Coconut Cream Pie

this is the second time i've made this pie in less than 24 hours. the first was a complete disaster and no, i don't want to talk about it. but there's definitely something to be said for getting back on the horse. especially when the horse is a tasty tasty coconut cream pie. also, i'm making this for tday and i would have baked it every day for the next week and a half if that's what it took. mmm, perseverance.

and as a side note: i have here someone who would like to attest to the deliciousness of the final product - she has elected to remain nameless - probably because she was caught with her nose covered in whipped cream. the accused quickly devoured the evidence but i do have a picture of her looking rather guilty...



anywhoozle...

Coconut Cream Pie

what you'll need:

HARDWARE:
a food processor
a bunch o' bowls (generally, you'll always need a full set of mixing bowls on-hand)
a butter knife
a fork
a 9" pie dish
a cookie sheet
a small saucepan
a whisk
a fine-mesh sieve
a spoon or 3


CRUST:
30 chocolate wafer cookies, broken into pieces
1/4 tsp coarse (kosher) salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 C sweetened shredded coconut


TOPPING:
1 1/2 C heavy cream
1/3 C confectioners (powdered) sugar
1/2 C sweetened shredded coconut


FILLING:
1 1/4 C sweetened shredded coconut
2 3/4 C whole milk
4 lg egg yolks
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C cornstarch
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coarse (kosher) salt



what to do:

CRUST:
preheat the oven to 325.
melt the butter in a small bowl and set aside to cool.
break the cookies up and toss them into the food processor. (since i used oreo-type cookies, i had the added awesomeness of removing the cream from them - if you're doing the same just split, scrape, & break. each side counts as 1 wafer so you only need to do 15 cookies.)
sprinkle the salt over the cookies. (i noticed that the cookies i used had a lot of salt in them already - you may have to sacrifice yourself and eat a cookie to find out. if they do, you might want to go a little lighter on the coarse salt.)
turn the machine on and pour the butter through the feeder.
process the mixture until it resembles wet sand (~20 seconds).
remove the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the coconut.

using a fork, press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie dish.


bake until crust is set, about 25 minutes.


cool completely. (i stuck mine in the fridge for 15 mins).

FILLING:
in a small sauncepan, whisk together the milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt.
cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens.

strain through the sieve into a large bowl and stir in the coconut.


pour filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.


toss it into the fridge until the filling is completely set, ~2 hours.


TOPPING:
increase the heat to 350.
spread the coconut out onto a cookie sheet.
bake until golden (~10 minutes).

whip the cream and sugar together until they peak. (you can always try mixing them together, handing the bowl & whisk to a cute boy, and walking away for 5 mins. sometimes, when you come back, it will be whipped cream. results are not typical - although it worked for me.)
top the pie with the whipped cream and toasted coconut.


and enjoy!!