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Presidents/John Tyler

AT THE TABLE WITH JOHN TYLER

Coconut custard pie

A generous slice of Virginia hospitality.

Dessert1 hr 10 min + coolingServes 8
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Coconut custard pie — a painted table
A painted table · Serving illustration

THE STORY ON YOUR PLATE

The pudding that is really a pie

More about John Tyler →

The tenth president was the first vice president to take over after a president’s death.

Family or White House tradition

The Tyler family preserves the tradition of Tyler pudding, a coconut dessert baked as a pie. Our custard sets in a pastry shell, with a toasted top and a soft centre for slicing after it cools.

The president & the table

The Tyler family tradition preserves a dessert called Tyler pudding. Its name promises a bowl and spoon; the recipe tradition delivers a coconut-and-cream pie. Sherwood Forest family retellings and later published recipes keep the association alive.

Behind this story

Sherwood Forest family tradition; published Tyler pudding-pie accounts.

APRON ON. HISTORY CAN WAIT.

Make it at home.

Serves 8

What you’ll need

Let’s make it

  1. Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Line the pastry shell with parchment and baking weights. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the weights and bake for 5 minutes more.

  2. Lower the oven to 170°C / 340°F. Whisk eggs and sugar, then add milk, cream, coconut, butter, vanilla and salt.

  3. Pour into the warm shell. Bake for 35–45 minutes until the outer custard is set and the centre has only a slight wobble; an egg custard should reach 71°C / 160°F.

  4. Cool, then refrigerate within 2 hours. Serve chilled or slightly cool.

Cooking notes

Metric and US measures are approximate equivalents. For baking, use weights when you can.