National Coconut Cream Pie Day

National Coconut Cream Pie Day is on May 8th in the United States.

This dessert is yet another flavour in the wide range of different cream pies that there are. As with all cream pies, this is made from a pie base, which may be a standard pie crust or instead made from cookies or Graham crackers that have been crumbled. The filling is put inside the pie crust, and is a rich custard or pudding made from eggs, flour, milk and cream, and is similar to crème patissière. Cream pies lack a crust top, but always have a whipped cream top.

The filling in this one is flavoured with coconut, and the top may be decorated with more coconut. Like many things with the word "nut" in the name, coconuts are not botanical nuts. They are in fact drupes. The white, fleshy "meat" of the coconut is the part that is most commonly used in cooking.

National Lemon Cream Pie Day

National Lemon Cream Pie Day is in November 29th in the United States.

Cream pies are pies or cakes that are filled with pudding or custard, of different flavours. The crust can be of different types, including pastry. The lemon cream pie is a speciality of the Southern United States.

The traditional dish tends to be made on a standard pie shell; this could be a fresh one, or a pre-bought one. The lemon flavoured filling is made from cream, eggs and sugar - and, of course, lemons. This would then be baked in the oven.

This is traditionally an open topped pie without a top crust, but, as an alternative, it can be topped with meringue instead of being open. The meringue would be added after the pie has been baked.

National Bavarian Cream Pie Day

November 27th is National Bavarian Cream Pie Day in the United States.

The Bavarian cream pie, which is sometimes just named Bavarian cream, is not really a pie and it probably isn't from Bavaria either. It is similar to cream, but actually has more in common with custard.

This is a sweet dessert that is believed to have been created in the early 19th century by Parisian chef Marie-Antoine Carême, an exponent of grande cuisine and believed to be one of the first ever international celebrity chefs. The latter being a quite impressive feat, predating television chefs by more than a little. It is named either after the German region of Bavaria, or to honour a visiting Bavarian notable.

Bavarian cream is a pastry cream that has been thickened with either isinglass or gelatin and then flavoured with liqueur. Whipped cream is added, and then the mix is used to fill a fluted mould, chilled, and then turned out when ready to eat. It is often served with fruit or fruit sauces.