Coconut Cream Shenanigans

[rootofnewt]

Years ago, my mother gave me several recipe cards, including one for (her mother's) coconut cream pie. I tried making it one weekend in college. We were visiting explodingcat's folks and I followed the recipe faithfully, though I substituted agar for the gelatin.

And it failed miserably. I filed the card away, figuring I was missing half of the card (or just didn't work with agar).

Well, I decided this week that I wanted to make it again. So I emailed mom and asked her for her recipe. She sent back a Word document. Word for word, it was exactly the same as the card.



Coconut Cream Pie

Mix:

1 C. milk
1 C. sugar
3 egg yolks
Pinch salt

Cook till thickens. Add 1 pkg. of gelatin softened in ¼ C. water. Add
1 t. vanilla. Cool.

Fold mixture into 3 beaten egg whites. Fold in ½ pint heavy cream
whipped. Top with toasted coconut.

Now, years ago, I didn't use a crust. The recipe doesn't mention, so I figured it made its own crust. After all, I haven't actually had this particular pie in *years* and I don't remember how it looks or even feels. I just know that it's light and coconutty.

So I emailed Mom back.

"So. How does this work? Do I bake it? In a shell? Does the crust have to be pre-baked? How much coconut? Isn't there coconut *in* it?

Mom replied quickly (we are all addicted the the intertubes in this family):

I'm sorry. Bake the pie shell. The rest is poured in and then refrigerated. This is the recipe that Mom always made and it was delicious. I also couldn't believe you don't have coconut in it, but this is the recipe. When I made it once, I did put more coconut in the pudding mix.

The amount of coconut isn't mentioned, but it just depends on how much you want on top. Mom always put quite a lot on it. I would say 1 1/2 cups would be good on top.

Well, honestly, I was still scratching my head, so I dash off another email.

So do I whip the cream into soft peaks before I fold it in? And does the coconut go on before or after I chill the stuff?

And finally I get the answer that explains it all.

I'm sorry. I realize you didn't have the benefit of watching Mom make this. I have added more details to the recipe to make it easier. I hope this helps.

Well, yeah. It would have helped if I'd sat at Grandma's table and watched her make this for years. However, at the time in question, my mother probably still thought my (future) father was the jackass who pulled her pigtails in seventh grade.

Anyhow, I now realized *why* I had a recipe was apparently so high context there was no context. Well, that's pretty much it. Recipes handed down from mother to daughter and so forth only work if there's constant repetition and exposure, y'know? The recipe card is merely a reminder for ingredient amounts and signposts for the next step, not a minutely detailed directive. And i grew up in the 80s, when dessert was a rare treat for special occasions or Sundays and my mom tended to prefer apple dumplings, for obvious reasons. (oh, god, apple dumplings. So good.) And it's not like I ever raised my nose from a book to pay attention to the kitchen, as a kid--ot until I was slightly older and decided I had to have blueberry muffins.

Anyhow, I looked at her next document and the questions unfolded immediately.


Coconut Cream Pie

Soften 1 pkg. unflavored gelatin in ¼ C. water

Mix:

1 C. milk
1 C. sugar
3 egg yolks
Pinch salt

Cook till thickens.

Add: gelatin mixture.
1 tsp. vanilla
(do i have more than one gelatin mixture?)

Cool

Beat 3 egg whites into frothy peaks

Fold gelatin mixture into egg whites
(is this another gelatin mixture?)

Beat ½ pint heavy cream into soft peaks

Fold whipped cream into egg/gelatin mixture
(does this top the custard or what?)

Top with toasted coconut.

Chill and serve


Well, mom didn't email back fast enough. She had apparently found a life or yet another JAG rerun. So I called her. More than once.

And I got the answers I needed. The custard/pudding is stirred over very low heat until it thickens, except it doesn't really thicken a whole lot. The gelatin turns spongy, but will melt when stirred into the hot custard. When this cools completely, you fold in the egg whites. And then second gelatin mixture is really the first whole shebang (custard + eggs). And it's not a multilayer pie with cream/custard + whipped cream or meringue, rather it's a filling topped with toasted coconut. So, you keep folding forever, pour into the pre-baked crust, top with toasted coconut, and stick it all the fridge to set up.

And yes, it's really quite good.

So, thank you, Mom. It *is* good. And now I can make it again and just hand down the first recipe card, because I'm evil like that.

Comments

Pie

[scottiemom.livejournal.com]

It was all quite clear to me. :-)

Love, Mom

Another great recipe

[(Anonymous)]

Just thought I would pass on another great recipe. . . this one from my Aunt Virginia for her homemade yeast crescent rolls. Whenever she came for the summer, she made these "melt-in-your-mouth" rolls EVERY DAY!

Yeast Rolls

Flour, 6 cups
Milk, 1 cup
Sugar, 4 Tblsp.
Salt, 4 tsp.
Shortening, 6 Tblsp.
Cold water, 1 cup
Yeast, 2 pkg.
Egg, 1

That's it. That's everything on the card, typed by her own hand.

Enjoy!

Love, Mom

Re: Another great recipe

[krasota.livejournal.com]

MOM! This LJ is strictly gluten-free. And now you torture me with a crescent roll recipe that doesn't even tell me how to roll them out or cut the shortening into the flour!!

You are a cruel, cruel woman. I mean, the lack of directions can be forgiven (I did do 4-H, after all), but the lovely yeasty gluteny goodness? I'm going to go cry into my pillow.

Alas! Alack!

Re: Another great recipe

[audiorapture.livejournal.com]

Shortening instead of butter? In a yeast roll? How cruel!

Re: Another great recipe

[krasota.livejournal.com]

The original recipe likely used lard. Or maybe rendered tallow.

Re: Another great recipe

[audiorapture.livejournal.com]

I guess the original recipe was made before people figured out that cows can be /milked/ to get fat?

Re: Another great recipe

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

That looks fabulous. And it has a particularly nasty little pitfall for non-bakers -- the milk has to be scalded, then cooled, or the rolls will be lumpish.

Re: Another great recipe

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

I'm beginning to see where krasota's evilness comes from. You're good.

[wolfden.livejournal.com]

I'll come over. You make the pie. YUM! I love Coconut Cream Pie. I'm not sure I want to try to tackle it myself though.

[deborahs-corner.livejournal.com]

*claps hands*...oh goodie...I remember eating a pie like this...*drools*..thank you for sharing

[flynnk.livejournal.com]

Except the internet has changed things... Ronan will find this entry and know the truth!

[short-line2.livejournal.com]

If you do not mind I will share this post with my wife. She has a Cinnamon Roll recipe from her Grandmother that now is lost to time as not all the steps are in the recipe. At least your mother was able to walk you through the missing parts.

[krasota.livejournal.com]

Go for it. The post isn't locked. :)

[short-line2.livejournal.com]

Thanks

[zeilerfys.livejournal.com]

Большое спасибо! Взяла себе тоже-пригодится. (http://zimnyayaobuv.ru/) (http://zimnyaya-obuv.ru/)