Coconut Pie with Yogurt Cream and Mango

Up until recently, I didn’t like starfruit so much. After tasting a really good one, I realized it was just because I never had it fully ripe, and therefore couldn’t stand the weird taste and texture.

So lately I tasted a great starfruit – sweet and some-what crunchy in texture, and simply had to make something out of it. The unique shape made me think about using it as a decoration for a pie, and this is how this following recipe was developed.

It’s a coconut pie with yogurt cream topped with lots of fresh mango and starfruit for decoration. This is one of the most beautiful coconut pie recipes I made recently, just because I used this beautiful fruit. You just have to try it yourself!

Coconut Pie with Yogurt Cream and Mango

10*30 cm pie pan

For short crust pastry:
150 grams all-purpose flour
100 grams cold butter, cut into cubes
25 grams icing sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1-2 tbsp. cold milk (as needed)

For coconut cream:
100 grams ground coconut
75 grams cold butter, cut into cubes
100 grams sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
20 grams all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. rum or brandy
2 tbsp. milk
1 large egg

For yogurt cream:
150 grams plain natural yogurt 3% fat
125 ml. cold whipping cream
25 grams sugar powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. instant vanilla pudding mix or cream stabilizer

For decoration:
1 mango
2-3 starfruits
Roasted hazelnuts, halved
A little shredded lime zest

Preparation:

1. Crust: in a food processor with a steel blade put flour, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and process until mixture is crumbly.
2. Add egg yolk and continue to process just until large clumps of dough form. If the dough is not setting, gradually add a little milk.
3. Transfer the dough chunks on a lightly floured work surface and form a disc-shape with your hands.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour.
5. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface about 3-4 mm thick and line the pie pan. It is important to create a right angle between the sides and the base of the crust, which will ensure the edges remain high when baking.
6. Using a fork create holes in the crust. Freeze the crust for about an hour.
7. Preheat oven to 170c degrees.
8. Blind baking: put a sheet of heat-resistant plastic wrap or baking paper on the frozen crust and fill with dry beans or special weights for baking.
9. Bake for about 12-14 minutes.
10. Remove the weights and the plastic wrap and continue to bake the crust for about 3-4 minutes or until it is lightly golden.
11. Cool at room temperature.
12. Coconut cream: in a food processor with a steel blade, put coconut, butter, sugar, vanilla, salt and flour and blend until a crumbly mixture is obtained.
13. Add rum, milk and egg and continue to blend until you get a thick cream.
14. Pour the cream on the half-baked crust, straighten the top and return to the oven for 10-14 minutes until the cream stabilizes.
15. Cool at room temperature.
16. Yogurt cream: in a mixer bowl, whip yogurt, whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and instant pudding until you get a very uniform and thick cream.
17. Transfer the cream into a piping bag fitted with a smooth 2cm piping tip and drizzle mounds on top of the coconut layer.
18. Garnish with mango, starfruit, hazelnuts and a bit of grated lime zest and serve.

Notes:

• The pie is at its best a day or two after the preparation, but it can be kept in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Instead of mango and starfruit you can use any other fruit you like.
• In the yogurt cream it is important to make sure that the whipping cream is very cold so that the cream will lather and set properly.