Coconut Cream Pie in a Coconut
Serving Coconut Cream Pie in a Coconut. Crazy Fun!
I had been fighting a craving for coconut cream pie for a few days before I caved and baked up a nice pie from scratch last week. I won’t lie; it was as delicious as I had hoped. My mouth was happy. I even took photos, planning on posting it here on my blog. That night, as I turned out the lights and settled into bed, I had a dream about coconuts. Who the heck dreams about coconuts?!?! Well, apparently I do! I dreamt up this crazy idea of serving Coconut Cream Pie in a Coconut. Even down to the cocktail umbrellas. (Which I think are just adorable BTW, couldn’t stop playing with them :0)
Coconut Cream Pie From Scratch.
So I bought a couple coconuts at the grocery store and set to work on my idea. I definitely wanted to use the recipe for coconut cream pie filling from scratch I had made the other day. It’s a simple and delicious pudding cooked with coconut milk, whole milk, shredded coconut, sugar, eggs and cornstarch. But what could I do for a ‘crunch’ to replace the crust of the traditional pie? Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of crust ingredients into the bottom of each coconut and ‘deconstruct’ the pie. This saves time and hassle of baking and cooling a traditional crust.
Putting it all together is so simple.
I watched a couple youtube videos about opening coconuts here and here. They were very helpful, and in the photo below I’m using one of the techniques. Opening the ‘soft eye’ of the coconut and letting all the water drain out first makes opening it a lot easier. And can I just say how fun it is to work with and open your own real coconut?! I totally felt like an islander. (Just call me Mohana Lingo :0) It just makes me all kinds of happy! Anyway, So I thought I better ‘glue’ the coconuts to the plates so they’ll stay upright. Melted chocolate was the perfect glue. I just placed a dollop of chocolate in the center of the dessert plate and pressed the coconut into it. I set it in the fridge to harden, and it worked like a charm! Then I just placed my graham cracker ‘crust’ in the bottom, filled the rest of the coconut with the coconut pudding and smothered it all with Redi Whip to keep things simple. If you really prefer using homemade whip cream; go for it. I’m sure it would be great too. Then I sprinkled it with lovely toasted coconut and stuck an umbrella in it. Sooooo cute!
Won’t you amaze your family/guests when you serve an amazing dessert like this! Have fun with it and enjoy learning how to work with fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. I would love to hear your feedback in the comments below!
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Coconut Cream Pie in a Coconut
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Coconut Cream pie deconstructed and served in a really fun dish; a freshly opened coconut!
Ingredients
Coconuts and garnishes
- 2 whole coconuts
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3 graham crackers
- 2 Carr’s whole wheat crackers
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1 can of Redi Whip (or your choice of whipped cream)
Filling
- 3/4 cup of well shaken or stirred coconut milk
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon separated
- pinch of salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Prepare coconuts by opening one of the ‘eyes’ and letting the coconut water drain out. With a hammer, gently tap around the center of the coconut while it is placed on a hard surface (I used my cement back porch.) Continue to hammer around the middle until coconut is separated into two halves. Rinse the inside and blot dry with paper towels. Set aside.
- Adjust an oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the shredded coconut in a small baking container (any kind will do, I used a pie plate) and place in the oven to toast it. Toast for about 9 minutes, stirring every two minutes until the coconut turns a nutty brown color. Remove and set aside.
- Place the graham crackers, Carr’s crackers, and 1 tablespoon toasted shredded coconut in a ziplock sandwich bag and lightly pound to medium/fine crumbs.
- In a medium pot, whisk together the coconut milk, whole milk, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, and 1/3 cup sugar and set over medium high heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1 tablespoon sugar and cornstarch until smooth. When the milk mixture comes to a boil, whisk about half of it into the egg mixture, pouring slowly, to temper. Replace pot over heat and whisk in the milk/egg mixture. Bring to a full boil for about 30 seconds to thicken the pudding, then remove from heat. Whisk in the vanilla and butter. Set aside to cool.
Assembling
- In a small microwave safe container, melt the chocolate chips on medium power for about one to two minutes and stir until smooth. Place a spoonful of melted chocolate in the center of four dessert plates. Press the bottom of each coconut into the chocolate and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
- Remove the coconuts from the fridge. Place a spoonful (tablespoon) of cracker crumbs in the bottom of each coconut. Divide and fill the coconut pudding among each of the four coconuts. If not serving right away, cover each with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. When ready to serve, squirt whip cream over the top and sprinkle with toasted coconut. Garnish with cocktail umbrellas if desired. Serve and smile.
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 half coconut
I think this is so fun and creative!! I can’t wait to try it…plus I really love coconut!
Thanks Shatzi!