Coconut Cream Pie. Coconut cream pie with meringue topping was my mother's favorite type of pie. It is one of my favorite pies as well, next to Lemon Meringue. If I had to choose between a coconut pie and a lemon pie, lemon would win for sure, but it would be a very difficult choice for me to make.
In fact I would probably choose a small slice of each, and go back for a tiny sliver of the lemon. I know. I am an incredible glutton, especially when it comes to pie.
We are soon coming up to the second anniversary of our having lost our mom. The last time I saw mom alive was about 9 years ago when I flew back to Canada to be with her when she had her Lung Cancer Operation.
When she got out of the hospital finally, I asked her if she would like anything on this one day and she said she would love a piece of Coconut Cream Pie. And so I did what any good daughter would do. I made her one and she really enjoyed it.
And I enjoyed her enjoying it! I loved that I was able to do that for her. The thought of it still makes me feel good.
Coconut is what is called a one seeded Drupe. In its natural state it is covered with a hard green exocarp. Inside that is a hairy brown husk, called the mesocarp, and inside that husk is the brown endocarp or seed, which is the part we eat.
Normally the skin is peeled off and we eat the white flesh inside, or the meat, along with the liquid, or coconut milk which is a very popular commodity today.
When it comes to using the flesh, we mostly use it for cooking once it has been dried. There are three most commonly used forms of it. First the very finely chopped/grated, or desiccated coconut, which you see here.
This comes both sweetened and unsweetened. It is perfect to use for in fillings such as Coconut Cream Pie Filling. It is also the coconut used for coating Lamington Squares and is often baked into cookies, cakes and slices.
Another popular form of dried coconut is shredded/angel-flaked coconut. You can also get this in the sweetened and unsweetened varieties.
It is more coarsely grated than the desiccated and has a higher moisture content. This makes it perfect for baking into muffins, or for incorporating into savory dishes or sides and salads.
I like to use it for cake toppings, especially if they are going to be broiled such as in a Lazy Daisy Cake. It is also used in Lane Cakes and fillings and to top Coconut Cream pie, where a meringue is going to be used and the coconut is going to be toasted.
Another form of dried coconut which is enjoyed in baking are coconut chips, or flaked coconut. These are much larger thin shavings of coconut and usually come as is or toasted. You can also get them sweetened and unsweetened I believe.
This type is perfect for when you really want to make a decorative statement and it is beautiful baked into granolas. This is what I always use in my granola. Unsweetened.
Finally dried coconut can be ground into flour, which many gluten intolerant people use in their baking. It is a bit more absorbent than regular wheat flour, but with a bit of recipe tweaking can result in very satisfactory cakes and bakes.
I used both desiccated and angel-flake coconut in this pie. I did use the sweetened versions for both. The desiccated went into that lush creamy filling and the angel-flake on the meringue topping.
The recipe has been adapted from a recipe found in the original Purity Flour Cookbook. This is a cookery book I received many years ago when I got married the first time. Its a book that has been pleasing families for many generations.
It is my go-to recipe for anything like this. You really can't go wrong using its recipes. They turn out perfectly every time. You would expect nothing less than perfection from a cookbook put out by a flour company.
It is filled with great solid, basic recipes that never let you down. I do believe that you can still buy a copy of a modernized version on Amazon and in most book shops that carry cookery books.
You can find my pastry recipe here. It, too, is from the Purity book. Or you can use my favorite Butter & Lard pastry recipe which you can find here.
Both are excellent and both make two crusts. You can freeze one disk of dough to use at a later date. That's what I always do anyways. It never hurts to have a disc of pastry frozen in the freezer for convenience!
Ideally, you should wait until the pie is completely chilled to cut into it, but I am such an impatient person. I couldn't wait. It was still slightly warm, but boy oh boy was it ever good!
You will get much cleaner slices if you allow it to chill completely before cutting into it. Use a wet knife so that you don't tear the meringue. A wet knife helps to prevent the meringue from sticking to the knife. Do re-wet it between each cut.
This was a way of using up the egg whites left after using the yolks in the filling. You also can't toast cream. It melts and so you miss out on having that tasty toasted coconut topping. I suppose the use of Cream in the name comes from the creamy custardy pudding-type of filling used in the base.
Makes sense to me!!You really can't beat these old, tried and true recipes. Why change or fiddle with something which worked beautifully as it originally was is my motto. Don't fix what ain't broke! You just cannot improve what is already perfect!
