Amaretto Coconut Cream Pie

Submitted by Leslie in Texas

"This goes coconut cream pies one better! I've had this recipe for over 20 years and it always gets a fantastic reaction. An easy, impressive-looking dessert! Don't count calories here, just enjoy! Originally from Humphrey's restaurant in Houston."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 1 large dessert
• Serves: 10-12

ingredients

• Crust

• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter, melted (1/2 stick)
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1⁄4 cup sugar

• Filling

• 1 1⁄4 cups shredded coconut
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1⁄2 ounce unflavored gelatin (2 T.)
• 1⁄3 cup water
• 1⁄2 cup amaretto liqueur
• 1⁄8 teaspoon almond extract

• Garnish

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 10 -12 strawberries
• 4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Grease bottom of 10 inch springform pan.
3. Combine crumbs,sugar and butter and press evenly on bottom of pan to form crust;set aside.
4. Evenly distribute coconut on baking sheet.
5. Toast in oven until golden brown, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes; set aside.
6. Using electric mixer at medium speed, beat sugar and eggs in large bowl until fluffy.
7. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in heatproof measuring cup or bowl and let stand about 5 minutes to soften.
8. Set cup in a small pan of hot water over direct heat, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved.
9. Fold gelatin, Amaretto, and almond extract into egg mixture;let stand until slightly thickened.
10. Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form.
11. Fold coconut(reserving a small amount for garnish) into thickened egg mixture.
12. Fold in whipping cream and blend thoroughly.
13. Pour mixture over crust in springform pan and chill thoroughly, at least six hours.
14. Loosen sides before serving and sprinkle with reserved coconut.
15. Whip remaining cream with sugar.
16. Garnish each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and a strawberry.

Reviews

[mianbao]

I tagged this to make for the Zaar Chef Alphabet Soup game in the Game Room. If I had read the recipe more carefully before saying I would make it, I would have chosen to make something else. After reading the directions, I felt that if I completely changed the procedure, I might be able to make something tasty. I did not want to stick to this recipe because there is no step for heating the gelatin. I have never heard of gelatin setting up without some heat involved. I also imagined that this was why the previous reviewer had problems. I next felt that if I was going to heat the gelatin, I might as well make a custard and cook the egg, also. If a recipe calls for raw egg, and I feel raw egg is needed, I have no qualms about using it, but I couldn't see the need here. So, I heated the amaretto/gelatin mixture combined with the sugar and some cream, over hot water, then tempered the egg and mixed it in. I cooled this custard (it definitely gelled), and then was going to beat the remaining cream and fold it in, but the gelled custard was quite firm, so I just beat the custard again, and added the cream, while beating. It whipped up into a light sort of pudding. I did use the almond extract, but felt in the end, some coconut extract, if anything, would have been better (perhaps my amaretto was strong, it was not the expensive label.) I only made one quarter of this recipe, and, while it tastes nice, I don't think I'll try it again. Because of all the changes I made, I am not rating the recipe. I am not writing this review to cause distress to the recipe poster, nor do I bear her any ill will. I would appreciate it, however, if she checks her recipe, especially with regard to how to use the gelatin.

 

[CincinnatiKitchen]

I am giving this 4 stars because while the flavor was really good, it never set up like a cream pie. The consistency was more like a pudding or cool whip. I undid the springform pan side after it had been in the fridge for about 6 hours and about a fourth of the filling oozed out of the bottom. So then I put it in the freezer for a while. This was the only way I was able to take the sides of the pan off, but then the crust was so frozen that I couldn't get it out of the pan. We ended up eating this dessert like pudding in a bowl. It tasted great anyway. Maybe it needs more gelatin? Not sure how much more to put in though.