Here's what you'll need for a basic cream pie:
4 level Tbsp. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
4 beaten egg yolks (save the whites for your meringue)
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 - 9 in. baked pie crust
In a microwave-safe bowl, mix together sugar, flour, and salt. Add just a little milk to the flour sugar mixture to make a thick paste. (I don't know why that step is here,but I go with it anyway. Maybe it's to make sure there are no lumps.)
Add egg yolks, rest of milk, and butter and mix well. Cook in microwave on HIGH at 2 minute intervals, whisking between each interval. The first two times you whisk the mixture will still be watery and you'll think, "this isn't working." But trust me on this. Three times is usually enough. If not, go to one minute intervals.
While the filling is cooking, you'll want to make your meringue. Beat egg whites, along with 1/8 tsp. cream of tarter until foamy. Beat in 6 Tbsp. sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Beat in 1/2 tsp. vanilla.
Once your filling is ready, add vanilla and stir well. Since I was making a coconut cream pie, I also added 1 cup of angle flake coconut.
Pour into pie crust.
Top with meringue, making sure to seal your edges. Since my brain doesn't process like Ruthy's does, meaning I don't have a bag of toasted coconut in the freezer, I sprinkle more plain coconut on my meringue.
Brown 15 minutes in a 300 degree oven.
See, easy as pie!
An added bonus to this basic recipe is that there are so many variations. I gave you the info for a coconut cream pie, but here are some others you're sure to like.
Chocolate Cream: Add 1 pkg. Nestle's Pre-Melted Chocolate (or 2 Tbsp. cocoa) to filling before cooking. Top with meringue. Brown 15 min. in 300 degree oven.
Pineapple Cream: After cooking, add one small can crushed pineapple, drained. Again. top with meringue.
Banana Cream: Slice 1 or 2 bananas into crust before pouring in the filling. Top with meringue.
Most of my kids don't care for the coconut cream pie (more for me and Dad), but they'll fight you tooth and nail for the chocolate cream version.
This is at gratuitous photo of my grandson, Elijah. He's too young for pie, but he sure does make us smile.
Happy Tuesday, y'all.
oh man this sounds good! so the 2 cups of milk is usually what it takes to make it a paste? what does cream of tartar do? I don't think I'll have time to figure out meringue with those 2 minute whisking intervals LOL! maybe after the 10th pie I'll have it down! thanks a lot!
ReplyDeleteSusanna
Susanna, it only takes a bit of that two cups to make the paste the rest goes in with the egg yolks. Ruthy may be able to shed some light on the cream of tarter. I want to say I've made meringue without it before, but I'm not sure. And as long as you have an electric mixer, you can get the meringue done. If you're worried, whip up the meringue before you make the filling. It'll be fine until you're ready for it.
ReplyDeleteEven if it did take you ten pies, what a delicious journey :-)
oops now I see where the rest of the milk goes - my mom was right - read through at least twice LOL! I was half asleep(and thinking about coconut pie!)
ReplyDeletesUSANNA
Precious baby! Yummy pie!! I've never made a cream pie. I think it's time to remedy that!! :)
ReplyDeleteMissy, this is so easy you'll wonder why you waited so long to try. But just in case, you have my number.
DeleteTell me you're kidding. What is life without homemade cream pie, Missy????
DeleteAy, yi, yi!
Mindy, my dear husband doesn't know it yet, but he'll be thanking your Grandmama for the rest of his days! Between your cream pie recipe and Valerie's pie crust recipe awhile back, I have no excuse not to make pie at least once a week!
ReplyDeleteMy all time favorite restaurant is Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Middlebury, Indiana - of course, it's an Amish restaurant, and their pies are to die for. We've often joked about how we need to go there and just order pie! Their cream pies are my favorite, so you know I'll be trying to duplicate my favorite flavor - Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream - using this recipe!
I'm fighting Ruthy's cold this morning, so I'm off to have a good breakfast and wake up my brain before starting work on my new WIP. I've been trying to get this book started for months now, and it's fighting me every step of the way. I've got some ideas for a breakthrough, though...
Jan, I hear you. I could use some breakthrough myself. At least you have an excuse. Thinking with a cold is just to stinkin' difficult.
DeleteOh, and be sure to let me know how that peanut butter chocolate cream pie turns out.
DeleteI have spread that stupid cold to at least 50% of the general public, minimum. Sorry, Jan!!! I love breakthroughs, honey. Don't they just make your day? And I was editing early this morning and realized how part of A Family to Cherish might be setting the tone for a scene in the next book and it was totally unintentional. But I suppose if you give enough people TRAGIC BACKGROUNDS AND NEUROSES, eventually something will click, right? ;)
DeleteOh my stars, I must try this!!!! I am surrounded by two monkeysome 22 month-old boys right now, and they do not like that I'm typing.... Small barbarians.
ReplyDeleteMINDY!!!! I love coconunt cream, coconut custard, coconut everything. I have coconut pineapple body lotion from Bath and Body which is the closest I'll ever get to Hawaii, but I'm lovin' on this, sweet thing!!!
LOL, Ruthy! You amaze me with your energy! I guess they keep you young, though. :)
ReplyDeleteCertifiable. They keep me this far (fingers clenched tightly together) from that big ol' lockdown on the 9th floor, honey. ;) But they're so stinkin' cute. I'm posting a pic of them at our Superbowl party, being the Blues Brothers. Love it!!!
DeleteRuthy, shame on you for sharing your germs with Jan. I think you're the one who shared me with as well! Nothing worse than a computer virus.
ReplyDeletehehe
You know....don't all gasp at once...but I've never had a cream pie. I hadn't even heard of chocolate pie until a year or so ago. Do I live a sheltered life or what? But cream pies don't seem to be big up here...or maybe it's my Irish upbringing that has me yearning for more traditional two crust fruit pies. But you make this look easy so I'll give it a try next time I'm having a hoard over to help me eat it. I imagine a cream pie wouldn't freeze well. :-)
ReplyDeleteKav, you're right. Not unless they have chemicals to stabilize them, then they're YUCK. Real home-made cream pies tend to separate and make the crust watery if you freeze them.
DeleteWhich means PARTY AT KAV'S!!!! Any excuse to make a pie, honey!
I'm there! I got the taxes and FAFSAs DONE, and that means PARTY!
DeleteOf course, the pie alone is enough of an excuse...
Kav you better still make the usual fruit pies along with the new kid on the block - I know 'cause my dad's family ALWAYS made chocolate pie, lemon pie and coconut pie - every single holiday they got together - Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter when there are kids for an egg hunt - somehow or other someone got the 'bright' idea of making pumpkin and sweet potato one year and that jello cream cheese/cherry pie filling concoction and enough traitors like them that somehow or other MY faves (the original trio) got edged out! (can tell how far down the list of importance I was!) but that first year or two there was almost a mutiny and I think the only reason these others were favored (honestly!) is because the response to the grumblings were 'you can always make a chocolate pie and bring it if you want' and, well, none of us younger generation had the faintest idea how to do it!
Deletebtw anyone know how to do lemon pie? not cream - this filling was done over the stove - double boiler? - dunno - anyways it was a shiny yellow couldn't see through it but it set sorta like jello..sheesh ya'll don't think my mom was cooking jello in the 2 pans do you?! hmmm I was too young to notice but it's entirely possible I suppose...
Susanna
Kav, I haven't had many. I'm a big cake lover. And if I do pie, I usually do pecan. :) But I'm going to give this a try!
ReplyDeleteJan, congrats on finishing the FAFSA!
ReplyDelete