| pastry for single crust pie | ||
| 3 | egg yolks (from large eggs) | |
| 1/16 | tsp. | salt |
| 1 | tbsp. | gelatin |
| ½ | cup | sugar |
| 1 | pint | sweet milk (see not below) |
| 1 | tsp. | pure vanilla extract |
| ½ | cup | shredded coconut |
| 3 | egg white, beaten stiff | |
| 1/8 | tsp. | ground nutmeg |
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Line a 9" pie plate with pastry, leaving about a half inch border extra around the rim of the plate. Crimp that extra half inch up to make a high, solid border of crust. This should be about 3/8" high and 1/4" wide and should be solid around the rim. Flute or decorate this border, but only a bit. Combine in a large mixing bowl the egg yolks, salt, sugar and gelatin. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Using a wide spatula, gently fold in the coconut and then the egg whites taking care to not mix but to fold the white into the other ingredients. Do this by moving the spatula along the bottom of the bowl out of the mix and restarting at the center of the mixture. Keep turning the bowl as you fold. Do not overmix, the entire contents should be very light and fluffy. Pour into the crust, sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake for 10 minutes in a very hot oven. Then reduce heat to moderate oven (325°F) until the center is firm. You can test this by inserting a toothpick or wooden skewer. If it comes out perfectly clean, the pie is done. Cool before serving.
For a plain custard pie, omit the coconut. This is an interesting variation on Coconut Custard. You may add different flavorings as other options. Adding raisins that have soaked overnight in rum and sugar is an interesting option. Make sure you drain the fruit very well before adding it. Do not add fruit in the same step as the coconut above. Place it in the pie shell before pouring the custard into the crust. You may add some alcoholic beverages to this recipe for flavor in small quantities. Add no more than a tablespoon of your favorite cordial such as Armagnac, Amaretto, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Pear Brandy, Banana Liqueur to the custard before the egg whites are added.
NOTE: To make sweet milk, put a pint of milk in a sauce pan with 1 tablespoon sugar and a drop of pure vanilla extract. Heat over low heat to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool. Refrigerate.