Yield: one 9-inch pie
Coconut Cream Pie
Everyone's favorite. Beautiful served ice cold, chilled from the refrigerator and cut into big wedges. (Big because I am greedy)
prep time: 15 Mincook time: 25 Mininactive time: 2 Hourtotal time: 2 H & 40 M
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (95g) sugar
- 1/3 cup (42g) of plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups (510ml) milk, divided
- 2 beaten large free range egg yolks
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract (optional)
- 1 (9-inch) baked pie shell
- 1 cup (75g) desiccated coconut
- 2 large free range egg whites to finish
- 2 TBS sugar to finish
- 3 TBS shredded coconut to finish
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, flour and salt in the top of a double boiler. Whisk well together to thoroughly combine.
- Whisk in 1/2 cup ( 120ml) of the milk until smooth.
- Scald the remaining milk and then whisk it into the flour/sugar/milk mixture. (To scald milk, heat in a measuring cup in the microwave until bubbles appear just around the edges.)
- Place over boiling water and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to the boil. Remove from the heat.
- Whisk some of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks to temper it. Whisk this warm mixture back into the hot mixture. Return to the heat and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla and coconut extract, if using.
- Allow to cool completely. (Place a piece of plastic cling film on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.)
- Spread the cooled mixture into the prebaked pie shell.
- Whip the egg whites along with the 2 TBS of sugar until thick, glossy and stiff peaks form.
- Spread over the cooled filling in the pie shell to cover the filling in a decorative manner. Spread it completely to the edge and make sure it touches the pastry all the way around. Using the back of a spoon, create nice swirls on top.
- Sprinkle with the coconut shreds.
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Bake the pie for 7 to 8 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until serving time.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
Cowboy Casserole. Such a simple name, but wow, what fabulous flavours. This recipe I am sharing with you today is one I have adapted from a cookerybook entitled the Betty Crocker Ultimate Bisquick Cookbook.
I bought it second hand from Amazon. Most of the time their second hand books are quite reasonable and in fairly decent shape. My heart breaks when I think of the cookbook collection I had to leave behind in the UK. All of my Dorie Greenspan books, etc. I will hopefully gradually be able to build the collection back up again in time. We will see.
One thing which appealed about this recipe is the fact that it seemed relatively simple to make and did not require a lot of ingredients. My sister had taken a pound of ground beef from the freezer. I made several suggestions as to what we could make with it.
Most received a nay. This recipe did tempt them however, and I got the go-ahead. Whew! You can use ready made Bisquick for this or you could make your own baking mix to use in this. I always made my own baking mix when I was in the UK. You can get that recipe here.
You could also make a homemade biscuit dough of a dropping consistency to drop over top of the casserole. I have included some instructions on how to do that in the recipe.
All work well. All are delicious, although I do have to say I am a bit partial to the homemade biscuit dough. It is probably because of the butter. 😋 Butter makes everything tastier.
I am not sure why it is called Cowboy Casserole. Probably because of the ground beef and the baked beans. Surely cowboy types of foods. Many a cowboy has been sustained by ground beef and baked beans when out on the range.
My sister buys organic grass-fed beef. She buys it at a local farm market, frozen in one pound packages. When I was in the UK I bought ground steak from my local butcher.
In any case you want to use a good quality of ground beef here. You want it fairly lean. I think if I was living on my own I would just grind up my own steak for this.
I cannot stand cheap ground beef. Not only do you end up pouring half of it away in fat, which is a huge colossal waste of money, but it stinks when you are cooking it.
There is no economy in buying cheap ground meat. The fat content is far too high for one thing. And you are paying for all of that fat. Fat which you will not be eating.
Or at least that you shouldn't be eating, not if you care for your arteries anyways. A small amount of fat is okay, but I would never use beef that had any more than 5 % fat in it. This is just my way of thinking and how I like to do things.
But then again ground beef has never really been a favourite of mine and not something I would eat at all when I was growing up. And I am really not fond of it mixed with other things, as in casseroles. Its a texture thing.
You know what they say . . . . there's naught so queer as folk. And some of us are a bit weirder than others! We are all different and I like to celebrate our differences as much as I can!
Life would be incredibly boring were we all the same! Now back to the casserole.
You need a tin of baked beans for this, and some prepared BBQ sauce. You could make your own BBQ sauce if you wanted to. For this recipe you would need tomato ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestshire sauce, dry mustard powder and some seasoning.
I would start with 1/2 cup (120g) of the ketchup and add 1 TBS each of the brown sugar and cider vinegar. 1 tsp of dry mustard powder, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce and then salt and black pepper to your taste.
