Coconut Crunch Pie

By kmad

Not a fan of coconut? Step out of your comfort zone and Give this Coconut Crunch Pie a try. I'm sure you'll love it! I've prepared this recipe more than once for alleged coconut haters and they all loved it!

Ingredients

• CRUST:
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening or lard
• 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water
• COCONUT FILLING:
• 3 egg yolks, well beaten
• 1 1/4 cups of sugar
• 11/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons soft butter
• 1 cup packaged sweetened coconut or 1 cup fresh grated coconut, shredded
• 3 egg whites

Preparation

Step 1

CRUST:

Sift flour with salt. Cut in shortening until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle cold water over mixture, tossing until dough is moist enough to hold together. Form into a ball. roll out on floured pastry cloth or board to an 11-inch circle. Fit loosely into pie pan. Fold edge to form standing rim; flute.

FILLING:

Combine three egg yolks with sugar and mix in salt. Add milk and softened butter. Beat thoroughly. Fold in 1 cup coconut. Set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into egg yolk mixture. Pour into pie pan.

Preheat oven to to 350°F. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Tip:

Cracking that big nut: Submerge the coconut in cold water for five minutes first. Then, using a hammer and nail, or, sharp kitchen shears, pierce holes through the “eyes” of the coconut. Drain the coconut milk out of the coconut, pouring it through a fine strainer into a measuring glass (it will be a cloudy/clear liquid.) Crack the coconut with a hammer. Place the pieces in the fridge for an hour to separate the coconut meat from the shell. You’ll need to scrape/peel the brown “skin” from the coconut pieces–tedious, but necessary. Then you’re almost there! Put the coconut pieces through a food processor to grate the meat. Fresh coconut spoils quickly if not refrigerated.