Coconut cream pie is one summer dessert that holds pride of place as an American classic. Though it is made out to be intimidating, it is actually quite easy to make coconut cream pie.

The first thing you need to make coconut cream pie is a pie shell. Pie shells are easily available in your local market, but if you want, you can make it at home. This way your pie is more authentic.

The Pie Shell

Mix one cup of flour with half a cup of vegetable shortening and add 3/4 tablespoon salt. When the dough sets a little add 1/4 cup of cold water. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and shape it according to the pie pan.

The Filling

The next step in making coconut cream pie is the filling. Mix 3 cups of half and half with 2 eggs, 3/4 cp sugar, 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir the mixture in a saucepan on a low flame. 

The Coconut Flakes

Take one cup of shredded coconut and toast it. This can be done by baking the coconut in the oven set at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes.

Add three quarters of the toasted coconut in the pie mixture along with one teaspoon of vanilla essence. Pour everything into the pie shell and chill the contents for around 3 hours.

The Final Touch - Toppings

After the coconut pie filling has firmed, cover the top of the pie with whipped cream and sprinkle the remainder of the toasted coconut flakes over the cream.

Coconut cream pie goes even better when it's topped with ice-cream. Ice-cream flavors that go well with coconut are coffee, vanilla and green tea. Lime and pineapple sorbet are some options you might want to explore to beat the heat this summer.

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