Cream Pies
from Betty Crocker Cookbook, 1950 edition

I always use this recipe for banana cream pie and it is delicious. The filling could also be used for a dessert pudding without the pie crust.

See instructions below for: Banana Cream, Strawberry Cream, Coconut Cream, Chocolate Cream Pie.

2/3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 T. cornstarch
1 T. flour
3 cups milk [1 can unsweetened coconut milk for Coconut Cream Pie, add milk to get liquid to 3 cups]
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 T. butter
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
9" baked pie shell or Easy Flour Crust

Mix the dry ingredients in the top of a double boiler. Gradually stir in the milk and cook, stirring, until it thickens and comes to a boil. [This takes longer than you may think because the water in the double boiler first needs to come to a boil as well as the milk - 20 or 30 minutes.] Boil 1 minute - I never really get a boil, but it does get thick and foamy. It should coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.

Add a bit to the beaten egg yolks to temper them. [I add a couple of spoonfuls, whisk into the eggs, then repeat this several times until the eggs are warm.] Then add the egg yolks to the double boiler and boil 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and blend in the butter and the vanilla.

Follow the instructions below for the type of pie you are making.

Banana Cream Pie Once the filling has cooled, slice 3 large or 4 small sliced bananas and space evenly in a baked pie shell. Pour the cooled filling overtop and spread out. Chill for 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream.

Strawberry Cream Pie

Pour the cooled filling over sliced ripe strawberries, about a quart package, perhaps a bit less, that have been placed in a baked pie shell. Chill for 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream.

Faith's Note: I made this - it tasted fabulous - but the filling got watery, probably from the juice of the berries. Need a work-around for this problem. Perhaps add more cornstarch and flour to the custard. Or instead of slicing the strawberries, trying cutting them in half only. I've seen recipes that use 3 Tbsp. flour or 3 Tbsp. cornstarch and these recipes only use 2 cups of milk and 1 egg. These recipes fold some whipped cream in the custard and add the strawberries to the top with a glaze. I like the idea of strawberries layered in the custard, though.

Coconut Cream Pie

Fold 3/4 cup coconut into the filling and place in a 9" baked pie shell. Chill for 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkling of 1/4 cup toasted coconut.

Older recipes use a meringue topping, instead of the whipped cream. Sprinkle coconut on top of the meringue before baking so that it toasts. The Texas Hot tops their pie with meringue and coconut and sprinkles coconut on top of the baked pie crust before putting the cooked pudding in. Here is a recipe for pie crust with coconut in it for a different variation. Their pie was really good, and meringue will use up the egg whites left over.

Here is a recipe for an early version of Cocoanut Pie from the Century Cook Book, published in 1895, by Mary Ronald. She also puts coconut on the baked pie shell before adding the pudding.

Cook's Illustrated suggests replacing part of the milk with unsweetened coconut milk to add more coconut flavor, and to cook the coconut in the pudding rather than adding it later. They also prefer to use unsweetened coconut.

Emeril Lagasse uses 1 1/2 cup milk and 1 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk. Otherwise his custard recipe is very similar to Betty Crocker's, above, execpt he uses 5 egg yolks instead of 3. He also scalds his milks with the sugar. He reserves 1/2 cup regular milk to mix with 1/4 cup of cornstarch to make a slurry before adding to the custard mixture with the tempered eggs.
Chocolate Cream Pie Follow the pudding recipe above, except increase the sugar to 1 1/2 cups and add 3 squares (3 oz.) cut-up unsweetened chocolate with the milk. Pour into a baked pie shell. Serve with whipped cream.