It's been rumored that you cannot make your own Cream Pie recipes ahead of time and freeze them because they will become watery & separate. This is not entirely true. Here is our tried and true recipe and follow up directions to show you HOW to properly make your own Make-Ahead Coconut Cream
Pie.
You'll Need:
To Use the filling:
Remove it from the Freezer and place in the refrigerator. DO Not attempt to thaw this on the counter-top- for several reasons- it contains milk, butter and eggs (which can spoil), thawing on the counter will cause the filling to separate.
You'll Need:
- 2/3 c. Sugar
- 1/4 c. Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 c. Cold Milk
- 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 2 T. butter, room temperature
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 3/4 c. flaked coconut
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Mix sugar, cornstarch & salt in a heavy 2 qt saucepan, stirring well, add in cold milk, whisking continually over medium heat. |
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Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Boil for exactly 1 minute. Remove from heat, pour approximately half of the mixture in the beaten eggs, mixing (fast!) and thoroughly. (This process is called Tempering) Pour the tempered egg/mix back into the saucepan. Boil and stir 1 full minute. |
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Remove from Heat, stir in butter, coconut and vanilla, mixing well. |
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Place on a cooling rack for 16-18 minutes. Do NOT cool for too long as a film will form on the top of the filling. Carefully spoon into a vacuum seal bag. (It's quite helpful to fold down the top of the bag to prevent a mess from getting on the edge of the bag, preventing a good seal.) |
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Vacuum Seal the Warm Filling, try to remove as many air bubbles as possible. Label & Toss it into the freezer. As you can see in the picture on the left, this particular This is because only 1 member of our family prefers this type of pie. |
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So when we want to make a pie for him, I simply make tart size pies. |
To Use the filling:
Remove it from the Freezer and place in the refrigerator. DO Not attempt to thaw this on the counter-top- for several reasons- it contains milk, butter and eggs (which can spoil), thawing on the counter will cause the filling to separate.
- Thaw in the fridge- 1 full size package takes approximately 6 hours to thaw completely. (Of course, this is entirely dependent on the temperature of your fridge!)
- Prepare your favorite pie shell (prepared pastry shell, phyllo shell, or crumb crust, as desired. Cut off the corner of the bag and pipe into the pie shell.
- Smooth the top, Add Fresh Whipped Cream! Garnish with toasted coconut, if desired.
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