Tender Coconut Cream Pie

Check us out on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to see step-by-step videos of today's recipe, brought to you by our friends at Foodist Films

Watch the full conversation here

I am 10,000 percent convinced that this recipe will the breakout star of this book. In India I had tender coconut ice cream from Naturals, a famous Indian ice cream franchise, and I will never be the same. It had chunks of soft tender coconut in it that gave it a rich texture. The tender coconut filling requires a bit of work since it's made with fresh young coconuts, but it's necessary to get that fresh tender coconut flavor! You can usually find young coconuts at the grocery store in the fresh produce section. This recipe ended up being my husband Rhut's favorite, and I've made it no less than fifteen times in the last few months!

I decorated the pie with colored shredded coconut to mimic the sunset over the salt flats and mountains at Kalo Dungar, in Kutch Gujarat. I highly recommend using Thai Kitchen's full-fat coconut milk in a carton instead of canned coconut milk, as it has a fresher taste and does not contain any thickeners or preservatives.

MAKES ONE 9-INCH (23 CM) PIE

INGREDIENTS

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

• 2 cups (200 g) graham cracker crumbs

• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar

  Desi Bakes Hetal Vasavada

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• 5 tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter, melted

TENDER COCONUT FILLING

• 1 young coconut

• 1¼ cups (300 ml) full-fat coconut milk

• ⅓ cup (60 g) granulated sugar

• ¼ cup (28 g) cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom

• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

WHIPPED CREAM

• 1⅓ cups (320 g) heavy cream

• ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

SHREDDED COCONUT TOPPING

• 1 cup (60 g) unsweetened shredded coconut

• Liquid food coloring of choice

DIRECTIONS

FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

In a small bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and mix until you have a wet sand-like texture. Pour the crumbs into a 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate and use your hands or a flat-bottomed measuring cup to press the crumbs into the sides and bottom of the pie plate.

Bake the crust for 8 minutes to set. Let cool completely before filling.

FOR THE TENDER COCONUT FILLING

Use a sharp chef's knife to shave off the top of the coconut until you see the lines on the hard shell of the coconut. Use the heel of the knife to hit a circle around the top of the exposed coconut. Peel the top part off and strain the coconut water into a cup. Use a spoon to scoop out the tender coconut meat for the pie. Be sure to wash off any hard bits of the coconut shell from the tender coconut meat!

In a blender, combine the coconut milk, ¼ cup (60 ml) coconut water, granulated sugar, cornstarch, ¼ cup (53 g) of the tender coconut, the vanilla, cardamom, and salt. Blend until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, 6 to 8 minutes. Once the custard gets thick, cook for another 2 minutes. Pour the custard onto a large plate and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze the custard for 30 minutes, or until cool.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on high speed until you reach stiff peaks, 4 to 5 minutes. Do not overmix this; otherwise, you will end up with butter!

Spoon the cooled coconut custard into a bowl and whisk until smooth and loose. Add ½ cup (120 g) of the whipped cream and whisk to loosen the mixture. Add 1 cup (240 g) of whipped cream and ¼ cup (53 g) of finely chopped tender coconut and gently fold until well combined. Pour the custard mixture into the pie crust and spread into an even layer. Top with the rest of the whipped cream and smooth into an even layer with an offset spatula.

FOR THE SHREDDED COCONUT TOPPING

Divide the shredded coconut into three to five bowls and add 1 to 2 drops of your choice of food coloring into each bowl. Mix well until all the shredded coconut is colored. Sprinkle the colored coconut on top of the pie and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Excerpted with permission from Desi Bakes by Hetal Vasavada, published by ‎Hardie Grant Publishing, October 15, 2024, RRP $35.00 Hardcover.

When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you!