Fix for runny pecan pie

My coconut cream pie recipe uses milk (2 cups, whole milk gives a creamier flavour), 6 eggs, 1 cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons of gelatin (and coconut of course). It doesn't go like jelly, it has more of a silky consistency.

You divide the milk thusly:

• 2/3 cup, sprinkled with the gelatin, whisked, and left to soften for 5 mins
• 1 1/3 cup to make the 'custard'

Once the custard is made (i.e. sugar whisked into egg yolks, hot milk poured in after tempering), simply whisk in the gelatinised milk. My recipe then calls for cream and the egg whites to be folded in (after cooling) to lighten the whole thing.

There are thickening agents you can use without reheating. They won't give you the texture you expect from a starch-thickened pie, but you will be able to cut it. Gelatine is probably your best bet. Others, like xanthan, will make it gooey, but it will still flow a little after being cut.

By the way, having flakes in it is not a problem for cooking it again. If you mean that you put them on top, you can just stir them in for the reheating. Won't look that good, but will be firm.

When making cream pie filling, always do it on the stove and make sure that you really brought it to a boil. Egg yolks contain an enzyme which liquidifies starch. The enzyme is deactivated at above 90°C. If you don't heat a mixture with eggs and starch (and flour) enough, it will turn into a soup after a day.