Coconut No-Cream Pie

Today I'll be sharing a dish inspired by my friend Bea at The Not So Cheesy Kitchen. I was inspired by her story...the reality and shock of finding out that the things most precious in the world to her, her daughters, were born with Classic Galactosemia.

Now, I had absolutely no idea what Galactosemia was.  Classic Galactosemia is only managed through diet, by eliminating milk sugars from the diet, to be exact.  I'm not gonna lie, the thought of this scares the bejeesus out of me!  I think that I would be a complete mess upon finding out that my children had any food allergies...sitting next to them during school lunch, scouring the treats brought in for classroom parties, following them around with an epi pen.  You know, that sort of thing.

I feel very fortunate that food allergies are not something that I have to worry about on a daily basis.  However, I definitely think that it's important to have some sort of basic understanding about them.  Why those with Galactosemia can't have milk sugars...and what food has milk sugars in it.  What exactly is a Celiac and what ingredients are gluten-free.  Not to mention the ones that seem a bit more straight-forward like nut allergies, lactose intolerance, shellfish allergies, soy allergies, etc.

So yeah, basically what I'm trying to say is that I want to have some good recipes in my arsenal in case I want to cook something for a friend or family member with special dietary needs.  I know there are plenty of things that are "naturally" dairy free.  Things that don't normally have dairy in them.  But if you know me, you know that I want to go a step further and take something that is known for dairy turn that into a dish that those on dairy-free diets can enjoy.

Always doing things the hard way...

Now, I'm a huge fan of Coconut Cream Pie, I love it's silky texture, and the big, puffy clouds of cream on top.  And though this pie is not exactly the same - it is still rich and custardy, and even creamy...without the use of dairy or eggs.  But what I love best about it is the in-your-face coconut taste!

Coconut No-Cream Pie

This Coconut No-Cream Pie is rich and custardy without the use of dairy or eggs. What I love best about it is the in-your-face coconut taste!

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert nut-free soy-free vegan dairy-free gluten-free coconut coconut milk pie

Ingredients (1 (8 or 9-inch) pie)

for the Chocolate Crumb Crust:

• 3 ounces (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) Earth Balance Baking Sticks, melted
• 7-1/2 ounces chocolate animal crackers, chocolate graham crackers, chocolate wafer cookies

for the pie filling:

• 1 (12 ounce) package firm silken tofu, drained
• 1 (14 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
• 3/4 cup raw cane sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• few grates of fresh ginger
• 1 cup unsweetened, finely shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup unsweetened large flake coconut (or shaved)

Instructions

making the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Process the chocolate cookies in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Drizzle in melted butter and process until it is combined.

Dump the whole mess out into an 8 or 9-inch pie plate and press it evenly into it, both on the bottom and up the sides. The thickness of your crust depends on the size of the pie plate you use. Bake for 10-15 minutes (less for 9-inch, more for 8-inch). Remove from oven and set on a baking sheet. Leave the oven on.

making the filling:

Rinse the bowl of the food processor and dry it out. Combine the tofu and coconut milk in the food processor (you could also do this in the jar of a blender, but since you're already using your food processor...) and process until smooth. Add sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and almond extracts, salt, and nutmeg; process again to combine well. Pour out into a large measuring cup with a spout and stir in the finely shredded coconut.

Pour the mixture into the pie crust that is now sitting on a baking sheet. If you used the smaller pie plate, you will have some mixture left over (discard or use for something else). Slide into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes (again, longer for the smaller pie plate), or until the center of the pie is set, but still very wobbly. Scatter the larger flake (shaved) coconut over the top of the pie, and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until the coconut flakes are toasted.

Allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack before transferring to the fridge to cool for at least 3 hours before serving. Store, wrapped/covered in the fridge for a couple of days.

*notes:

Feel free to substitute your favorite non-dairy butter substitute in the same proportions.

Substitute gluten-free chocolate cookies in the crust to make the pie entirely gluten-free.

To make larger flake coconut shreds, peel a coconut and remove any thin, hard brown outer that still clings to it using a paring knife. Once you have only the snowy white coconut meat, use a vegetable peeler to shave coconut off in large shreds. You could grate the coconut to get the fine shreds, or you could use store-bought.

-adapted from Allergy-Friendly Food for Families

This was originally a guest post at The Not So Cheesy Kitchen.