Last week’s mango-licious edition of Crave featured simple recipes for using your summer crop of fruit. This week we try something more sophisticated.

This mango cream pie, made from scratch, comes courtesy of Nanako Perez- Nava, executive pastry chef at the Moana Surfrider, who prepared the dessert in a cooking demonstration at Saturday’s Mangoes at the Moana event.

It stands in sharp contrast to the quickie mango-cream cheese pie featured here last week. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d rate that pie an 8, and that’s after adding a point for the fact that it was so easy a monkey could do it. This pie is more like an 11.

To make it you’re going to bake your own crust, cook a custard and whip cream. No gelatin shortcuts. But if you know your way around a mixer and a double boiler, you can do it.

“Takes time but tastes good,” Perez-Nava said.

She offered a couple of tips:

>> Start with two pie pans. The first holds the crust; the second goes into the first, pressing on the crust and keeping it from puffing up in the oven.

>> Use cake flour and cornstarch in the filling instead of all-purpose flour. The combination has less gluten, which makes a softer custard. Using only cornstarch would create a pudding like haupia, she said. “I want it like a cream puff, a custard-cream kind of texture.”

Mango Cream Pie

Nanako Perez-Nava, executive pastry chef, Moana Surfrider

• >> Crust:
• 1 cup flour
• 2 sticks (1 cup) cold butter, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold water
• >> Filling:
• 2/3 cup mango puree (see note)
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 1-1/2 tablespoons)
• 2 sticks butter (1 cup)
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar (divided)
• 2-1/2 teaspoons cake flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 large eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• >> Topping:
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 teaspoons sugar

To make crust: Combine flour and butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add salt, then slowly mix in cold water to moisten flour. Gather into ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours.

Heat oven to 380 degrees. Roll out dough on floured surface into an 11-inch round. Carefully place into 9-inch pie pan. Use fork to poke holes all over dough. Place a second pie pan into the first, directly on top of the dough; bake 15 minutes. Remove second pie pan and bake another 5 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

To make filling: In small pot, combine puree, lemon juice, butter and 2 tablespoons sugar; bring to boil, stirring until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

Sift together cake flour and cornstarch into top bowl of a double boiler (or a mixing bowl that will fit over the top of a pot).

In separate bowl, combine eggs, yolk and 2 teaspoons sugar. Add about 1/3 of egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring until smooth, then stir in remaining egg mixture.

Add about 1/2 warm puree to egg mixture, mix well, then add the rest. Stir until smooth.

Set up double boiler: Fill halfway with water and bring to simmer (if you don’t have a double boiler, use a pot). Place bowl of filling over simmering water (it should not touch the water). Whisk, scraping mixture away from sides, until it thickens to a puddinglike texture, about 5 minutes. Pour into pie shell; chill until firm.

To make topping: Whip cream and sugar until fluffy. Pipe or spread over top of chilled pie.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Note: To make puree, dice a mango and combine with the juice of 1 lemon and 3 tablespoons sugar (more or less, depending on how sweet your mango is). Puree in a blender until smooth. Use any extra to garnish your pie.

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