Ladybird’s Coconut Cream Pie
The single recipe shared in Meghan Heriford’s “Ladybird, Collected,” will show you why Ladybird Diner is known for their pies. Lush coconut filling, made with unsweetened coconut milk and punctuated with shreds of coconut, then all topped with soft whipped cream and more coconut in toasted form, this pie will, as Heriford writes in her book, “remind you that you are loved and worthy of comfort.”
Ingredients
- 1 13.5 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 cup half & half
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 3/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 pre-baked 9” pie shell using your favorite pie crust recipe
- Top with: 6 ounces heavy whipping cream whipped with 1 Tbsp. sugar. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup toasted coconut.
Instructions
- In a 3-qt. saucepan, heat coconut milk, half & half, salt and sugar over medium heat until scalded to 181 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks & cornstarch until smooth.
- Temper egg mixture by whisking a couple tablespoons of hot milk mixture at a time into yolk mixture until you have added about half the hot liquid.
- Return contents of mixing bowl to saucepan with remaining hot milk and return pan to low heat, stirring constantly until custard begins to simmer. Allow mixture to bubble 60 seconds while stirring to keep the custard from scorching the bottom of the pan.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, strain custard into mixing bowl.
- Stir in butter, vanilla and coconut.
- Pour hot custard immediately into your pre-baked pie shell. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill 4 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, top with whipped cream and toasted coconut flakes.
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