Recipes
Toasted Coconut Meringue Pie
This towering custard-filled dessert from Nashville’s Elliston Place Soda Shop has been a mainstay for over 30 years.
- Makes
One 9-inch pie
- Time
1 hour 20 minutes
As Nashville’s beloved Elliston Place Soda Shop, longtime “pie lady” Linda Melton has been stocking the glowing dessert case for over 30 years. Her coconut custard-filled pie—topped with a bouffant of toasty meringue—is a favorite among regulars.
Featured in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, divided
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1⅓ cups sugar, divided
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- 4 large egg yolks
- 12 large egg whites
- 2 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- One 9-in. baked pie crust, store bought or homemade
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Instructions
Step 1
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. On a baking sheet, spread 1½ cups of the coconut in an even layer and bake, stirring well halfway through toasting, until fragrant and golden, 5–6 minutes. Set aside and turn off the oven.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, 1 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch and egg yolks. Fill a medium pot with 2 inches of water, turn the heat to medium-low, and bring to a simmer. Place the bowl over the pot (the bowl should not touch the water) and cook, whisking frequently, until the custard thickens, 10–12 minutes. A few cubes at a time, whisk in the butter until fully incorporated. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and toasted coconut, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Step 3
Scrape the custard into the pie crust. (The pie will keep at this stage, covered in plastic and refrigerated, for up to 24 hours.)
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and remaining sugar on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Spoon the meringue onto the center of the pie, then spread it to the edges, forming a 5- to 6-inch-tall dome. Sprinkle with the remaining (untoasted) coconut.
Step 5
Bake the pie, rotating as needed, until the meringue is golden, 8–10 minutes. Cool to room temperature completely before serving.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. On a baking sheet, spread 1½ cups of the coconut in an even layer and bake, stirring well halfway through toasting, until fragrant and golden, 5–6 minutes. Set aside and turn off the oven.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, 1 cup of the sugar, and the cornstarch and egg yolks. Fill a medium pot with 2 inches of water, turn the heat to medium-low, and bring to a simmer. Place the bowl over the pot (the bowl should not touch the water) and cook, whisking frequently, until the custard thickens, 10–12 minutes. A few cubes at a time, whisk in the butter until fully incorporated. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and toasted coconut, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Scrape the custard into the pie crust. (The pie will keep at this stage, covered in plastic and refrigerated, for up to 24 hours.)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and remaining sugar on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Spoon the meringue onto the center of the pie, then spread it to the edges, forming a 5- to 6-inch-tall dome. Sprinkle with the remaining (untoasted) coconut.
- Bake the pie, rotating as needed, until the meringue is golden, 8–10 minutes. Cool to room temperature completely before serving.
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