"To me, empathy and compassion are among the bravest of emotions..and faith, the bravest of convictions." Gerard De Marigny The distance between where I live and Paris, France is a little more than four thousand miles. Yet, in those moments following the tragic events occurring in Paris this past Friday, the distance seemed negligible. Watching the coverage of the chaos and confusion caused by unspeakable, unfathomable attacks, I, like so many others around the world, was overcome with feelings of sadness and heartache. The tragedy in Paris was yet another instance where my faith in and hope for humanity was tested. The ability to recover from dark days such as these seems to require all of us to dig a little deeper into our resiliency reserves. But recover we must. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of others and the generations to come. And going forward being brave may also mean having the strength and courage to repeatedly take leaps of faith, especially in times of uncertainty and fear.
Making a pie on Friday may have been a bit serendipitous. The day seemed to call for some comfort food. With my sources of comfort often including things made with chocolate, caramel, or coconut, this pie seemed to have a destiny of its' own.
And this wasn't just any pie. It was a pie often described as being impossible or having magical qualities. The basic concept behind 'impossible pies' is that you mix some ingredients together in a bowl or blender, pour into a pie plate, and bake. The result is a custard-like pie that forms it's own version of a crust.
There are many versions of an impossible Coconut Pie out there. Taking inspiration from one of Nancie McDermott's recipes in her Southern Pies cookbook, I created my own version of this pie. A pie that some attribute to the American South due to the plentiful availability of coconuts coming to New Orleans and Charleston from French Guiana in the late 1800s. And in a bit of irony, this particular pie has sometimes been called a French Coconut Pie.
After assembling all of the ingredients for the pie, I thought 'maybe it should be made with browned butter'. As good as a pie may be made with melted butter, one made with browned butter (beurre noisette) would have to be....great? Because dark, golden brown, rich, nutty browned butter makes savory dishes taste better and elevates everyday desserts to a gourmet level.
The sweetened coconut is added after all of the ingredients are mixed together. But before adding the 2 cups of coconut, I wondered what should a cup of coconut look like or weigh. The 14 ounce package of sweetened coconut said it contained 5 1/3 cups of coconut. In my flour/sugar measuring world, I thought 'this is not possible'. After a quick search, I discovered a cup of sweetened coconut weighs only 2.6 ounces. Which also meant I learned it really was possible to fit 5 1/3 cups of coconut in a 14 ounce bag.
Once all blended together, the entire mixture goes into a lightly buttered or vegetable oil sprayed pan. Before placing the pie plate onto the lower rack in a 350 degree (F) pre-heated oven, put it on a baking sheet. Your oven will thank you. The original recipe said the baking time ranged from 35-45 minutes. My baking time was closer to 70 minutes. Whether this was due the smaller surface area of the bottom of my 9" pie plate or not, I would suggest you begin checking for doneness at 35 minutes but do not fret if your baking time extends to 70 minutes. The Brown Butter Coconut Pie is done when the top is golden brown and fairly firm throughout.
The Brown Butter Coconut Pie is delicious served either at room temperature or chilled. I haven't decided which one I like best.
I couldn't resist piping on some lightly sweetened whipped cream and toasted coconut.
The only thing impossible about this Brown Butter Coconut Pie is to stop yourself from eating it. This creamy, crispy, buttery, and coconut-ty pie is hard to resist. Coconut lovers will be beside themselves, non-coconut lovers will become converts.
Even if everyone is expecting a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, make this one too. It may turn out to be one of the best unexpected surprises of the meal. Just make sure to cut and hide a slice of this Brown Butter Coconut Pie for yourself to enjoy after all of the dishes are done and put away or the next day. And in those moments as you are savoring this pie, remember nothing is impossible.
Brown Butter Coconut Pie (slight adaptation to Nancie McDermott's Amazing Coconut Pie recipe as shared in Southern Pies: A Gracious Plenty of Pie Recipes, From Lemon Chess to Chocolate Pecan)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and browned (or just melted), then cooled slightly
3 eggs, room temperature, well beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups (5.2 ounces) shredded, sweetened coconut (recommend Baker's Angel Flake Coconut)
Optional: Garnish with lightly sweetened whipped cream and toasted coconut
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly grease or spray a 9 inch glass or ceramic pie plate with butter or oil. Set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
3. Add oil, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until well combined.
4. Stir in the coconut.
5. Pour filling in prepared pie plate.
6. Place pie plate on baking sheet and place on lower oven rack. Bake 55-70 minutes or until pie is puffed, golden brown and fairly firm throughout. Note: Baking time will vary based on size of pie plate. Pie plates with a larger bottom surface will cook faster (e.g., pyrex pie plate), while those with smaller bottom surface will cook longer.
7. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving. Note: Store pie in the refrigerator.
8. Optional: Pipe lightly sweetened whipped cream along edges of pie and sprinkle with toasted coconut.
Fall photos of the Aspens in Rocky Mountain National Park and Breckenridge, Colorado.
