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Dessert

Buko Pie

A coconut pie with a pastry crust and filling of shredded young coconut, coconut juice, condensed milk, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 15 ingredients
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Why it works: Coconut and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,294 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Buko Pie

Time30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the pastry

  1. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl.

  2. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.

  3. Combine egg yolks and ice water and blend into flour mixture until it turns into dough.

  4. Add a little more water if dough is still crumbly.

  5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

  6. With a rolling pin, roll dough thinly, about 1/4 inch thick, on a lightly floured board.

  7. Bake the pie crust, set aside and cool.

Make the filling

  1. Combine pie-filling ingredients except cornstarch mixture in a deep saucepan.

  2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.

  3. When boiling gently, add cornstarch mixture, stirring fast, until mixture has thickened.

Assemble and serve

  1. Pour mixture evenly into prepared pie crust.

  2. Let cool, then refrigerate until firm.

  3. Top with toasted sweetened coconut flakes just before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1248Calories
30 gProtein
67 gFat
131 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 12 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Coconut1/2 cup shredded (40g)283
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Pienot in our table0
Pastrynot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Coconut + vanillatop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,294 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  3. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  4. Coconut + milktop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,648 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  5. Sugar + condensed milktop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together804 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Flour
Forms the structure of the pie crust dough.
Vegetable shortening
Adds fat that keeps the crust tender and flaky.
Egg yolks
Add richness and help bind the pastry dough.
Young coconut
Provides the main coconut flavor and body of the filling.
Condensed milk
Adds sweetness and creaminess to the filling.
Cornstarch
Thickens the filling as it heats and sets it when cooled.

The step that matters

Adding the cornstarch mixture. Cornstarch must be added once the filling is gently boiling and stirred quickly, so it thickens evenly without lumps. Adding it too early or stirring too slowly can leave the filling thin or clumped.

Swap the coconut

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, egg, condensed milk, milk, vanilla):

  1. Coconutthe original
  2. Raisinfits about as well
  3. Blueberryfits about as well
  4. Bananafits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, egg, condensed milk, milk, vanilla. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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