Coconut Cream Pie

This was just one of those random things walking through the grocery store... I thought, "Hey, Coconut Cream Pie sounds Heavenly!" So I made one. Here's my recipe. Also--the coconut filling would be great between layers of cake, in a trifle, or just plain for gluten-free coconut pudding.

Coconut Cream Pie

Filling:
1 (13 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup *shredded coconut

Crust:
8 Graham Crackers
5 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger

1) Mix coconut milk and regular milk together in a saucepan, whisking until smooth. Put over medium-low heat and swirl it occasionally just to warm it gently.
2) In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, corn starch, and salt. Whisk for 2 minutes, or until light yellow and it falls in ribbons from your whisk.
3) While whisking constantly, pour in about 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture. Whisk for 10 seconds. Pour in a little more milk. Continue until all the milk is mixed in. This is called "tempering," and prevents the eggs from curdling. It will make your filling nice and smooth.
4) Return the whole mix to the saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to steam and thickens. It will truly become noticeably thicker right before it boils--you don't actually want it to boil, though.
5) Once it is thick, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and shredded coconut. Cool in an ice bath or in the refrigerator.
6) Now make the crust: Crush the graham crackers either in a bag or in a food processor until coarse crumbs. Melt the butter and mix in well, along with the spices. Pour crumbs into a pie pan and push into the bottom until it is an even layer that pushes up the sides as well.
7) Pour coconut custard into the pie pan and chill. Top with whipped cream or more shredded coconut, if desired.

*An optional step: toast your shredded coconut before mixing it in. All you have to do is put your coconut in a dry sautee pan and place over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until brown edges start to appear on the coconut. It really brings out the flavor and adds a nice nuttiness.

Whipped Coconut Sweet Potatoes

My friend Melanie requested this recipe, so here you go! Sorry I have no picture today. :(

Sweet Potatoes, also known as "Yams" in the United States (though they're not actually yams), are one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. They're packed with all kinds of wonderful vitamins and minerals, are fat-free, and taste delicious. However, you overcook them, or boil them to death, and they get mushy, bland, and brown. yuck. If all you remember from childhood was the brown and sticky mess covered with burnt marshmallows on Thanksgiving, you should really give sweet potatoes another try--I think you'll be surprised that you really do like them. This recipe is fast and plays on the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes.

Whipped Coconut Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1) If you have a steamer, put the potatoes in that. Fill steamer pot bottom with 1" water and bring to a boil. Put sweet potatoes on top and cook for approximately 20 minutes, until tender. If you do NOT have a steamer, cook in a regular saucepan with about 2" of water on the bottom and covered with a lid. You don't have to cover all the potatoes with water. Just bring to a boil and again, cook for about 20 minutes.
2) Once sweet potatoes are soft and fall apart easily with a fork, drain well. Add other ingredients except for pecans. Mash with a potato masher or whip with an electric mixer. They won't get gooey like regular potatoes, so whip away!
3) Check for seasonings, add more if you like more. Sprinkle on pecans at service time. Enjoy! Serves 4 easy.