Friday is PIE DAY!

On a recent trip to Charleston and Savannah we ate ourselves silly, and sampled many desserts, including a much anticipated stop at Back In the Day Bakery. Still, I only managed to eat one slice of pie. I'm still not sure how I let that happen, and might have to demand a retry. Luckily, the one slice we did find (completely unexpectedly in a small coffee shop) was fantastic-a simple pecan- not too sweet, not too goopy, and heavy on the pecans. Pecans pie is, of course, a Southern staple, but in Charleston coconut cake is queen. I was amazed by the sheer number of coconut cakes we saw on display everywhere we went. Definitely the signature dessert of Charleston.

This pie combines pecans and coconut into one luscious, decidedly Southern treat.
My ode to Charleston.


Charleston Pie

single 9" pie crust

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup whole pecans
2 eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 T butter, melted
1 T vanilla

-preheat oven to 350 degrees
-layer coconut into prepared pie crust
-beat eggs, maple syrup, brown sugar, butter and vanilla until well blended
-stir pecans into mixture
-pour mixture over top of coconut, being sure to cover all coconut
-bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes