Deluxe Coconut Cream Pie

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 1 classic pie crust, blind baked (see classic pie crust, idiot proof step-by-step photo tutorial)
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 2 large eggs
• 10 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 ounces unsweetened coconut, chip or large-shred (about 11/2 cups) or 2 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
• 4 -6 ounces chunks chocolate, to make curls

Recipe

• 1 to make the pastry cream, combine the milk and coconut in a medium saucepan.
• 2 scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both the seeds and pod to the milk mixture.
• 3 place the saucepan over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until the mixture almost comes to a boil.
• 4 in a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and flour until well combined.
• 5 temper the eggs (to keep them from scrambling) by pouring a small amount (about 1/3 cup) of the scalded milk into the egg mixture while whisking.
• 6 then add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan of milk and coconut.
• 7 whisk over medium-high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble.
• 8 keep whisking until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes more.
• 9 remove the saucepan from the heat.
• 10 add the butter and whisk until it melts.
• 11 remove and discard the vanilla pod.
• 12 transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over a bowl of ice water.
• 13 stir occasionally until it is cool.
• 14 place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until completely cold.
• 15 the pastry cream will thicken as it cools.
• 16 when the pastry cream is cold, fill the prebaked pie shell with it, smoothing the surface.
• 17 in an electric mixer with the whisk, whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla on medium speed.
• 18 gradually increase the speed to high and whip to peaks that are firm enough to hold their shape.
• 19 fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the whipped cream and pipe it all over the surface of the pie, or spoon it over.
• 20 for the garnish, preheat the oven to 350°f.
• 21 spread the coconut chips on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, watching carefully and stirring once or twice, since coconut burns easily, until lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes.
• 22 use a vegetable peeler to scrape about 2 ounces of the chocolate into curls.
• 23 on the plate: cut the pie into 6 to 8 wedges and place on dessert plates.
• 24 decorate each wedge of pie with chocolate curls and the toasted coconut.
• 25 a step ahead: if not serving immediately, keep the pie refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap.
• 26 the finished pie should be consumed within a day.
• 27 prepare the garnishes just before serving.
• 28 the coconut pastry cream can be made a day ahead and stored chilled in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap as described above.
• 29 fill the pie shell and top it with whipped cream and garnishes when you are ready to serve the pie.