Here is a recipe for one of my favorite dishes. I only make it once or twice a year.
Shortening has been the main ingredient for crust for many years, but, hydrogenated vegetable oil has been getting a lot of bad press lately, it raises the bad, LDL and prevents the good, HDL cholesterol. so I used 2.5 cubes of real butter instead. I want to try lard next; I believe it will work much better. It is far more healthy than using shortening.
1 teaspoon salt 3 cups all=purpose flour 2.5 cubes of butter 1 egg, well beaten 5 tablespoons ice water 1 tablespoon white vinegar
In large bowl, sift together the salt and flour. Cut in the butter. In a small bowl, combine the egg, ice water, and vinegar. Pour this egg mixture into the flour mixture all at once. Blend just until flour is moistened. IF the dough is too sticky, add just enough flour for easy handling. Chill for 1 hour before rolling out on a lightly floured board. Easier still just buy the readymade crust at the grocery store.
Roll out dough, place in pie pan, poke with fork to make lots of tiny holes in crust, bake at 475 F. for 15 minutes until golden brown. You should be able to make at least two large pies.
Pie Crust baked until golden brown.
Use the microwave to cook the filling:
It takes:
4 egg yolks, 1 cup of sugar 1/8 tsp salt 1/2 cup of corn starch 4 cups of whole milk 1/2 cube butter 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 cup coconut
In a ceramic or other heat resistant bowl, add sugar, corn starch and salt and mix together very well. Make a small cup formation in the center of the dry ingredients and after carefully separating the egg yolks from the whites, add the yokes to the small cup formation in the dry ingredients add the yokes and stir the yokes allowing the outer area of dry ingredients to mix with the yokes until the yokes become nearly saturated with some of the dry ingredients. Start pouring in the whole milk gradually while stirring. Mix well. Place in microwave on medium high setting for 10 minutes. The last 2 or 3 minutes requires stirring by opening the microwave every minute or so until completely thickened. If the milk curdles, your microwave setting is too high. While still very hot, stir in the butter and then the coconut. Then add the vanilla. Then pour into the pie crust. Repeat this step making another batch of filling to fill at least two or three pies.
Take the 8 egg whites (should be at room temperature).
Add a tsp of cream of tartar and 2 tsp vanilla beat with a beater for 8 minutes until it starts to fold over and get pretty thick.
Then continue to beat while slowly adding a full cup of sugar.
When it turns shinny and stiff then beat for an additional minute.
Add to the pies and cover adequately.
Sprinkle more coconut on top and bake at 375 F for 7 to 10 minutes or until as brown as desired.
