Cousin Michele makes this pie for her family each and every holiday. She learned it from Aunt Dolores and has taught her daughter, Nina, and son, Walker, to make it, too. The passing of recipes from one generation to the next is a thread of continuity, of family roots and place. Sweet memories in every bite, it’s a small but amazing bit of history. Let me just say I have never had “French” coconut pie in France. This pie is more along the lines of winning a blue ribbon at a country fair, not Le Cordon Bleu.

　　

Ingredients

makes one 9-inch pie

　　All-American Pie Crust (page 258)

　　1 cup sugar

　　2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

　　Pinch of fine sea salt

　　1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

　　1/2 cup buttermilk

　　3 large eggs, lightly beaten

　　1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

　　1 cup flaked fresh coconut (see page 32)

　　

Step 1

Prepare an unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Preheat the oven to 325°F. To prepare the filling, in a bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt. Add the butter, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract, and coconut. Stir to combine. Pour into the pie shell. Bake until set and pale golden brown, about 1 hour. Remove to a rack to cool. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.

　　

Step 2

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. (Don’t worry, it won’t last!)

　　From Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories From Three Generations of Southern Cooking, © 2008 by Virginia Willis. Reprinted by permission of Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Abe Books.