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Jacob Back
BY JACOB BACK
Multimedia Journalist
Walking through the front door and smelling something in the oven is something I do often at my grandmother's house. I am very grateful to start “Roots” a collection of family traditions, from her kitchen and from my family's recipe book.
My grandmother decided coconut cream pie was the dish she would make when I presented her with this idea. She was ecstatic, and I was too. As she was preparing the ingredients, I could smell the sugar and the coconut in the kitchen where history is cooked.
I had only had this pie once before at my family's Thanksgiving gathering in 2025. I had always been a picky eater, but that year I decided to branch out and try the dishes that built my family.
“You start with the crust, and the crust recipe is one my grandmother used,” long-time Hood County resident Judy Back said.
While I was watching her make the crust, she added flour, shortening and butter. I could immediately tell that the crust was going to be a hit the moment it took shape in the mixer.
“All those good things that make the crust,” Back said.
After the crust was put into the oven, she made the custard, which included milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla and butter. After that came the meringue that was made with egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and finished with a nice cooling in the refrigerator.
Once the meringue was finished, my grandmother had me taste it. I quickly said that it tasted like Peeps.
I was really intrigued by how old her cookbook was and how far it's been passed down within our family. I had asked her what it meant to get the cookbook, which dated back to the Great Depression, from her mother.
“It meant so, so much, because I knew she had her hands on those recipes very often,” Back said. “Whenever I'm gone, I’ll pass that down to one of my daughters-in-law or my granddaughters. It's a treasure.”
Hearing my grandmother say those words meant a lot to me. I also asked her what family recipes meant to her.
“As far as recipes, they all came from my parents or my grandmother,” Back said. “They taught me how to cook, so this recipe comes from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.”
“They are a part of our history. They are a part of our culture. So you learn how to cook, you pass those recipes down,” Back said. “I have boxes of recipes that my mother gave me that came from my grandmother, and my great-grandmother.”
After that time passed, the famous coconut cream pie was finished and ready to eat. My grandmother cut me a slice, and saying I ate it fast was an understatement.
The rich flavors and the sweetness of the coconut hit my taste buds. I was immediately transported back, back to a time when I didn't exist.
I could taste the history… the history my family created with what they had and the golden recipes they passed down.
Thankful does not do my feelings towards this justice; proud fits it better. Proud of my family, proud of my grandmother and proud of all my family who will come after me. I cannot wait for this recipe to be passed down to them.
This pie is not just dessert; it is a rich cultural recipe of Hood County.
Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients
● ¾ cup sugar
● ⅓ cup all-purpose cornstarch teaspoon salt
● 2 cups milk
● 3 slightly beaten egg yolks
● 2 tablespoons butter
● 1 teaspoon vanilla
● 1 9-inch baked pastry shell, meringue
In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour and salt; gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat till bubbly. Cook and stir for two minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir a small amount of hot mixture into yolks; immediately return to hot mixture; cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Pour into a cooled baked pastry shell. Spread meringue atop pie and bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool.
Or, omit meringue and serve with whipped cream. To prevent skin from forming on the surface of the filling, put waxed paper directly on top of the hot filling.
Add 1 cup flaked coconut to Vanilla Cream Pie filling. Top with Meringue; sprinkle with 1/3 cup coconut and bake.
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