Coconut Cream Pie :)

So I know it has been forever since I wrote but that doesn't mean I stopped cooking :D Over the holidays I decided that I was starting a new tradition for myself :) I am going to try to make a new pie or desert every holiday that we have a big dinner or lunch :) So this Christmas I tried out making a Coconut Cream Pie. I went out of the 2 cookbooks I was originally using. I used a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook :) It is a variant of the Vanila Cream Pie :) It calls for an obvious Pie shell :) For the filling it calls for egg yolks, corn starch, milk, butter, and vanila as well as 1 cup of flaked or desicated coconut :) I made this same pie twice :) First time it was me trying to see if I could do it and how good it was :) second was me just showing off ;) My dad said that there used to be a restaurant that used to make the best coconut cream pie that he has ever had. Well I tried to see if I could make it at least close to what it tasted like. Well the first and second time I made it I suceeded :) So I shall now elaborate on the fun actual making of the pie. It starts out with combining the sugar and cornstarch. I must say it was not very exciting at that point :P The next step is separating the yolks from the whites. In the filling you only use the yolks. You later use the whites for the meringue (deep breath :D) Anyway, you stick the sugar and cornstarch mix in a sauce pan :) Then you slowly mix in your milk. Once it heats up to a bubble. then you cook it for 2 minutes. After the 2 minutes remove from heat. It got so thick so fast lol. Well then you are suppose to take 1 cup of the mixture and add it to the egg yolks. Then you put it all back together and mix it up! So then the coconut comes into play. You then mix in the coconut. It sounds simple buuuuuut it is difficult to get it mix in right. Once you have that right then you just pour it into the pie shell :) Next is the part that EVERYONE I have ever talked to about meringue has said it is really hard to get it to work...well I went into all this with that in my head and was very surprised. I had so much fun with this :) The first time I did it I whipped my meringue by hand then the second time I did it using mom and dad's kitchenaid :) Well once I got it whipped up it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL if I did say so myself :) I put the meringue on top of the pie and sprinkled some coconut on top of it, popped it into the oven annnnnd when I took it out it was absolutely PERFECT! It was absolutely picture perfect. I was so amazed at how beautiful it was. I have never been so proud of something I made before. TWICE! I was so excited. I then proceeded to ask dad how it compared to the restaurant he liked before and he said it was just as good :D You can imagine just how happy I was. Anyway, it has been a while since I have made anything super note worthy but there shall be more to come!
Happy eating!
Amy :D