Frankie's Coconut Cream Pie (Bravetart)

No-Stress All-Butter Pastry Crust (halved):
4oz flour (115g)
1/4oz sugar (7g)
3/4tsp Diamond Kosher (Morton Kosher)
8oz cold butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2c cold water

Filling:
4oz light brown sugar (115g dark)
3.5oz sugar (100g)
1.5oz cornstarch (43g)
1/2tsp Diamond kosher salt (scant 1/2tsp Morton)
1/8tsp ground cardamom
5oz egg yolks from about 8 eggs (8 yolks gave us 5.1oz)
28oz unsweetened full-fat coconut milk)
4oz sweetened shredded coconut (100g)
2tsp vanilla

Marshmallow Meringue:

8oz egg whites from about 8 eggs
12oz sugar or roasted sugar (340g sugar from blind baking the crust)
1/2tsp Diamond Kosher (1/2tsp Morton)
1/4tsp cream of tarter


Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Toss butter cubes in flour mixture, then smash them flat. Stir in the water and knead until dough comes together. Roll out (chill first if needed) to about 10"x15". Book fold, then fold again top to bottom. Roll out to a 14" circle and line 9" pie plate. Wrap in plastic and chill at least two hours, or up to overnight.
Line with foil and fill with sugar, bake on lower middle rack of a 350*F oven until golden and fully set (about an hour). If bottom is too pale after removing foil, give it another 10 minutes or so. Cool.


Whisk together sugars, starch, salt, and cardamom in a 3-qt saucepan. Whisk in yolks and coconut milk. Heat over medium low until steaming, about 5 minutes. Increase heat a bit and cook until thick (about 5 minutes more), whisking constantly. Cook two minutes after it begins to bubble. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and coconut.
Scrape into crust and  cool until a skin forms (about 30 minutes). Continue with meringue, or wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to 24 hours.


Fill a 3-qt pot with about 1 1/2" water and place stand mixer bowl over pot. Heat over medium low, until barely simmering. Water should not touch bowl; use a trivet or crumpled foil if needed. Combine ingredients in bowl and place over steamy water. Stirring constantly, heat to 175*F, about 10 minutes. Transfer bowl to mixer and whip on high until glossy, thick, and quadrupled in volume, about 5 minutes.

Spread meringue over custard and sprinkle with a little coconut. Set on a rack in a baking sheet and bake at 375*F (lower middle) until light tan all over with darker tips, 15-25 minutes. Cool for an hour, wrap in plastic and chill 2-4 hours, until 60*F.

~I don't especially like this crust--the butter makes it difficult to roll. It smears and sticks everywhere (and my kitchen was not even 60*F the first time I tried it!).

~Coconut Cream pie is not one of my favourites, generally speaking, but I really liked this one.

~This was my first taste of Swiss meringue, both eating and making. I love it! So much better than common French meringue.