Mostly Homemade Coconut Cream Pie

Courtney Hogue makes this every holiday for her 87-year-old great-grandmother, who loves coconut pie and had nobody making her one. Courtney says she isn't much of a baker, but nobody else was going to do it, so she tried. Now she makes it every year, and people at her husband's work parties have assumed she bought it.

The filling is fully from scratch. The crust is not, and that's the whole point of the name.

Ingredients

Coconut filling

• 4 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup (30g) cornstarch
• 1 (14 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 cup (240ml) half-and-half
• ⅔ cup (130g) granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (80g) sweetened shredded coconut
• 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon coconut extract, optional
• 1 cooled pie crust

Whipped cream

• 1½ cups (360ml) cold heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons (20g) confectioners' or granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Unsweetened coconut shavings, coconut chips, or sweetened shredded coconut, for garnish

Instructions

Make the coconut filling

1. Whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together. Set aside.
2. Whisk the coconut milk, half-and-half, granulated sugar, and salt together in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
3. Whisking occasionally, bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then reduce to medium-low.
4. Once boiling, remove about ½ cup of the mixture and, in a slow and steady stream, whisk it into the egg yolk and cornstarch mixture.
5. Keep those egg yolks moving so they don't scramble. In a slow and steady stream, pour and whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the pot.
6. The pudding will immediately begin to bubble and thicken. Stand back and use caution, the bubbles may burst. Whisk and cook 1 minute and 30 seconds.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut, butter, vanilla, and coconut extract if using.
8. Pour the warm filling into the cooled pie crust. Cover tightly with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. The pie keeps up to 1 day.

For the whipped cream

1. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high until medium peaks form, about 3 to 4 minutes. Medium peaks sit between soft and stiff, which is the right consistency for topping and piping.

Recipe Notes

• From Courtney: toast sweetened coconut shreds in the oven and sprinkle them over the whipped cream for a nice crunch.