Rustic Lemon Coconut Pie

Some have asked about my cooking process. Short answer:  eclectic at best. And rustic.  Rustic covers so many short cuts. The godsend for a sloppy cook.

Here are the lyrics and the melody from my Saturday afternoon pie making:

1. Suddenly decided I wanted to make a pie.

2.  What kind of pie filling do I have?  Ah, lemon and cherry.

3.  Lemon sounds good, but I need to doctor it a bit.....hummmmmm.... 8 oz.cream cheese?  And I can add some grated lemon rind for freshness.....and I think I'll toss in some sweetened coconut flakes.....feeling a bit tropical today.  Sun is out.  Add a half-cup of sugar.

4.  Many recipes call for a couple of eggs.....ok, no problem.

5.  Wait a sec!  I need to make a pie crust.  Ok, I can do that, but no way I'm going to let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour.

6.  Easy pie crust in the food processor:  2.5 Cups flour, 1 stick chilled butter, 8 oz of Crisco, 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Think I'll add a couple of Tablespoons of sugar. 3-4 drops cold water.

7.  Hit the button.  Done!  Roll it out.  Put it in my oversized pie plate.  Make room and slide it in the frig while I make the filling.  

8.  Using the same food processor, but rinsed and dried.

9.  Bam!  Pour the filling in the pie. Paint the crust with some egg yolk and slap it in the preheated 350ºF oven for 35 minutes.

Out it comes, but too hot to cut…..well dang!  My mouth was already aquiver.  Ah, well, cooked pie goes back in the frig…I can wait, I think.

Wine is open.  That’ll help with the waiting…Should have had a yen for cookies…woulda been quicker….eat ‘em straight from the oven.  Don’t even need a plate.  How long has that pie been in the frig???