So I made Pai’s pumpkin coconut pie… sans the crust, so it’s really pumpkin coconut custard. I really could not be bothered with making a crust, especially since it’s just the two of us, so I stuck with the custard base. Oddly enough, when I put the custard in the oven late this afternoon, it immediately started bubbling like mad, and when I removed it from the oven, craters had developed all over the top. It certainly was not beautiful and glassy like the pie top that Pai had made. I guess I could have used a water bath, but didn’t really think of it at the time. The custard smells heavenly, though; the palm sugar is super caramelly and toasty and comes out even in the scent!

I messaged her via YouTube, and her cameraman got back to me. He confirmed through her that I probably should have used a water bath to ensure even cooking of the custard since I didn’t’t use a crust, plus… apparently, the temperature of the oven was not correct on her recipe. 😀 It’s still an incredible flavor though: I just love the pumpkin with the coconut, and the pandan really sings at the very end. Plus, that palm sugar flavor is unmistakably nutty and caramelly! This is definitely a keeper… once I make the right tweaks to prevent the cratering. At least the coconut chips hide the holes!