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Lemon Coconut Chess Pie: Reduce the lemon juice to 3 tablespoons and add ¼ cup unsweetened coconut with the vanilla.

Lemon Ginger Chess Pie: Reduce the lemon juice to 3 tablespoons and add 1 tablespoon ginger juice with the vanilla.

Lime Chess Pie: Substitute lime juice and lime zest for the lemon juice and lemon zest.

Coconut Custard Pie

Here’s a combination of a custard pie and a coconut cream one. For the best taste, use shredded (or “desiccated”) unsweetened coconut. Makes one 9-inch pie

4 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

½ cup sugar

2 cups milk (regular, low-fat, or fat-free)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded (or “desiccated”) unsweetened coconut

1 recipe Short Crust or Butter Crust, lined into a 9-inch pie plate and prebaked (for instructions on prebaking,)

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Beat the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy and lemony yellow, about 4 minutes.

Beat in the milk, vanilla, and salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets well combined. Beat in the coconut for a few seconds just until incorporated. Pour into the prebaked crust.

Bake until lightly browned and set, until a knife inserted into the filling comes out clean, about 50 minutes.

To cool: Set on a wire rack for 20 minutes before slicing.

To store: Once cooled, the pie can be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Double Coconut Custard Pie: Reduce the milk to 1 cup and add 1 cup coconut milk with the remaining milk.

Coconut Rum Custard Pie: Reduce the milk to 1 ¾ cups and add ¼ cup gold rum with it; also add 1 additional large egg yolk.

Tropical Coconut Custard Pie: Add 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest and ¼ teaspoon rum extract with the vanilla.

Coconut Custard Pie Brûlée: Once the pie has cooled to room temperature, preheat the broiler. Mix 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar with ¼ cup shredded sweetened coconut in a small bowl; sprinkle this mixture evenly over the pie. Cover the edge of the crust with aluminum foil so it won’t get burned. Place the pie 4 to 6 inches from the heat source and broil until lightly browned and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Alternatively, use a small kitchen blowtorch to caramelize the sugar and brown the coconut.

Squash Ginger Pie

Although most of us grew up loving pumpkin pie, we were actually loving something else. The USDA allows other kinds of winter squash to be labeled “pumpkin”—and since most of the canned pumpkin is actually winter squash, we grew up eating something very much like this pie, only without the adult spike of crystallized ginger. Makes one 9-inch pie

1 recipe Walnut Crust or Butter Crust, lined into a 9-inch pie plate and prebaked (for instructions on prebaking,)

2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup honey

2 cups frozen squash puree, thawed (see Note)

1 cup whole milk (do not use low-fat or fat-free)

½ cup half-and-half

2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Sprinkle the prebaked crust with the chopped ginger; set aside.

Beat the egg, egg yolks, sugar, and honey in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the squash puree, milk, and half-and-half until smooth.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the lemon zest, nutmeg, and salt. Pour this mixture gently into the prebaked crust, taking care not to scatter the ginger pieces.

Bake until puffed and almost set, until there’s just the slightest jiggle at the center of the pie, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Should the crust start to brown too deeply, cover the edge with a thin strip of aluminum foil to protect it.

To cool: Set on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

To store: The cooled pie can be covered in plastic wrap and