If you have it you could add liquid smoke to really give it that campfire taste.
We used an ordinary can of original baked beans. (Bush's) In the UK you could use Heinz or any other brand. I think in something like this the brand of baked beans doesn't really matter that much overall.
I did find that the mixture was a bit too thick and so I added a bit of boiling water to thin it out a bit and it could have been a bit thinner still I think. You judge accordingly.
You don't want it too thin and you don't want it too thick. I would also be tempted to add an additional half a can of beans, but then I really like baked beans.
You could really amp it up by adding some chopped onion, green chillies and garlic when you are frying the ground beef. That would give it it a bit of delicious heat, but it is up to you!
As you can see it was fairly thick. The biscuit dough absorbs some of the liquid, so don't be afraid to make your beef mixture a bit thinner!
Its really delicious however, so don't mess with the flavours too much. They don't do salt at all in this house so I only added some ground black pepper. And to be honest you really didn't need any salt.
I've never been one to add a lot of salt to things anyways, but I often do add a tiny bit to things. Its all a matter of taste and what you are used to. Using less salt never hurt anyone.
And in fact its much better for you to use less.
We actually used a Tex Mex mix of cheese to sprinkle on top that we had leftover from some natchos we had made around New Years. It was a tiny bit spicy so that worked well with the rest of the flavours.
I would normally use a good strong cheddar cheese. The stronger the flavour of your cheese, the less you need to use. Its a fact.
Anyways, I think this was enjoyed. I had no complaints really and I did enjoy it myself. I served it with some homemade coleslaw. I do make good coleslaw if I don't say so myself.
You can find my coleslaw recipe here. Creamy Coleslaw. Its my favourite. I don't always add the cucumber. Yesterday it was only cabbage, carrots and some scallion/spring onion. BBQ always goes well with coleslaw.
I hope you will want to give this a go. I highly recommend it for a fabulously tasty, family friendly, mid-week supper entree!
Cowboy Casserole
Yield: 6
prep time: 10 Mincook time: 25 Mintotal time: 35 Min
Quick, easy and incredibly delicious. This tasty casserole uses only a few ingredients, cooks quickly and is a real family pleaser.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (453g) extra lean ground beef
- 1 can (16 oz/453g) baked beans
- 1/2 cup (120g) BBQ sauce
- 2 cups (240g)Original Bisquick
- 2/3 cup (160ml) milk
- 1 TBS softened butter
- 1/2 cup (40g) grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven o 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 7. Have ready a 2 litre/Qt casserole dish. No need to butter it.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Crumble in the ground beef. Scramble fry the beef for 5 to 7 minutes until browned and no longer pink. Drain if needed.
- Add the BBQ sauce and baked beans, stirring everything thoroughly together. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Keep warm.
- Stir together the baking mix, softened butter and milk.
- Pour the beef mixture into the baking dish. Smooth over and then drop the baking mix over top by spoonfuls to cover.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 22 minutes until the biscuit topping is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Return to the oven for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
- Serve hot.
notes:
You can make your own biscuit mixture from scratch to drop on top very easily. Whisk together 2 cups (280g) all purpose flour with 4 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 1/2 cup (120g) butter until crumbly. Stir in 3/4 cup (180ml) milk until you have a soft droppable dough. Proceed as above. You may need more milk to get the right consistency.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I almost hesitated to post this. I mean Bacon & Cheese on Toast must be pretty common in most people's kitchens. They may not make it the way I do however, and so here I am.
With one of the most delicious snacks, light lunches, treats that anyone could want to eat! If you like bacon and you like cheese, you are going to simply adore this!
Bacon is one of those things which sets everyone's tastebuds to tingling (unless you are a vegetarian or vegan). And even they have their vegetarian options to enjoy. There is just something about that sweet smokiness that people just love.
Cheese is also a favourite of many people. I have so many cheeses that I love and when you combine any of them with bacon, well, you are singing the song of my heart.
It is the quintessential combination, is bacon and cheese. It exists in many forms. Quiche, flammkuchen, pizza, etc. Many different cultures clearly love this combination.
Its just something that people really love to eat! And I am no exception.
Bacon & Cheese on Toast was a treat my mother would sometimes make us when I was growing up. We always got very excited when she did.
It was always made with what I now call plastic cheese. Processed cheese slices. Bright orange. We didn't mind. This was the cheese of our childhood. It was what it was. We didn't care. We loved it anyways.
