduce oven to 350°.

Step 3

Meanwhile, whisk together remaining salt, 3⁄4 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a 4-qt. nonreactive saucepan along with yolks, coconut meat and water, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring, until thickened, 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in remaining butter and vanilla. Pour filling into pie shell; set aside.

Step 4

In a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk remaining sugar and whites until a thermometer inserted into mixture reads 120°. Remove from heat; whisk whites to stiff peaks. Spread meringue over pie. Bake until golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cool.

Whisk together flour and 1⁄4 tsp. salt in a bowl. Rub 8 tbsp. butter into flour until pea-size crumbs form. Add 4–5 tbsp. ice water; stir with a fork until a dough begins to form. Briefly knead dough; flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour.
Heat oven to 425°. Roll dough into a 12'' circle about 1⁄8'' thick. Place in bottom of a 9'' pie plate; trim edges to fit. Freeze for 20 minutes. Prick pastry with fork; line with parchment. Fill pie with dried beans; bake until set, 15–20 minutes. Remove paper and beans; bake until golden, 8–10 minutes. Let cool. Reduce oven to 350°.
Meanwhile, whisk together remaining salt, 3⁄4 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a 4-qt. nonreactive saucepan along with yolks, coconut meat and water, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring, until thickened, 1–2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in remaining butter and vanilla. Pour filling into pie shell; set aside.
In a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk remaining sugar and whites until a thermometer inserted into mixture reads 120°. Remove from heat; whisk whites to stiff peaks. Spread meringue over pie. Bake until golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cool.