Coconut Yogurt Cream Pie {Gluten Free}

Have you heard of a coconut pie made with yogurt? I sure had not, but I was excited to try to make one. My husband brought home a loot of Chobani yogurt and among the variety of flavors he had purchased, coconut  was the one that caught my eye. I love coconut. He.does.not.  The kids do not like it either. So, I knew that when I created this pie, I was going to have to share with others outside of my immediate family. No problem...my parents like coconut, but the question was, "Were they going to like coconut pie with twangy yogurt?".  Daddy doesn't like twang. Mama loves twangy and super sweet. The choice I made was to just not tell them what I put in this pie until after they ate it. Of course, my daddy knew right away that something was a bit different. Mama liked it a lot. She could tell a difference, but it didn't stop her. Apparently, it didn't stop Daddy either, because I called them later and she said he ate all of his slice.

I wanted this pie to not be overly sweet but also have a creamy twang to it. I think I got just that. To me, it was delicious.

I was making my own gluten free pie crusts, until I found these at Whole Foods. They are so good. They are not crumbly and dry, but resemble a homemade crust very well. I will pay the extra to save a little bit of time and frustration of making my own. 

Use two of these 6oz containers of coconut flavored yogurt. It equals about 1 cup total.

This is where the yogurt is folded into the rest of the custard ingredients.

You can't have a coconut cream pie without homemade whipped cream on top! Mix a pint of heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup of sugar and about a teaspoon of vanilla. I like to chill my bowl and whisk/beaters in the freezer first. Then whip until soft peaks form.


Coconut Yogurt Cream Pie {Gluten Free}

1 gluten free pie shell. Baked according to package directions
1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut, toasted. (on top of stove or bake on cookie sheet @ 350 until toasted)

For the Custard

2 cups of half and half
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar *see note at bottom*
4 Tablespoons of cornstarch
1 Tablespoon of butter
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut
2 six ounce containers of coconut flavored greek yogurt

For the Whipped Topping

1 pint of heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

What next.....

Have your pie shell baked and your (first cup) of coconut toasted.

Whisk half and half and egg yolks together. Set aside.

Heat sugar and cornstarch over medium-low heat in a sauce pan. Whisk the egg mixture a bit, then slowly add it to the sugar and cornstarch. Whisk together constantly.

Bring the custard to a boil. At this point you will probably need to ditch the whisk and use a spoon to continue stirring over heat for another minute. Remove from heat, add in the butter, salt, vanilla, and coconut. Gently fold in the greek yogurt until well combined. The yogurt makes the custard even creamier.

Spread custard into the pie shell.  Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until set.  This should be 30 minutes or so.

While the custard is setting, make the whipped topping. Once pie is set, spread the whipped topping on top and then sprinkle with the one cup of toasted coconut.  Store in the refrigerator.

ENJOY!

*note: if  you think you want it sweeter, go ahead and use 3/4 cup of sugar. A whole cup might be too sweet and cover the special twang from the yogurt*

Mountains, Conferences, and the End of Summer

I love the coast. I love the heat. I love the ocean...and even the sand. I am a beach gal. That being said, it is very odd that I have traveled to the mountains for various trips three different times in the last few months. I am not a mountain girl! I will say; however, that each trip was enjoyable (although I secretly wished those events were located on the coast).  We did not take our usual family beach vacation this summer for a few different reasons. We attended several conferences/conventions--mainly homeschool and blogging related.

This past weekend, we spent our time near Asheville, NC at Ridgecrest Conference Center where I attended the Becoming Conference.  This great conference is put on by Jen and Jenny and encourages and inspires women to become more purposeful, creative, and frugal. I was so blessed to attend sessions from some pretty creative and crafty ladies, such as Angela (Button Bird Designs), Edie (Life in Grace), Ruth (Living Well Spending Less), Annie (Maison Blanche Paint), and Marian aka Miss Mustard Seed.  I had really been looking forward to meeting and chatting with Christy Jordan of Southern Plate, but she had an unfortunate accident and could not attend.  One day, Christy, we will meet, and chat, and laugh, and cook!
If you have not heard of this conference, I recommend that you check it out and consider attending next year for some great down time, fun time, learning, and dessert and coffee time!

This was our last little trip of the summer before our homeschool year began. We started back to school a couple of days ago. Now we are readjusting to schedules and assignments, while looking forward to next summer...and hopefully a beach trip.