I always like to use a nice strong farmhouse cheddar if I can. It has plenty of beautiful flavour. You want something with enough flavour that it won't be swalloped up in the richness of the bacon.
I will let you in on my secret to a really great cheese on toast here. I always like to add a layer of something between the cheese and the toast. An extra flavour booster as it were.
Some days this can be something as simple as a thin schmear of marmite. Marmite gives it a nice salty meaty quality, and you don't need much of it to have an impact. When you are talking marmite less is definitely more.
Other times I will add a schmear of mustard. Dijon is a favourite, but my absolute favourite is a good grainy Dijon. Filled with lots of mustard seeds and texture. Honey Dijon is also very good.
If you can get Honey Cup Mustard you are in for a real treat. It has a lovely punchy heat but also plenty of sweet honey flavour. Goes very well with the saltiness of the bacon.
Today I used a good Mango Chutney. I adore Mango Chutney. Its sweet and tangy and spicy all at the same time. And yes, it goes excellent with cheese.
Lets talk bacon here. I adore bacon, but it has to be good bacon. I don't like bacon that smells like pig. I know. I know. Bacon comes from the pig. True fact that.
But I don't like to smell pig when I am cooking my bacon. Not any more than I want to smell barnyard when I am cooking beef, or burning mittens when I am cooking lamb.
This shouldn't happen with good quality bacon. I like a dry cure smoked bacon. Preferably without nitrates. I like the dry cure bacon because you get far less shrinkage with dry cure bacon.
Have you ever noticed that white residue in the skillet when you are cooking regular bacon? Regular bacon is injected with brine and when you cook it that comes out into the skillet.
When you take something out of something what's left behind is quite naturally smaller. Its physics! Oh that it were that easy when it comes to my hips!
Cured Bacon is made by adding artificial nitrates, usually sodium nitrate. This gets added to the regular salt and brine mixture.
Uncured bacon is left in a more natural state and so tastes more like pork belly itself. This is called green bacon, which does not refer the colour of it, but merely the uncured state.
Dry curing is a common practice used in sausages, hams and other chacuterie. Think salami here and pepperoni, etc. It is a combination of salt curing, air drying and sometimes smoking, all depending on the meat you are dry curing.
You can dry cure a roast before you cook it. Just rub it all over with salt and seasonings and leave it unwrapped and on a rack over a baking sheet in the refrigerator over night or for a day or so. Same with a chicken. This results in a beautiful crisp skin on the chicken and less shrinkage during cooking of the meat.
In the case of bacon, after it has been cured, it is usually also smoked in a smoker. (but not always) There used to be a place down the road from us that did beautiful home-smoked bacon. Oh my but it was lovely.
I don't think I have ever tasted such beautiful bacon since. It almost tempts one to set up your own smoker just so that you can smoke your own bacon and hams, salmon, etc. Mmmm . . . dry smoked salmon. The best.
But I digress. When you are cooking your bacon, do try to leave it a bit flimsy. It will cook further underneath the grill, so you don't want to have it over crisp or burnt. You also don't want to use any of that pre-cooked bacon.
Nasty stuff. Well, in my opinion anyways. And yes, when it comes to food, I can be somewhat opinionated. Sorry about that!
Do try it with that extra schmear of something and let me know what you think! I think it just makes something which is pretty amazing to begin with even more delicious.
This makes a great snack, or light lunch. Its also really nice with a hot bowl of tomato soup. Mmmm . . . now I am wanting some all over again! 😋😋😋
Bacon & Cheese On Toast
Yield: 1
prep time: 10 Mintotal time: 10 Min
This is more of a technique than a recipe, however delicious. You can make as many slices as you wish, but the amounts here are for one delcious serving. Feel free to play with it as you wish.
Ingredients
For one serving:
- 1 thick slice of lightly toasted bread
- 1 TBS of your favourite spread (marmite, mango chutney, grainy mustard, etc.)
- 4-6 TBS of your favourite cheese grated (I like strong cheddar)
- 3 slices of streaky bacon, cooked to semi-crisp
Instructions
- Preheat the grill on your oven to high. Spread your toast on one side with your desired spread. I love mango chutney. But I am also rather fond of grainy mustard. Both go very well with cheese.
- Sprinkle the cheese evenly over top, almost to the edge of the toast, but piling it higher in the centre. (Remember cheese will spread as it melts.)
- Top the bread with your bacon slices.
- Pop under the heated grill until your cheese has melted and your bacon is crisp.
- Cut in half and enjoy!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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