Fresh Coconut Cream Pie

Last week I was having supper at a local chain restaurant.  On the table was advertisement for their crust less coconut pie.  I looked at the person I was eating with and said "it's not pie if there isn't any crust, it's just coconut pudding!".  Well, that got my taste buds going for a real coconut pie....and I mean a REAL coconut pie!  Not the kind you make with the sweetened coconut you buy in a package and mix with some instant pudding and pour into a purchased pie shell.  No, for me it had to be the kind you make with real coconut, homemade filling and a homemade crust and meringue.  No simple whipped cream topping either, it has to be crowned with a sky high pile of meringue!

If you have never had a made from scratch real coconut pie, you haven't had coconut pie!  It takes a bit of time and effort, but oh what a glorious pie you have when you're finished.

Chocolate Pie with Coconut Crust

Do you like Mounds candy bars?  If so, you will love this Martha Stewart recipe.  It is so decadent and simple to make with only 4 ingredients.  Well in my case 5 (I just can't help myself, I have to tinker with the recipe)!
You just might possibly have all the ingredients in your pantry right now!  So what are you waiting for?  Tie on your apron and let's get busy!


Chocolate Pie with Coconut Crust


Crust:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 14 oz. bag of sweetened shredded coconut


Filling:
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 61% cacao), finely chopped


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Pour the bag of coconut into a mixing bowl.

Mix in the softened butter with your fingers.  My butter was cold from the fridge, so I microwaved it for about 30 seconds to soften it. Continue to mix until the butter is evenly distributed throughout the coconut.  It should still be fluffy.
Next place your 9-inch pie plate on a baking sheet (you will need to catch stray coconut).

Place the coconut-butter mixture into the pie pan.  Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides to form the crust.  Be sure to leave the top edges loose and fluffy.  Place a foil ring over the edges to prevent burning.

Bake until the center begins to brown.  This should take 10 to 15 minutes.  Keep a close eye on it because you don't want it to burn.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the edges are browned, 4 to 6 minutes.  Depending on your oven, you may need to rotate the cookie sheet so the crust edges brown evenly.
When nicely browned, remove from the oven to a wire rack and cool completely.

While the crust is cooling, finely chop the chocolate and place in medium sized heat proof bowl.

Bring the cream just to a boil in a small saucepan; pour over the chocolate.  You may have noticed that I used more cream.  I did that because I had just wee bit more chocolate than 8 oz. so I was keeping a balance in my measurements.


Let the mixture sit 10 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is thoroughly combined.  Initially you will think that it is a mess, but keep stirring, it will turn smooth and silky in mere minutes.

Pour the mixture into the cooled coconut crust.

Refrigerate until the filling is set.

Sometimes you feel like a nut.....and today I added toasted sliced almonds to the top of the pie before I put it in the fridge.

Oh, and do make sure you have room in the fridge for the pie in advance. 
Fortunately my refrigerator has a hideaway shelf that accommodates my pie plate perfectly!


Now the hard part.....waiting for it to chill so I can have a slice!


This is not a lightweight dessert.  A small slice (1/10th of the pie) is 398 calories!

 ...and that's What's Cooking at Cathy's ~ Enjoy!

Coconut Banana Pancakes (Gluten and Dairy Free)

I have to admit that when faced with a choice of waffles or pancakes, I'll choose waffles, nearly every time.  So trying new pancake recipes isn't something I'm inclined to do.  However, this recipe caught my eye a while back and since I have some over ripe bananas sitting on the counter, I decided to indulge myself this morning and give this recipe a try.  This is also a great option to regular pancakes if you have dietary considerations that prevent you from eating gluten or dairy products. 

Raw Oats

I have to admit, that when I assembled the ingredients the batter looked too thin.  Then I discovered I had used the 3/4 cup measure instead of the 1 cup measure for the oat flour.  Once that correction was made, the batter was more typical of a pancake batter.

You can purchase oat flour from Bob's Red Mill in most grocery stores.  If your store doesn't carry oat flour, no worries, you can make your own by putting old fashioned oats into your blender and grinding them into flour.  This is quick and easy and is something we can do to help add more whole grain to our diets.

Flour - After Grinding

Coconut Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup oat flour
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 very ripe banana, mashed
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 Tablespoon canola oil
Toasted Chopped Pecans
Banana Slices

Directions:

1. Mix the oat flour with the baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the banana and brown sugar.  Add the oil and egg and coconut milk and mix well.
3. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir to combine.  Do not overmix.
4. Heat a cast iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat.  You may want to make a test pancake to test the heat of your skillet.  I found these to burn easily, so be sure to not get your skillet too hot.
5. Cook pancakes 3- 4 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through. 
6. Stack them up, top with butter, sliced bananas, chopped pecans and maple syrup.

Pour yourself a hot cup of coffee, grab your fork, dig in and enjoy.

I think this would also be good sprinkled with some toasted coconut, but didn't have any on hand.  I'll try that variation next time I make the recipe.