One 14ouncecan coconut milkwell shaken (not cream of coconut)
1 ½cupswhole milk
⅔cupsweetened shredded coconut
⅔cupgranulated sugar
¼teaspoonsalt
3large egg yolks
scant ⅓cupcornstarch
1 ½teaspoonspure vanilla extract
1tablespoonunsalted butter
Whipped Cream Topping:
1 ½cupsheavy creamchilled
4 -5 tablespoonspowdered sugar
½teaspoonpure vanilla extract
⅛teaspoonalmond extractoptional (but so good!)
Instructions
For the crust:
Preheat oven to 325°. Spread the ⅔ cup of shredded coconut on a sheet pan and toast in the oven until golden brown, about 5-9 minutes. Keep a close eye on the coconut so that it doesn't burn. Stir it several times during baking to help it toast evenly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Break up the graham crackers and place them in a food processor. Add half of the toasted coconut (⅓ cup) to the food processor. Reserve the other ⅓ cup of toasted coconut for garnishing the pie. Process the graham crackers and coconut into fine crumbs. Pour into a large bowl and stir in the sugar and melted butter. Once all of the graham cracker crumbs are moistened, press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, until lightly toasted and golden brown. Cool the crust while making the filling.
For the filling:
Put the coconut milk, whole milk and coconut in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk sugar, salt, egg yolks and cornstarch. Once the milk is simmering, slowly pour a cup of the warm milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly as you pour (this will help slowly bring up the temperature of the eggs). Slowly add one more cup of warm milk, whisking continuously.
Pour the egg mixture into the remaining milk in the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Alternate whisking and stirring with a rubber spatula. After 3-5 minutes, the mixture will be bubbling and thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and butter.
Allow the filling to cool to room temperature, and then pour into the crust. Cover the pie and refrigerate until completely chilled and firm, several hours.
Assembly:
Once the pie is chilled, prepare the whipped cream topping. Beat the heavy cream, sugar and extracts just until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the pie and garnish with reserved toasted coconut. Refrigerate the pie after assembly or serve immediately. Any leftovers can be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Notes
This pie has a subtle sweetness and a mild coconut flavor. If you'd like the coconut flavor stronger, you can add a tiny splash (¼ teaspoon-ish) of coconut extract to the custard.Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker