A Word from the King

Editor’s note: The Queen has been busy. REAL busy. There’s been all sorts of activity at the castle which the Editor won’t go into except to mention that the Royal Pooch had surgery, which requires that the Queen be at her side at all times because if there’s anything the Queen loves more than pies it’s the Royal Pooch. And the King and the Princes of course, but not necessarily in any order that the Editor feels it would be prudent to mention. Bottom line, the King is filling in this week.



People come up to me all the time and they say to me, “King, what’s it like being married to the Queen of Pies?” And I guess maybe I should lie a little because I hate to make people feel bad, but usually I tell them the truth, which is that it’s great. I mean, what’s not to like, right? A fresh homemade pie every single week. Sometimes two pies. It doesn’t suck.

Also I always think of that song from the 80s: “I Know What Boys Like.” The Waitresses, right? From when MTV was young (and so were the King and Queen). Because the Queen knows what boys like. Boys like pie.

So anyhoo, there were a bunch of guys over to the castle the other night for a meeting of the Let’s Play Music and Drink Beer and Call It a Charity committee. Also there were a couple of very nice upstanding women present at this meeting, but largely it was a guy thing. And so, the Queen – knowing as she does what boys like – baked a couple of pies and left them for us while she quite wisely took cover in the comfort of a local bistro with a few of the wives.



The specific pies in question were: a) Blueberry, and b) something called Florida Pie.

I admit that I do not have the skill with words that the Queen has when it comes to describing pies, so I won’t even try. I will just say that they were both delicious, although truth be known I was particularly partial to the Florida Pie because of the fact that it contained coconut. And I don’t want to speak for all of the guys who were there, but judging from the enthusiasm with which they consumed the pies I would say that they found them delicious also.

But hey, don’t take my word for it. Check out the photos of some of the very guys I’m talking about, eating the very pies in question. They look pretty happy, right? The dude with the silver hair there is Steve – a very talented musician who has written a song about the Queen and her pies that we hope to have up and playing on this blog soon. Stay tuned.



In closing, and considering that I may never have an opportunity to address you again, I would like to ask you to please request that the Queen post more blog entries about coconut cream pies. There must be hundreds of recipes for coconut cream pie, right? Why limit yourself to just one a year?

Because one boy in particular really really likes coconut cream pie, and the Queen knows it.



Florida Pie
Adapted from Baking, From My Home To Yours

9 –inch graham cracker crust, baked and cooled
(Use a store-bought crust or make your own)

1 1/3 c. heavy cream
1 ½ c. shredded sweetened coconut
4 eggs, separated
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
½ c. lime juice (about 4 limes)
¼ c. sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Mix cream and 1 c. coconut in saucepan and boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture is slightly thickened and reduced by half. Pour into bowl and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks with mixer on high speed until pale and thick. Reduce mixer to low and stir in condensed milk. Add half of lime juice, mix well, and add remaining lime juice. Spread coconut cream mixture into bottom of pie crust, spoon lime filling over top. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on rack for 15 minutes, then freeze pie for at least 1 hour.
Later, put 4 egg whites and sugar in a saucepan and heat briefly, whisking until the whites are hot. Transfer them to a mixer and beat at high speed until they reach room temperature and hold firm peaks. Fold in the remaining coconut into the meringue. Spread meringue over chilled pie and heat under the broiler until the top is golden brown. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 hours.