I'm coconuts for my Mom!

This pie was truly a labor of love... I decided to take a stab at my first ever Coconut Cream pie for my Mom for Mother's Day. Both my Mom & I salivate at anything with coconut in it! There is this small diner back home in MD called Gleasons that makes the BEST pies and on our recent trip back, the coconut cream was not ready. Needless to say, we've been hankering it since then!

However, I was really unaware of the extended period of time it took to make this pie! And let me tell you, it was mighty tough to not dig in to the bowl of filling prior to the pie assembly! But we persevered and let me tell you, it was so worth it! The filling is smooth and creamy and the topping has a small hint of coconut!

The only changes to this recipe I made are that I subbed in some coconut milk for the regular milk in the filling... I think it really gave it another punch of coconut.

Enjoy!

Coconut Cream Pie
(Adapted from epicurious.com)



Filling
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 cups whole milk
¾ cup coconut milk
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/16 teaspoon coconut extract
Topping
2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon coconut extract

For filling:
Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and flour in medium bowl. Bring milk and coconut to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return to same saucepan; cook until pastry cream thickens and boils, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in vanilla and coconut extracts. Transfer pastry cream to medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface to prevent formation of skin. Chill until cold, 24 hours. Transfer filling to crust. Cover; chill overnight.
For topping:
Toast coconut in heavy small skillet over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Cool completely.
Using electric mixer, beat cream, sugar, and coconut extract in medium bowl until peaks form. Spread whipped cream all over top of filling. Sprinkle evenly with toasted coconut. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve cold.