Penelope’s Pie Shop 7
For the previous editions of Penelope’s Pie Shop, look under the Neverending Stories tab at the top of this site and go here!
Taking another bite of the caramel pie, Meg stared at the smug cat twitching its tail on the kitchen counter.
“What?” she demanded, digging another bite out of the sticky remnants that remained on her plate. “Come on, tell me. Why does this pie taste fantastic, while the others tasted like sand?”
Biscuit smirked. “Why don’t you try to make another pie?” she asked, her whiskers fluttering in amusement as Meg cut herself a third slice of caramel pie. “That is, if you can think of any other pie but the one you’re currently inhaling.”
“Listen, cat,” Meg snapped, “I haven’t had this pie in seven years since my grandmother passed away. I’m going to enjoy it. No restaurant has ever been able to make a caramel pie that compared to hers. Once Penelope hires me, I’ll start training for a marathon or something, ok?”
The cat shrugged, its tail languidly trailing along the counter edge. Her bright green eyes danced as she delicately licked a calico paw. “I’m simply trying to help,” she murmured. “You asked, you know.” Curling into a ball, the cat closed her eyes and wrapped her tail around herself.
Meg dug into the pie, her eyes closing in bliss as the thick caramel mixture spread over her tongue. Her fingers were sticky and her teeth felt like they had been wrapped in plastic, but she didn’t care. There was something about her grandmother’s caramel pie that could cure any wrongs, fix even the worst of bad days. Even now, delight buzzed in her chest and contentment flowed from her lips in happy sighs.
She slid her fork into the gooey pie and took another bite. As hard as it was, she had to think of another pie to make. If the little princesses had felt anywhere near what she felt for the Shabby Princesses‘ Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie, she was going to give them that happiness. Taking a final bite of crust and caramel, she licked her lips and set her plate in the sink.
“There’s got to be a pie I can make,” she murmured, glancing at the wall of thousands of cookbooks. Their pages fluttered with anticipation, each book hoping she would open it first. “Something simple, something classic. Something that screams joy and comfort.” Pulling a thick book off the shelf, she ignored the other books’ unhappy sighs. “Apple is too common,” she muttered to herself. “Cherry is too sweet for me. I’ve never had rhubarb, so I don’t even know if it would taste right. And blueberries seems like such an obvious choice.” She pulled another book down, flipping through the pages. “That’s it!” she crowed, planting her finger on a page. “Perfect!”
Spinning in the center of the room, she clutched the book to her chest and sang out the ingredients. “The finest toasted coconut around, 3 cups of milk and 4 eggs! A little vanilla, some sugar and one fine pie shell, if you please!” One by one, the ingredients rose from the book and whirled around the room, landing on the counter tops with a flourish. The sugar and cornstarch mixed together in a white tornado over the counter, the milk pouring into it like a whirlpool. The mixture drizzled into a waiting pie crust below. Meg skipped over to it and stuck her finger into the mixture. She tasted it and smiled.
“Delicious,” she told the cookbook. It’s cover flushed bright red. Humming to herself, Meg watched as the meringue spread itself over the top of the pie and toasted coconut sprinkled over the top. Stepping back, Meg beamed.
“It’s perfect!” she cried. “Just perfect.”
Biscuit peered over, her green eyes flickering with interest. “Why coconut cream pie?” the cat asked. “What made you pick that over blueberry or apple?”
“When I was little, I went to a really nice lady’s house every day after school,” Meg replied, already pulling out a plate and spatula to try a slice. “My mom couldn’t afford daycare. She’d give the lady $50 a week to watch me. Every year for my birthday, Mrs. May would make me a coconut cream pie for my birthday. It was the only pie she knew how to make, and she spent hours working on it.”
Sliding a slice on a plate, Meg grinned at the cat. “So if this tastes like summer and happiness and one of Mrs. May’s big hugs, then I’m considering it a success. And then you HAVE to tell me why these pies worked and the others didn’t.”
