Coconut Chiffon Pie

The book is now four chapters and I am beginning to think about the shape of the whole — not just the individual chapters but the arc, the through-line, the thing that connects the Bronx kitchen to the Oceanside kitchen to the Cedarhurst room where I sit every afternoon with a container of brisket. The through-line is the chain. The through-line is always the chain. But the chain needs a narrative engine, a force that drives the reader forward, and the force, I think, is the question: will it hold? Will the chain hold? Will the recipes survive the generations? Will the soup cross the ocean? Will the challah survive the forgetting? The question is not rhetorical. The question is real. The question is my life.

I talked to Miriam about the book on Friday — our weekly call, before Shabbat, the call that has been continuous for fifty years. Miriam said, "You're writing the book Mama would have been too humble to write and too proud not to approve of." This is the most accurate description of the book anyone has given me, including Rebecca, who is a literature professor and should have a more articulate response but who, on matters of Sylvia, defers to Miriam, because Miriam knew Sylvia differently — as a daughter who left, who moved to Israel, who carries Sylvia's recipes in a different language and a different kitchen and a different hemisphere.

I made a peach galette — the free-form tart, as I made two summers ago, the imperfect-on-purpose pastry. The galette was for the support group, which met Wednesday, and which Sandra opened by saying, "Ruth brought pastry. The meeting is already a success." I bring food to the group because feeding is how I participate, how I contribute, how I say: I see you. I carry the same weight. Here is a galette. Eat it. The eating is the solidarity.

The galette I brought that Wednesday was the right choice — imperfect and stone-fruit and exactly what the season asked for — but it is the coconut chiffon pie I keep returning to in my mind, the one I made the week before for Miriam’s birthday call, the one that travels. A galette is summer and urgency; a chiffon pie is something gentler, something that says: I made this with patience, and I thought of you while I did it. That is the register I want to be in right now, while I am writing about chains and survival and whether the recipes hold. This one, I believe, will hold.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes + 3 hours chilling | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 pre-baked 9-inch pie crust (homemade or store-bought)
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
4 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, divided
1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
2 tbsp powdered sugar

Instructions

Bloom the gelatin. Sprinkle gelatin over the cold water in a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes until softened and spongy.
Make the custard base. In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, whole milk, coconut milk, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8–10 minutes. Do not boil.
Add gelatin and extracts. Remove the custard from heat. Stir in the bloomed gelatin until fully dissolved, then stir in vanilla and coconut extract. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Fold in 3/4 cup of the shredded coconut.
Whip the egg whites. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, then increase speed to high and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Fold together. Once the custard base has cooled and begun to thicken slightly (not set), gently fold the whipped egg whites into the custard in two additions, keeping the mixture as light as possible.
Fill and chill. Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie crust. Smooth the top with a spatula. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 3 hours, or until fully set.
Top before serving. Just before serving, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar together to soft peaks. Spread or pipe over the chilled pie and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup shredded coconut. Toast the coconut topping lightly under a broiler for 1–2 minutes for color, if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Coconut Chiffon Pie — The Pastry That Says “I See You”