Coconut Cream Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust

[lexy]

Coconut Cream Pie with Chocolate Cookie Crust

Serves 8 as Dessert.

This recipe is from the R.S.V.P. section of the February 2004 Bon Appetit, as requested by a reader in Portland, Oregon who liked the pie at Mother's Bistro & Bar (also in Portland Oregon).

I find this pie to be pretty coconutty - the chocolate crust complements the flavour, but doesn't cut the intensity of the filling much. So if you're not a coconut fan, this may not be for you. The whipped cream is a nice touch, but the pie is fine without it. Finally, the recipe calls for whole milk, but I've made it with 2% in a pinch, and it turned out fine.

• 
  

Crust

• 10 T unsalted butter, divided and at room temperature
  
• 1-1/2 c chocolate wafer cookies, finely ground
  

Filling

• 1-1/2 c whole milk
  
• 1/2 c whipping cream
  
• 1 vanilla bean, split
  
• 1-1/2 c plus 2 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
  
• 6 large egg yolks
  
• 1/2 c sugar
  
• 2 T cornstarch
  
• pinch of salt
  
• 3 T coconut or dark rum
  

Topping

• sweetened whipped cream
  

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter. Pour the butter into a mixing bowl and mix in the cookie crumbs. Press into a 9-inch pie dish and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the crust has set. Cool.

In a saucepan, combine the milk and cream, scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean and then add the pod. Heat the mixture until it's just at a simmer, then remove from the heat, cover, and leave to steep for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the vanilla bean. [Actually, the bean's still usuable - use it to infuse another liquid, or, once dried, stick it into a jar of sugar and make vanilla sugar.] Mix in 1 1/2 cups of the coconut and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until blended together. Slowly whisk in the coconut mixture. Pour this mix back into the saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring continuously. Keep stirring over medium-high heat until it has thickened - about 30 seconds. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and keep stirring until the butter has melted. Stir in the rum, and then allow the filling to cool until it's lukewarm. Pour the filling into the cooled crust, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until cold. (At least 4 hours. The pie can be made in advance and chilled for up to one day.)

Top with the the whipped cream, and sprinkle the remaining coconut overtop.

Keywords: Dessert, Chocolate, Pie

( RG1287 )