“Deal,” Biscuit agreed, licking a bit of meringue topping off of the pie when Meg wasn’t looking.
Taking a deep breath, Meg slid her fork through the creamy pie. She took a tentative bite and chewed slowly. Then she burst out laughing and gave a loud whoop, pumping her fist in the air.
“It’s perfect!” she cried, leaping around the kitchen. “I did it! Well, we did it,” she acknowledged, nodding at the cookbooks. “But it tastes just like the ones Mrs. May made! It’s got the same fluffy top, the same sweet taste and the same toasted coconut. I feel like I’m at her house all over again, sitting there after school doing my math homework while she told me stories of her grandchildren and their adventures.” Dancing around the kitchen in truimph, she took another bite.
“So now you have to tell me”– She turned around and burst out laughing. Biscuit’s entire face was covered in cream, with toasted coconut dangling from her whiskers. Half the pie had neatly disappeared from the dish, with only a few smears of cream as evidence it had ever existed. “And you made fun of me for eating three slice of caramel pie?” Meg teased. “At least I used a fork!”
Biscuit scowled. The coconut twitched on her whiskers and cream trembled on her chin as she began to wash her face with her paws. “The reason you did better with these pies is simple. You understood.”
“Understood what?” Meg stared at her.
A frantic scribbling on the chalkboard made her whirl around. You understood the love of pie. The joy of pie. The happiness pie can bring someone. Meg blinked at the scrawled words on the chalkboard, ignoring the cookbooks twittering in the case. “I still don’t get it. I’ve always liked pie. I mean, it’s good. What’s not to like about it?”
Biscuit had succeeded in removing part of the coconut from her whiskers. The rest dangled under her chin like a trendy beard. “For each pie you made, you had a story behind it. The caramel pie reminded you of your grandmother and tasted of joy you had in your childhood. The coconut cream pie brought up sweet memories of a woman who was kind to you. The pies were better because you understood them. You know what they meant to you, so you put your joyful memories into them. The pies you made before were an obligation and full of fear. You were terrified you wouldn’t get the job. You were more worried about just making the pies instead of relishing them.”
The sound of chalk dashing against the chalkboard made her turn. Pie is a celebration of every day life, the chalkboard read. It is joy.
Meg nodded. “That’s how those little girls felt about their peanut butter ice cream pie,” she murmured. “I never understood what made a pie worth celebrating. But now, I think I do.” Her eyes twinkled and she stood up, tossing her hair behind her shoulder. “I know exactly what I’m going to do,” she announced.
Biscuit’s green eyes widened hopefully. “Make another coconut cream pie?” she asked, licking her lips.
“Even better.” Meg grinned.
Coconut Cream Pie
Picture and recipe from Cooking Light Magazine, 2002. Recipe found here.
Yield
10 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 1 (10-inch) Piecrust or 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
- Filling:
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
- 3/4 cup light coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Meringue:
- 3 large egg whites
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut, toasted
Preparation
Prepare and bake Piecrust in a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare filling, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and eggs in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
Heat milk and coconut milk over medium-high heat in a small, heavy saucepan to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Gradually add hot milk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Place mixture in pan; cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Spoon custard into a bowl; place bowl in a large ice-filled bowl for 10 minutes or until custard comes to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from ice. Stir in extracts; spoon mixture into prepared crust. Cover and chill 8 hours or until firm.
Preheat broiler.
To prepare meringue, place egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238°. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form.
Spread meringue over chilled pie, and sprinkle with coconut. Broil for 1 minute or until meringue is lightly browned; cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Information
- Calories:
- 281 (30% from fat)
- Fat:
- 9.3g (sat 5.6g,mono 2.6g,poly 0.4g)
- Protein:
- 5.3g
- Carbohydrate:
- 45.6g
- Fiber:
- 0.6g
- Cholesterol:
- 63mg
- Iron:
- 1.4mg
- Sodium:
- 208mg
- Calcium:
- 28mg
To be continued….
Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! Tomorrow we have a truly Texas recipe and Friday, a new Twirl! We’ve also got a weekend full of creative fun and a new featured creative woman! Stay tuned!
April 15th, 2009 at 3:14 am
this looks sooooooo good.
thanks.
also i feel its rather easy isnt it?
April 15th, 2009 at 4:17 am
It’s funny isn’t it, how food or certain aromas can bring back so many memories….
April 15th, 2009 at 4:40 am
This is such a great story! and the pie looks fantastic too!
April 15th, 2009 at 4:40 am
Ah, the joy of pie found…how wonderful!
April 15th, 2009 at 4:57 am
drooooooooooool- I’m for anything with coconut in it
April 15th, 2009 at 5:10 am
The joy of pie! I am all for it!
April 15th, 2009 at 5:12 am
Wonderful story…I’m drooling over that recipe too, tee hee!
Jamie
April 15th, 2009 at 5:21 am
Lovely story and gorgeous pie. Coconut Cream is one of my favorites for sure, and a cat with a coconut beard brought a smile to my face on this rainy morning!
April 15th, 2009 at 5:30 am
coconut cream pie? omnomnom!
April 15th, 2009 at 5:34 am
Now I do make a mean Coconut Cream Pie. I just haven’t made one in a long time.
April 15th, 2009 at 5:39 am
Oh, coconut cream pie. Yummy. I want a cook book that cooks for me. That would be soooo very nice.
April 15th, 2009 at 6:18 am
awwww I’m so glad she figured it out! And YUM!!!!
(BTW, crazy about your sister calling 911! hehe.)
April 15th, 2009 at 6:26 am
Wow, you include nutritional info? I’m majorly impressed.
April 15th, 2009 at 6:28 am
OHHh yummy, along with your descriptive language!!!
April 15th, 2009 at 6:36 am
OMG what are you doing to me. I am starving to death, yes to death and you have pie on here! I think I am going to pass out if you don’t feed me a slice right now!
April 15th, 2009 at 7:06 am
Yay for pie! But I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of coconut. The texture gets me everytime!
April 15th, 2009 at 7:09 am
awwww, this pie sounds so delish. I love coconut, and I didn’t know that there is this thing called coconut extract. That must add more flavor to the pie. Will definitely add this extract to my pantry.
Cheers,
elra
April 15th, 2009 at 7:12 am
That is my husbands favorite pie, I think I could manage to make that, not too complicated.
April 15th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Aw, Duckie, did you have to tell us about calories? Somehow, that spoils the fun of pie!
April 15th, 2009 at 8:00 am
perfect…perfect, indeed, absolutely perfect!
so, when are you gonna be published?
April 15th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Oh – this story is so good Duckie!!! And thanks for the coconut pie recipe. I love it!!! It loos SOOOO delicious!
How are things?
XOOX
Jen
April 15th, 2009 at 8:38 am
I like coconut cream, but I LOVE LOVE caramel!! They both look delicious and what a cute story!
April 15th, 2009 at 8:42 am
She got it! I am in love with coconut cream pie – it’s my very favorite.
April 15th, 2009 at 9:56 am
I think the nutritional information is very useful. Calories and cholesterol: we must be careful!
April 15th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Love your story!!! Story and a recipe. What more can we ask for? Love the cooking light recipe!!
April 15th, 2009 at 10:28 am
This looks so good. I am adding you to my blog roll.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:29 am
That pie is seriously pretty. I love the pinks and the way it is perfectly toasted. YUM!
April 15th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Yum, the Bossman loves coconut cream!
April 15th, 2009 at 11:25 am
That’s a scrumptious looking pie! Loved this chapter, keep em’ coming!
April 15th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I always read your blog at lunchtime. And every week, I always want pie after seeing your pictures!
April 15th, 2009 at 11:48 am
The pie looks wonderful. I love how something like food can take you back to a perfect memory. It is a celebration!
Great story. Can’t wait for more!
