The Best Coconut Cream Pie

The church had its homecoming last Sunday. New Hope AME Homecoming—fourth Sunday in June, every year for thirty years since Calvin took the pulpit. For thirty years I have cooked for this day: the fried chicken, the collard greens, the mac and cheese, the sweet potato pies, the pound cakes. I start preparing on Thursday, finish Saturday night, serve Sunday from the church kitchen while Calvin preaches. Thirty years without exception. And this year Sister Agnes ran the kitchen.

Sister Agnes is a good cook. She is not Bernice. She is not me. But she is good and she loves the congregation and she stepped up when I stepped back and I am grateful for her the way you're grateful for someone who catches something precious before it hits the floor. I went to the service—Calvin asked me to come and I went, in my good dress—and I sat in the second pew because I couldn't make myself sit in the front, not without Marcus in the row behind me. I listened to Calvin preach on the text from Joshua: be strong and courageous, do not be afraid. He wasn't preaching it at the congregation. He was preaching it at himself. I know when this man is talking to the mirror.

After service I stood at the door of the fellowship hall and looked at the tables—white tablecloths, paper plates, the church ladies moving with purpose—and Sister Agnes came to the door and said, "Loretta, you want to come in?" I shook my head. My feet wouldn't move. She nodded, didn't push, went back inside. I stood at the door and listened to the sounds: serving spoons against aluminum trays, children running, laughter, the hum of two hundred people being fed. My people. My kitchen. My food, made by other hands. Not forever. Just this year.

I went home before the meal finished. Calvin found me at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee that had gone cold. He sat across from me and held both my hands in both of his and we sat like that for a long time, saying nothing. Sometimes that's the whole sermon right there. Two people at a table, hands held, the coffee cold and neither one caring. The homecoming happened without me. The church was fed without me. And I am still here. I am still the woman who will feed them next year, and the year after. I just need a little more time.

I didn’t cook for the homecoming this year, but I cooked that week — I had to, the way you have to breathe. On the Tuesday before, I made this coconut cream pie and left it on the counter and Calvin ate two slices before supper without a word of apology, and I was glad. Pie has always been what I make when I need my hands to remember what they know. Thirty years of sweet potato pies for the church, and this year I made coconut cream for nobody but us — and that turned out to be enough.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes + 3 hours chilling | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 9-inch pie shell, pre-baked and cooled
2 cups whole milk
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (optional, for deeper flavor)
For the topping:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted

Instructions

Toast the coconut. Spread coconut flakes in a dry skillet over medium heat and stir frequently for 3—4 minutes until golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
Whisk the dry ingredients. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt until combined.
Add the liquids. Gradually pour in the whole milk and coconut milk, whisking constantly until smooth with no lumps remaining.
Temper the egg yolks. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks. Add 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture to the yolks a little at a time, whisking constantly to temper them. Then pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan.
Cook the custard. Set the saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, for 8—12 minutes until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Allow it to bubble for 1 full minute, continuing to whisk.
Finish the filling. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded coconut, butter, vanilla extract, and coconut extract if using. Stir until the butter is fully melted and everything is combined.
Fill and chill. Pour the warm filling into the pre-baked pie shell and spread evenly. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the filling to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until fully set.
Whip the cream. Just before serving, beat the cold heavy cream and powdered sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3—4 minutes.
Top and serve. Remove the plastic wrap from the pie. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the filling. Scatter the toasted coconut flakes over the top. Slice and serve immediately, or keep refrigerated until ready.

Nutrition (per serving)

The Best Coconut Cream Pie — The Pie I Made for Myself This Year