Piña Colada Pie (or Virgin Colada Pie)
Toasted coconut-graham cracker crust is filled with a layer of pineapple/rum curd, a layer of coconut/rum cream and topped with a mound of rum-spiked whipped cream and, finally, a sprinkle of toasted coconut.
servings
Ingredients
Pineapple Curd
- 1 ½ teaspoons gelatin powder
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 3 oz unsalted butter
- 3 eggs
- 10 oz granulated sugar (1 ¼ cups)
- 4 oz canned pineapple juice (½ cup)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon table salt
Coconut Graham Cracker Crust
- 5 oz graham cracker crumbs (1 ¼ cups)
- 1 ½ oz toasted coconut (½ cup)
- 2 oz granulated sugar (¼ cup)
- 3 oz unsalted butter (melted)
- 4 oz white chocolate (chopped fine)
Coconut Rum Pastry Cream
- 8 oz canned coconut milk (1 cup)
- 4 oz whole milk (½ cup)
- 5 oz granulated sugar (½ cup+ 2 tablespoons)
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- ½ vanilla bean (split)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large yolks
- 1 ⅛ oz corn starch (3 tablespoons)
- 1 ½ oz unsalted butter
- 1 oz rum (2 tablespoons)
Assembly
- 5 canned pineapple slices (do not use fresh pineapple, see note)
- ½ cup untoasted coconut
- 16 oz heavy cream (2 cups)
- 1 oz confectioner sugar (¼ cup)
- 1 tablespoon rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Pineapple Curd
- Bloom 1 ½ teaspoons gelatin powder in 2 tablespoons rum in a medium size bowl. Place 3 oz unsalted butter on top of the bloomed gelatin. Put a fine mesh sieve over the bowl and keep it near the stove.
- Thoroughly combine 3 eggs and 10 oz granulated sugar in a medium saucepan. Add 4 oz canned pineapple juice, 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1/8 teaspoon table salt. Heat the egg/juice mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly. You must be sure to keep stirring across the entire bottom and corners of the pot so the custard does not have a chance to stick. The mixture will start out opaque with a fine white foam over the surface. As it heats up the curd will thicken, become more translucent and the foam will disappear. Cook until the curd coats the back of a wooden spoon and it JUST BEGINS to boil. Don't allow it to come to a full rolling boil.
- Immediately remove from the heat and pour through the sieve over the butter and gelatin. Stir until the butter and gelatin are melted and thoroughly incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4-6 hours.
Coconut-Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Combine 5 oz graham cracker crumbs, 1 ½ oz toasted coconut and 2 oz granulated sugar in a food processor. Pulse a few times to grind the coconut. Sprinkled 3 oz unsalted butter (melted) over the crumbs and pulse to combine. Press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of a deep dish pie plate.
- Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and cool about 5 minutes. While the crust is still warm sprinkle 4 oz white chocolate into the bottom of the pie shell. Allow the chocolate to melt and then carefully spread it across the bottom and sides of the pie shell. Allow the shell to cool completely until the white chocolate is set.
Coconut Rum Pastry Cream
- Combine 8 oz canned coconut milk and 4 oz whole milk with 5 oz granulated sugar, ⅛ teaspoon table salt and ½ vanilla bean. Heat over medium high until scalding hot.
- While the milk heats up, combine 2 large eggss, 2 large yolks and 1 ⅛ oz corn starch and whisk until smooth. When the milk is scalding hot pour it into the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Return to the pot and cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and strain back into the bowl from the yolks. Add 1 ½ oz unsalted butter and 1 oz rum to the hot custard and whisk to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let it cool at room temperature.
Assembly
- Cut5 canned pineapple slices in half and arrange them in the bottom of the white chocolate lined pie shell. Spread the pineapple curd over the pineapple slices. Sprinkle the ½ cup untoasted coconut over the curd. Spread the coconut pastry cream over the curd. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight to set the filling.
- Whip 16 oz heavy cream with 1 oz confectioner sugar, 1 tablespoon rum and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Spread the cream onto the chilled filling. Sprinkle with toasted or untoasted coconut to garnish. Chill until ready to serve.
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Notes
To create a "Virgin" colada pie use water instead of rum to bloom the gelatin and don't use the rum in the coconut pastry cream or whipped cream.
There is an enzyme in fresh pineapple that breaks down the protein in gelatin, so gelatin won't set. Cooking the pineapple, as it is when canned, deactivates that enzyme allowing the gelatin to set.
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