Ingredients:
Pie crust- 1 and 1/4 cups flour, 1/3 cup shortening, 4 tablespoons cold water, and a dash of salt.
Meringue- 3 eggs whites, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 6 tablespoons sugar.
Coconut Cream Pie filling – 4 eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup corn starch, 3 cups milk, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1 and 1/3 cup flaked coconut.
I go about this in 3 steps. Crust, filling, and meringue.
Stir together flour and a dash of salt. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in shortening making small pieces. Sprinkle with the water and push moistened dough together forming a ball. Flatten somewhat with hands and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Unroll pastry into a 9 inch pie plate and prick the sides and bottom of the pastry in the pie plate with a fork . Line it with a double thickness of foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 5 minutes or till golden. Cool on a wire rack.
For the filling, first separate the egg yokes from the whites; set whites aside for the meringue. Combine the sugar and cornstarch. Gradually add milk. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. (The bubbling will be slight and your hand will get really tired and hot near the end)
Remove the filling from the heat. Slightly beat the egg yokes with a fork. Gradually stir some of the hot filling into the yokes and stir. Then pour the egg yoke mixture into the hot filling and bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes. (Keep it low and at a gentle boil. The filling is hot and sometimes it bubbles out at ya) Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla, and 1 cup coconut.
Pour the filling into the baked pastry shell and spread meringue over the warm filling. (Seal to edge) Sprinkle 1/3 cup coconut over the meringue and bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Amazing!