Coconut Cream Pi

Happy Pi Day!! I have two confessions to make on Pi day. The first, I made this pie a year ago. I made it on pie day last year, but by the time we finished dinner I was too tired to post about it and the pictures and recipe have been sitting in this post on blogger for a whole year. The sad part is that it was really good and I waited so long. There is something about spring that makes me crave coconut. As soon as I see Daffodils I start looking for coconut recipes. Whenever I make a recipe with coconut I always try and find ones that call for coconut milk as I am sure that this will intensify the coconut flavor and definately kick it up a notch. This one comes from Emeril Lagasse and we all know that Emeril like to kick it up a notch!!
The second confession is that I don't make pie crust. Really, anytime you see a pie post, it is the refrigerated pie crust in the red package. The worst part is that I don't even try. I think I have only tried to make pie crust once and of course it was a disaster. I'm sure if I actually gave it an honest effort I could do it, but I don't. It is like I have some sort of pie crust phobia. Even the stuff in the package scares me a bit. So, this year I am creating a Pi Day resolution. Next year on Pi Day I will make my own crust.
Want to see who else is celebrating Pi Day? Check out Science Blogs for their Pie Day Bake-Off.

Coconut Cream Pie
adapted from Emeril Lagasse on Food Network
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
5 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flaked, unsweetened coconut
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter
1 (9-inch) baked pie shell
1/3 cup toasted coconut
Whipped cream, for garnish

Directions
In a nonstick 1-quart saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar, coconut milk, and 1 cup milk. Scald mixture.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch together to make a slurry. Whisk egg yolks with salt in medium bowl. Temper yolks by adding 1/2 cup scaled milk mixture to yolks and whisk well. Add yolk mixture and slurry back into milk mixture and whisk vigorously over medium heat until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add coconut, vanilla, and butter. Whisk until uniformly incorporated.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Chill the pie completely, about 2 hours.

To serve, top with toasted coconut and a dollop of whipped cream.