From coconut pie to coconut pie soup

[Max Frederickson]

This has happened at least twice. I prepared the thickened filling for a coconut pie, poured it into a premade graham cracker pie crust, and topped it with meringue. (Last night my pie shell was too small for the filling so I put part of the filling into a standard custard cup and put it in the fridge.)

I sprinkled a little more coconut on the meringue and put the pie in the 350°F oven just long enough for the meringue to brown. When I pulled the pie out, the custard had turned soupy. I refrigerated the pie. Even after it was cold, the filling remained soupy.

What gives? What's the problem? The portion of the filling that I put into a custard cup and refrigerated retrained its pie-appropriate firmness. Here's the recipe I used, and I think I made this pie quite successfully in the past.


1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour or 1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups milk
4 eggs
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut
1/3 cup flaked coconut

In saucepan combine sugar, flour, salt; gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat till thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Separate egg yolks. Gradually stir 1 cup of hot custard into yolks. Return to saucepan and bring to gentle boil and cook and stir 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter, vanilla, and 1 cup coconut. Pour into baked pie shell. Top with meringue (3 egg whites, 6 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar), and seal to edge. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup coconut. Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I would make the filling, put it into the crust, refrigerate until firm, then put the meringue on top, add the coconut, and brown the meringue with a torch.

[CWS4322]

Originally Posted by Sir_Loin_of_Beef

I would make the filling, put it into the crust, refrigerate until firm, then put the meringue on top, add the coconut, and brown the meringue with a torch.

+1 or, refrigerate the pie and then make stabilized whipped cream using coconut milk, top the pie and add roasted/toasted coconut.

[Just Cooking]

Originally Posted by Sir_Loin_of_Beef

I would make the filling, put it into the crust, refrigerate until firm, then put the meringue on top, add the coconut, and brown the meringue with a torch.

yup...

Ross

[Max Frederickson]

Sir Loin, that may in fact be what I should do, but for some reason that wasn't necessary in the past. Now apparently I can't cook it correctly anymore. I thought perhaps it's because I didn't cook it long enough after pouring the tempered egg yolks into the mixture on the stove, but this time I made sure the custard was very thick before taking it off the burner. It thinned in the oven while the meringue was browning anyway.

I don't have a torch so that might need to be a new acquisition.

Originally Posted by Sir_Loin_of_Beef

I would make the filling, put it into the crust, refrigerate until firm, then put the meringue on top, add the coconut, and brown the meringue with a torch.

[Max Frederickson]

CWS4322,

"Stabilized whipped cream using coconut milk." Hmmm . . . never even thought of such a thing and didn't know it was possible. But I love coconut, so how does one do that? I know the "stabilized" part involves using gelatin. I have done that in the past. But how do you incorporate coconut milk without liquifying the cream? And in what proportions?

Originally Posted by CWS4322

+1 or, refrigerate the pie and then make stabilized whipped cream using coconut milk, top the pie and add roasted/toasted coconut.

[jennyema]

Might be because it cooked for too long, if you used corn starch

https://www.craftybaking.com/learn/b...-and-solutions

[Max Frederickson]

Interesting answer. That really makes sense because I did use cornstarch. Flour would have behaved differently, I'm guessing?

[CWS4322]

Originally Posted by Max Frederickson

CWS4322,

"Stabilized whipped cream using coconut milk." Hmmm . . . never even thought of such a thing and didn't know it was possible. But I love coconut, so how does one do that? I know the "stabilized" part involves using gelatin. I have done that in the past. But how do you incorporate coconut milk without liquifying the cream? And in what proportions?

https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-m...whipped-cream/

I just stabilize with powdered sugar, but a search indicates you can stabilize using gelatin as well.

[Max Frederickson]

You are apparently 100% correct. I replicated the recipe today using flour rather than corn starch and it turned out fine. I thought corn starch and flour were interchangeable. Evidently they aren’t. Thanks for enlightening me.

Originally Posted by jennyema

Might be because it cooked for too long, if you used corn starch