My friend Liz’s birthday party was a barbeque and pie extravaganza and of course, with my sweet tooth I needed to make sure there was at least one dessert I could eat too (forget the fact that I ate a lion’s share of some of the best steak ever). I made a pie version of my lemon squares. I redid the crust to work for a pie and experimented with the filling to make it more of a custard than a delicious tart square. I ate so much of this each time I made it and Liz ate it as her post-birthday breakfast. Yum. Nice and tart, but creamy too.

Coconut Lemon Pie with Almond-Pecan Crust
Almond-Pecan Crust:
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons almond flour
3/4 cup pecans
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, or earthspread butter substitute
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 350. Grind the almonds and pecans in the cuisinart until just fine. Add sugar, baking soda, and salt dry to blend. Add butter and vanilla and blend until completely mixed. Press the crust into a 9-inch pie pan. The dough is very sticky. You will need to rinse your hands in warm water and then gently press the crust into the bottom and up the sides. There will be some translucent spaces, don’t worry, it fills in. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Coconut Lemon Filling:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup coconut cream*
3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder

Whisk together all of the above ingredients and add it to baked crust. Bake at 350 for another 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely. It will still wiggle slightly, but should be set. Let cool and then chill until ready to serve.

*If you can’t find coconut cream, skim the thick top off the can of coconut milk. Do not shake the can first.