I made this delicious Coconut cream meringue pie recipe for a dinner at Tim and Em’s. The picture below shows another friend, Doug with Em.

I enjoy cooking for those two because they really love food. Doug just has a healthy appetite and Em loves cooking and appreciates the effort I go to.
 
Be warned though, this is not a pie for those wishing to eat healthily or loose weight. I don’t eat this sort of thing more than once a year and I only ever make it for special occasions.
 
Graham cracker* crust Recipe
 
*In Australia Graham crackers aren’t readily available and they can be substituted with Granita biscuits. I used to live in the States so I’m familiar with what Graham crackers taste like and Granita biscuits are a very close match.

Ingredients

1-2/3 cups graham crackers, ground (5-1/3 ounces)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine

Method

Melt butter or margarine then combine all ingredients, mixing well. Firmly press crumb mixture evenly over bottom and sides of a 23cm (9”) pie plate.
 
I use a pie plate that has a removable bottom, which makes it very easy to remove the finished pie.

Bake at 180 degrees C (about 350 degrees F) for 10 minutes.
 
Coconut Cream filling recipe

Ingredients

150 g white sugar
50 g all-purpose flour
1 g salt (about a fifth of a tsp)
250ml milk
250ml coconut cream
3 eggs
35 g butter
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut flavoring
100 g flaked or shredded coconut

Meringue Recipe
 
Ingredients

10 g cornstarch
45 ml cold water
180 ml boiling water
8 ml vanilla extract
4-1/2 egg whites
110 g white sugar
2 g salt
 
Method

Blend cornstarch and cold water in a saucepan. Add boiling water, and cook until thick and clear. Cool completely.

Beat egg whites till foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, beating until stiff and glossy. Add salt and vanilla, and slowly beat in cold cornstarch mixture. Beat quickly for several minutes. Spread meringue on filled, cooled pie.
 
Bake at 180 degrees C (about 350 degrees F) for 10 minutes.

I love the discordant colour combinations one sees in Sapa, Vietnam

 and it would seem that the local Zao people do also.