Pie Crust
300 g (2½ cups) flour, plus extra for dusting
½ teaspoon salt
125g (½ cup) chilled butter
75 g (⅓ cup) chilled solid vegetable shortening
6 tablespoons iced water
2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 tablespoon sugar
Filling
300 g (2½ cups) sliced young coconut meat
250 g (1 cup) sugar
30 g (⅓ cup) cornstarch
125 ml (½ cup) young coconut juice
125 ml (½ cup) milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Serves 6–8
Preparation time: 10 mins + 40 mins for pie crusts
Cooking time: 40 mins
1 To make the Pie Crust, sift together flour and salt in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or knife, cut buttei and shortening into the flour until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle water over the mixture, gathering the crumbs together until they form a ball. Wrap in waxed paper sprinkled with flour and chill in a refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
2 Remove half of the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Sprinkle flour onto a smooth work surface. Roll out the chilled dough, starting from the center and ending just before the edge (lift the rolling pin before reaching the edge). Rotate dough at regular intervals to form a circle. Continue rolling the dough until it is 3 mm (⅛ in) thick and forms a circle, 5–8 cm (23 in) larger than a 23–cm (9-in) pie plate.
3 Lift the dough and ease it gently onto a pie plate. Press firmly on bottom and sides of the plate. Make sure there is no air trapped between the dough and the plate. Do not stretch the dough or it will shrink.
4 Trim the dough with kitchen scissors, leaving 4 cm (1½ in) hanging over the rim of the pie plate. Fold the excess dough under its edges. Freeze for 15 minutes and preheat an oven to 200°C (400°F).
5 To prepare the Filling, combine the sliced coconut meat, sugar, cornstarch, coconut juice and milk in a saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Stir in butter and vanilla essence. Cook over very low heat for 5 more minutes, stirring until the mixture is smooth.
6 Spoon the Filling onto the Pie Crust. Take out the remaining chilled dough from the refrigerator and roll out as in step 2. Place on top of the Filling and press the edges of the top crust and lower crust together to seal. Alternatively, cut the chilled dough into long strips and arranged to form a lattice pattern on top of the Filling, as shown in the photograph.
7 Flute or decorate edge as desired. Cut slits at center of top crust to allow steam to escape during baking. Brush the top of the pie with milk or cream and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until crust is golden.