World's Best Coconut Cream Pie

I have a very vivid memory of being 12 years old and going to Savannah for the first time. One of the places we visited on that occasion was Johnny Harris, Savannah's oldest restaurant. After lunch was over, my Aunt Vicky turned to me and said, "Now Laura, you have to have a piece of the coconut cream pie. It's the best in the world." I sheepishly ordered my slice of pie and when it arrived, I was bowled over by the taste. Granted, my tastebuds were those of a 12 year old and not of a discerning adult, but I could definitely tell that that was the best piece of pie I had ever, ever had.

Fast forward almost 15 years, and there I was again - having lunch at Johnny Harris during our week long vacation in Savannah. I perused the lunch menu and opted for something out of the ordinary. Usually, some sort of sandwich or heavily garnished salad would have done the trick, but how often would I be able to have shrimp salad on a croissant, where I know the shrimp just came off the boat not two days before? The salad was accompanied by a fruit salad and cole slaw - a nice, southern, lady-like lunch. Of course, that's why the gaggle of bluehairs at the table adjacent us were all eating the same thing...

I was sure to leave room for dessert. Almost everyone at the table got something different, but I knew without a doubt what I wanted. My memory didn't fail me, either - this was seriously the best coconut cream pie I have ever had. The texture of the cream is ridiculously dense - a pudding bordering on the texture of cheesecake, and was chock full of shredded coconut. The topping was fresh whipped cream sprinkled with toasted coconut, and the crust was buttery and flaky. Next time, I don't want to wait so long for another slice.