CHOCOLATE COCONUT CREAM PIE
To make life easier, toast your coconut for the topping while the piecrust is baking.
Crust:
1 cup almonds
1½ cups flaked coconut
3 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup semisweet chocolate morsels, optional
Custard:
¾ cup sugar
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
3 eggs
½ cup flaked coconut
½ teaspoon coconut extract
Cream topping:
½ cup flaked coconut
1 cup chilled heavy cream
¼ cup sour cream
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Put almonds in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and pulse until the nuts are cut up. Add coconut and butter, and pulse until nuts and coconut are finely ground. Press evenly onto the bottom and up the side of a 9-inch pie pan, and bake 15 minutes.
Remove from oven, and sprinkle with chocolate morsels, if using. Let them stand 5 minutes, then spread the chocolate to cover the bottom of the crust (not up the sides)
To make the custard: Combine sugar, flour and salt in a heavy stainless-steel or other non-reactive saucepan, and stir until blended. Put over medium-low heat, and stir in milk. Stirring nearly constantly, cook until the mixture boils.
Beat eggs in a cereal bowl. When the milk mixture boils, pour about ½ cup into the eggs, and beat well to combine. Add the eggs back to the pan, and stir to blend well. Remove from heat, and stir in coconut and coconut extract. Pour into pie crust. Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Chill at least 4 hours.
To make topping: Toast coconut in a 350-degree oven or toaster oven until it is golden brown, about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Beat together cream and sour cream with an electric mixer until mixture just holds stiff peaks. Spread cream over custard filling. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, and cut into wedges.
Serves 8.