Jennie's Coconut Custard Pie

makes one 9-inch pie

Music Pairing: What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

After years of using a variety of brands, I finally came across an organic unsweetened shredded coconut that I love. Most tend to be too fine, and don’t give that texture we all grew up loving. I’m happy to never need a bag of the highly sweetened stuff anymore.

While I haven’t done any testing to make this a heart healthy recipe, I’d love to hear if any of you do give it a go. Remember, 1/4 cup of egg substitute is equal to one large egg, so you’ll need a total of one cup if you decide to try it out. The sweetness level of this pie is just right, at least to my liking. So I’d be cautious if you try swapping out any of the sweetened condensed milk [tip: one can is about 1 1/4 cups (312 ml)]. And if you really dislike whole milk (it comes from the cow that way!), then I don’t foresee any problem with swapping in skim for it in this recipe, but remember I didn’t test it that so can’t vouch for the final flavor.

One single pie crust (here’s my homemade version, with a brown butter apple pie recipe too!)

4 large eggs

1 (14 ounce/397 gram) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup (250 ml) whole milk

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups (146 grams) unsweetened shredded coconut ( I use this one from Woodstock Farms)

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Roll your piecrust out large enough to drape over the edges of a 9-inch pie plate (regular, not deep dish). Fit the piecrust into the dish, and crimp the edges.

Add the eggs to a deep bowl, and beat them lightly. Add the milks, extract and nutmeg. Whisk vigorously until well mixed. Stir in the coconut. Pour the filling into the prepared piecrust.

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325F. Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the filling is set and no longer jiggles. Place the pie on a wire rack and let cool for at least one hour before serving (it tastes great warm, or at room temperature). You can also cover it, store in the fridge overnight, and serve it the next day.