April 15th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Coconut cream is one of my favorites! I loooove this story!
April 15th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Awesome! I knew it had to be because she was putting love into the pies she was making. I love this story. And this time I ate chocolate pudding while reading it so I wouldn’t be so hungry for pie
April 15th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Nothing to do with the story but I was snooping around your site, hehe, and saw your wedding stuff. You got married on my b-day. That’s so cool. I also loved how un-wedding you were. That’s so cute!
April 15th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
For once I could focus on the story instead of wondering endlessly about that pie! I’m too stuffed full of Calzone to so much as think about pie
April 15th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Coconut cream pie was the perfect choice for this charming story, duckie. I want you to know every time I look at my walls of cookbooks I smile to my self at the thought of one popping out with a recipe! I wouldn’t mind having that chalk board either. Can’t wait for the next chapter:)
April 15th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Love just about any cream pie…yum!! Now I have a craving and I am at work…not a place to satisfy cravings of any kind!!
April 15th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Yay, a new twirl! I need to make coconut cream pie once I’m home for the summer. You’ve inspired me
April 15th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Thanks for stopping by my blog and saying hi! We Viviennes are few and far between! I’ve book-marked your site. No time to read this right now, but will be back with a cup of coffee and kids sent to outside to play!
April 15th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
I wish I could bring that pie to life in my kitchen the way you bring a story to life!
April 15th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I love the meringue! It’s perfectly flame kissed!
April 15th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
I’m in Texas as well! I’d love to know what magazine u work with so I can check it out!!!
April 15th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I want that exact pie plate! And I can’t wait for tomorrow’s Truly Texan recipe!
April 15th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
I love this! And the recipe looks amazing!! Coconut cream pie is one of my faves
Is it weird that your blog reminds me of Candyland?? I love it!! The colors are so cheery
April 15th, 2009 at 5:14 pm
i’m allergic to coconut, but the cream part sounds amazing! our little meg is turning into quite the pie maker!
April 15th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
A story, a recipe and pie! It doesn’t get any better than this!!
April 15th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
I LOVE and WANT this pie. And Id like it NOW!!
April 15th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Love this story! It could be an animated movie for sure.
April 15th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Good story. This post was not good for my diet today.
-FringeGirl
April 15th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Hmm, the nutrition facts aren’t too bad…
April 15th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Thanks for visiting my blog! Love your header!
April 15th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Mmm…coconut pie. One of my favorites, and it’s even light!
April 15th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Yummy!!
April 15th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Mmmmmmmm…
I’m pretending that the pie is 2 calories per slice.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Oh I’m inhaling pie now! and the keyboard is wet with drool
Jane x
April 15th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Coconut cream, one of my favourites! Oh Duckie, I had missed Britain’s Got Talent last week and so didn’t see that lady sing. I have since caught up with it on Youtube. What an amazing video. I truly hope she wins. She certainly deserves to win more than anyone I’ve ever seen before. She is HOPE personified and the dream each of us holds inside and wants to come true. When I watched her I couldn’t help crying. Tears of joy for her and tears for my own dream and your dream and for countless others of us who have dreams that we are hoping to come true. I love you to bits my sweet friend, I truly do! XXOO
April 15th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Thanks for sharing another wonderful story & the pie looks delicious!! :}
April 16th, 2009 at 7:30 am
Ummm, the nutritional information is just cruel!!
April 16th, 2009 at 8:24 am
That’s such a cute story…..has me wondering if I’ve been short changing pies all these years.
~ingrid
April 16th, 2009 at 8:54 am
How the hay do you have time to cook these amazing meals? Wonder what I’m going to make tonight… I’m thinking I’ll modify the dutch oven one for my slow cooker…
April 16th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Yummy looking pie.
April 16th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
OMG that pie looks so good… i love how you interweave your desserts with your stories! so creative!
April 16th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Oh MAN! Now I want some of that pie!
April 18th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I just love cream pie – especially chocolate and coconut cream!