Kelly Times Two

Pie crust 101 Get a cold stick of butter, cut it into sixteen pieces. Put some ice cubes into a measuring cup with water to get it cold. Measure 1-1/4 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove ice cubes (and excess water) to measure to 1/4 cup ice cold water. Add butter, flour, and salt into food processor and pulse until it is all mixed into fine, crumbled, and loose pieces. Slowly pour the cold water in until it turns into a big ball. Take it all out and put into a gallon sized zippered plastic bag, pressing dough to form a thick, slightly flattened disc, that will be rolled out later. Refrigerate for approximately an hour. I like to use a mat for rolling out my pie dough, although I have made a ton of pie crusts directly on a clean and floured countertop surface. Sprinkle flour over the surface, and take the chilled dough from the refrigerator and place in the center of floured surface. Add additional flour to the top of the dough. Press the dough down to flatten

Coconut cream pie, one of Kelly's and my favorites! Here's how I make the filling. Filling 5 tablespoons corn starch 1 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 2-1/2 cups milk 3/4 cup heavy cream 3 egg yolks 2 tablespoons butter 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 cup coconut Mix cornstarch, sugar, salt, milk, cream in pan and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and thick. Pour small amount of egg mixture into egg yolks, blend thoroughly, then pour back into pan. Cook additional 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into cooked pie crust.  (My preference is to use a tart pan with the bottom circle that lifts out, rather than a traditional pie pan or plate. I used a tart pan to make the pie in these pictures.)   Chill 3 to 4 hours. Whip one cup heavy cream, add sugar as it starts to thicken, then spread whipped cream over top. Calories: 458 per 1/8 slice.