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11/09/1999 Archived Entry: "Coconut Custard Pie"

Coconut Custard Pie was my father’s favorite pie, and he was always in a good mood when there was one in the house. I guess that put all of us in a good mood, too, and made it our favorite, too.

In the ‘50s and ‘60s, you could buy excellent Coconut Custard Pie at Horn & Hardart retail stores, and at many neighborhood bakeries in New York, including the legendary Ebinger’s bakeries, a small chain in Brooklyn that had maybe two or three outlets in Queens, too. On Thanksgiving, however, we’d travel across Brooklyn to Mrs. Maxwell’s bakery on Atlantic Ave. in the neighborhood called East New York, where we bought a particularly wonderful (and large) Coconut Custard, a pumpkin pie, a Nesselrode, and a Banana Cream pie. I remember they came in aluminum pie tins for which you paid a deposit in the hopes that you’d return them.

Given all the nostalgia I attach to the pie, Coconut Custard is still one of my favorites pastries, although it seems I eat it only (or at least mainly) on Thanksgiving. Mrs. Maxwell’s is still going strong on Atlantic Ave., but it is nothing like it was when I was young. I noticed, driving by it a few weeks ago, that it had a sign in the window saying it specializes in decorated, special-occasion cakes, not pies.

I developed the following egg- and butter-rich formula several years ago. You might say it is a coconut “curd” pie, though that word is usually applied only to lemon custards with this much butter. Adding Amaretto, the almond-flavored liquor, or rum, is obviously a contemporary touch. If you want the real, old-time flavor, leave it out and add an equal amount of milk (3 tablespoons) to keep the liquid level the same.

Coconut Custard Pie

The secret to success here is to bake the pie in a deep pie shell. Otherwise, it will bake too fast, overcook, crack and weep.

4 ounces butter (1 stick)
2/3 cup sugar
6 eggs
1 1/4 cup firmly packed sweetened coconut flakes
1 1/4 cups milk
3 tablespoons Amaretto or dark rum (or substitute an additional 3 tablespoons of milk)
1 deep 10-inch pre-baked pie shell

Cream butter and sugar in mixer bowl. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in coconut, milk and Amaretto or rum. Pour into a pre-baked 10-inch pie shell that is at least 1 inch deep.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 45 to 50 minutes, until golden brown on top.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Do not refrigerate.

Tomorrow: Banana Cream Pie