The Pantry's Coconut Cream Pie

One of our favorite cookbooks is The Pantry Cookbook from McKinney, TX. The dessert recipes are endless and delicious. The book probably has every pie recipe ever created in it. We were browsing through all the different recipes and it seems every time we take a peek we find a new pie recipe to make. This coconut cream pie recipe caught our eye last time and so we took the challenge of learning how to beat egg whites to create the epitome of a fluffy, creamy coconut cream pie.

1 1/2 cups coconut
2 cups Custard Filling (see below)
1 10-inch baked pie shell
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Mix coconut into about 2 cups of custard filling. Spoon into pie shell. Top with meringue. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Meringue
Beat egg whites on high speed with an electric beater until foamy. Add cream of tartar. Add sugar gradually. Beat until peaks form.

Custard Filling:
2 cups milk
1/4 cup corn syrup
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 egg  yolks
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix together 1/2 cup milk, corn syrup, cornstarch, sugar, and egg yolks, to form a paste. Stir in remaining milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and starts to bubble. Remove from heat immediately. Add butter and vanilla. Cover and refridgerate.

Enjoy this wonderfully delicious homemade pie. It's really, really sweet so watch out!