Buco (Young Coconut) Custard Pie

There are three baked treats in the Filipino magazine called FOOD that have been in my to-bake list: Buco Custard Pie, Ube Roll Cake, and 7-Layer Toffee Crunch Cake. Up first is Buco Custard Pie, a rather rich version of the buco pie with the addition of a layer of custard. The pie is yummy, the crust is flaky, the filling is very creamy and not overly sweet. I don't know why I added the custard layer because I am not a fan of egg pie, I guess I was just curious. It came out very yummy, we finished the pie in 2 days! For the buco filling I used the meat and water of 2 fresh young coconuts. I was lucky both have thick but still soft meat. Hacking the bucos open was a real chore. This is the first time in my life I ever opened a coconut. I had to use a hammer after draining the water into a bowl, I was so scared of shards flying...I tell you, it is hard work. In the Philippines when we bought them in the markets or by the roadsides going to the provinces the sellers opened them after draining the water into a separate plastic bag. In restaurants they are served very cold with a straw in it and a spoon to scrape the meat. At home, the housemaids did all the hacking, I never bothered watching how it's done. I'm thinking of buying a machete which is the right tool to open a coconut but where will I cut it?*sigh*. Or I'll use frozen young coconut next time.

Buco Custard Pie

crust
2½ cups pastry flour
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoonp salt
¾ cup very cold diced butter
½ cup ice water
2 egg whites

• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter, I prefer using my fingertips, until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle water slowly, toss with a fork until the dough comes together. Divide dough into 2 equal parts, shape into balls, flatten and wrap individually in plastic film, and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out one dough into an 11-inch circle. Ease into a 9-inch pie pan. Smooth the dough into the bottom and sides of pan. Trim off excess to about 1 inch wider than pan. Prick bottom and sides all over with a fork. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Let cool. Brush with egg whites, set aside.

buco layer
4 cups young coconut meat cut into 1-inch strips
2 cups young coconut water, divided
1 cup evaporated milk
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup cornstarch

• In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut meat, 1 cup coconut water, evaporated milk, sugar, and condensed milk. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often for 8 minutes. Stir cornstarch into the remaining coconut water. When the coconut meat mixture begins to boil, add cornstarch mixture, stirring quickly until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

custard layer
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten in a small bowl
1 teaspoon vanilla

• In a small saucepan, combine sugar, flour, salt, and milk. Cook over low heat, stirring often until the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Slowly stir in half of the mixture into the egg yolks. Beat until smooth and return to the saucepan with the remaining mixture. Cook until thick, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly.

to assemble the pie:
1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons water

• Pour the buco meat filling into the crust, smooth top. Add custard on top of buco, smooth top. Roll out the second dough round into an 11-inch circle. Ease on top of the custard. Pinch edges of crust together and crimp or press with a fork. Brush top of pie with egg wash. Bake in the preheated 400°F oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.