Food 52

Black-Bottom Coconut Cream Pie

Coconut cream pie was my gateway pie: the first slice that showed me just how wonderful pie can be. It's creamy coconut filling nestled inside a crispy, flaky crust. Any true pie lover can attest that the contrasting textures of crust and filling combined is one of best parts about any slice. This recipe celebrates those contrasts, The filling gets coconut flavor both from coconut milk in the custard base, and plenty of coconut folded in. You can use either sweetened coconut (which will have a chewier texture in the final pie), or unsweetened (which will be a bit crisper inside instead). Then, we'll add an additional layer for your consideration—a milk chocolate “black bottom” base. If you’re more of a dark chocolate lover, you can substitute it for the black bottom base instead; just increase the cream by 2 tablespoons (30 grams). Either way, this ganache layer nudges this pie into sliceable candy bar territory. Want my best tip for nailing the perfect slice? Use a sharp serrated knife to take a small “sacrifice slice.” Once you’ve removed this first piece, it’s a lot easier to get beautiful slices out of the rest of the pie. But matter what your slices look like, you'll find that this pie is so craveable, so killer...it’s the stuff of mashup dreams.