Coconut Rum Cream Pie

Step 1

Roll the meal pie dough out into a 12" circle. Line a 9" pie plate with the dough and flute the edges as desired. Place the pie dough into the fridge to chill while you pre-heat an oven to 450°F.

Step 2

Just before baking, poke holes in the bottom and sides of your pie shell to prevent the dough from puffing up during baking.Place a circle of parchment paper into the center of the pie dough, and fill it with granulated sugar (up to the rim of the pie plate), ceramic pie weights, or dry beans.

Step 3

Bake the pie shell for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, carefully remove the sugar-filled parchment from the pie shell*. Return the pie plate to the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes. If you notice the edges are getting too dark, cover them lightly with a rim of foil.

Step 4

Remove the baked pie shell from the oven and allow it to cool completely.

Step 5

Spread the coconut flakes in an even layer on a sheet pan. Make sure there are no clumps of coconut flakes. Place the pan under a low broiler and toast the coconut for 2 minutes. You'll begin to see the coconut on the edges of the pan browning.

Step 6

Remove the sheet pan from the oven and use a wide spatula to shift the coconut flakes around and redistribute the toasted coconut. Put the pan back into the oven and repeat the toasting, shifting, toasting two more times, or until the coconut flakes range in color from dark brown to a tan color.

Step 7

Allow the coconut flakes to cool completely on the sheet pan. Once cool, separate a 1/4 cup of the toasted flakes for garnishing the decorated pie. The rest will be folded into the finished coconut rum custard filling.

Step 8

Combine the coconut milk, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the cinnamon and salt together in a 3 qt saucepan with sloping sides. Bring this mixture to a simmer over medium heat.

Step 9

Meanwhile, whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks together until smooth and runny in a large mixing bowl.

Step 10

Combine the rest of the granulated sugar and the cornstarch and sift them into the bowl of whisked eggs. Stir this mixture together until smooth.

Step 11

Once the milk comes to a simmer, slowly drizzle a cup of the hot milk it into the egg mixture- whisking constantly as you pour the hot milk into the eggs. After all of the hot milk has been whisked into the eggs, slowly whisk this mixture back into the pot of hot milk.

Step 12

Cook the milk-egg mixture over medium-low heat until it thickens- about 4-5 minutes. Once fully thickened, the custard coat the surface of a rubber spatula and should hold its shape when your finger is dragged through it.

Step 13

Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the unsalted butter, as well as the rum and vanilla extracts.Stir 1 3/4 cups of the toasted coconut flakes into the finished custard.

Step 14

Pour the coconut rum custard into your baked pie shell and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.Refrigerate the filled shell for 4-8 hours, or until completely chilled.

Step 15

Once the coconut rum custard is completely cold, spread the whipped cream over the custard using an offset spatula.

Step 16

Garnish the pie with the remaining toasted coconut.Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy this pie within 2 days of decorating it.