Friday, March 14, 2014

Happy Pi Day! Easy Coconut Custard Pie


Every year I chide myself for not participating in Pi Day, but this year I was on top of it.  The thing is, I was out of town the first part of the week on business, and I returned home Wednesday evening over-tired and frazzled, with no time to think about pie.  I needed something really fast and easy that I could pull together with minimal effort.  I knew just the thing!

This is one of those "magic crust" pies, where you dump everything in a blender, whir it all up together, and the crust "magically" forms during baking.  This recipe called for Bisquick, but I've seen others that use just flour.  I didn't have  Bisquick, so I used an equivalent amount of flour and added 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

I don't know about the magic crust business -- the flour did settle to the bottom, but the layer was so thin and soft that I have to wonder, "What was the point?"  Gimmick, I say.  Perhaps it just makes the slices easier to remove, or gives a little more body to the custard.  Otherwise maybe it would fall apart like pudding.

Like the original poster, I also baked the pie longer -- about 53 minutes -- mostly because it didn't look deliciously toasty until then, even though the center looked cooked.  (It rose up quite high in the middle and cracked a bit, so I could actually see into the center.)  As it was, it probably would have had a nicer, creamier texture if I hadn't.

The flavor was good and it was a big hit in the office.  One person appreciated that it wasn't "too sweet".  I would agree that some pies are sweeter, but personally I would take this one down a notch, maybe reducing the sugar from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup.  The only other issue I had was with the coconut itself.  Something about commercial coconut always tastes artificial and chemically.  I'll have to find a better source.


Conclusion:  This gets major points for ease and convenience.  And with all the eggs, milk, and coconut, this would make an excellent breakfast pie. Although it certainly doesn't rise to the caliber of a traditional coconut cream pie, it's not at all bad for something you whip up in a blender in minutes.  

Original recipe:  Amazing Coconut Pie via My Retro Kitchen

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