Coconut Cream Pie

Christmas 2021. The best one yet. I say this every year and I mean it every year because each year the table is more fully mine and more fully hers and more fully ours at the same time and that accumulation is the whole point. James was well and energetic this year, more stories than usual, more good color in his face, more insistence on helping with small things in the kitchen. He seasoned the turkey brine himself and stood at the counter for thirty minutes and did not sit down. I watched him and felt the specific gratitude of watching someone you love have a good day.

Gloria made the sweet potato pie herself this year for the first time in three years. Her hands have been in a better period since a medication adjustment in the fall and she wanted to make the pie. I stood near her and did not offer to help unless asked. She made the pie. The filling was smooth and dark and spiced exactly right and when she put it on the table she said: still got it. James said: always did. I said nothing. I just ate my piece and let the pie be the thing that said everything.

Five days at the Martin house. Five days of waking up in that bedroom and walking into that kitchen and making coffee in that pot. Five days of Gloria voice and James stories and the ceiling fan and the cast iron and the light through the December windows. I drove home on the twenty-sixth and I did not feel sad about leaving because I will come back next Sunday and the Sunday after that and every Sunday I can for as many years as I am given. That is the commitment. That is what I made when I drove to Prattville for the first time at eighteen with the fried chicken in the front seat. I have been keeping it ever since.

Gloria’s sweet potato pie was the centerpiece of that table — smooth, dark, spiced exactly right, and made entirely by her own hands after three years away from it. I think about that pie often, and when I want to carry that same feeling into my own kitchen, I reach for a recipe that asks the same thing of me: patience, care, and the willingness to let the dessert speak. This coconut cream pie is my version of that offering — a made-from-scratch, deeply satisfying pie you set down and step back from, because once it’s on the table, it says everything on its own.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 45 min + 4 hours chilling | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 pre-baked 9-inch pie shell (homemade or store-bought)
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, divided
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 cup toasted coconut flakes, for topping

Instructions

Toast the coconut. Spread 1/2 cup of the shredded coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently for 3–4 minutes until golden and fragrant. Set aside. Leave the remaining 1/2 cup untoasted for the filling.
Make the custard base. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Add the untoasted shredded coconut. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken and just comes to a low boil, about 8–10 minutes.
Temper the egg yolks. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Slowly ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly. Pour the tempered yolk mixture back into the saucepan.
Finish the filling. Return the saucepan to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 more minutes until thick and glossy. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter, vanilla extract, and coconut extract until the butter is fully melted and incorporated.
Fill the pie shell. Pour the warm filling into the pre-baked pie shell and smooth the top with a spatula. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until fully set.
Whip the cream. When ready to serve, beat the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar together with a hand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3–4 minutes.
Top and serve. Remove the plastic wrap and spread or pipe the whipped cream over the chilled pie. Scatter the toasted coconut flakes over the top. Slice and serve cold.

Nutrition (per serving)

Coconut Cream Pie — The Table That Holds Everything