*  Exported from  MasterCook  *
 
                     OLD FASHIONED COCONUT CUSTARD PIE
 
 Recipe By     : BAKERS' DOZEN (NICK MALGIERI) SHOW #BD1A18
 Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    :
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
                         Sweet Dough -- for a 1 crust pie,
                         above
                         Filling:
    1      large         , fresh coconut, about 1 1/2 pounds
    2      cups          milk
      3/4  cup           sugar
    1      teaspoon      vanilla extract
    4      large         eggs
                         Tiny pinch freshly grated nutmeg
                         One 9 inch Pyrex pie pan
 
 Prepare and chill the dough.
 Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
 Use a large nail or an ice pick to puncture one of the three eyes on the
 coconut (only one can be
 punctured so you will need to try each until you find it). Drain the coconut
 milk out over a bowl. Strain
 it to remove any flecks of shell and reserve it.
 Place the coconut on the oven rack and bake it until it cracks, about 10 to
 15 minutes.
 Remove the coconut from the oven and let it cool slightly. Remove shell (it
 will come away easily),
 then cut the coconut meat into 8 or 10 pieces. With a vegetable peeler,
 remove brown skin. Coarsely
 grate 1 cup coconut, either by hand or in the food processor, and reserve it
 for the filling. Process the
 remaining coconut until it is very fine.
 In a large saucepan over low heat, scald the milk until there are bubbles
 around the edges. Add the
 finely processed coconut. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool
 completely. Pour it
 through a fine strainer into a bowl; press coconut to extract as much
 moisture as possible.
 In 3 or 4 batches, place coconut in the corner of a clean dish towel and
 wring out over bowl to extract
 all remaining liquid. (If you wish, you can toast the wrungout coconut,
 though it will have very little
 flavor remaining after soaking in the milk.) Measure the coco nut flavored
 milk and add more milk, if
 necessary, to make 2 cups. (This may be done earlier in the day or even the
 day before and set
 aside tightly covered in the refrigerator.) Pour into a bowl and whisk in
 sugar, eggs, vanilla and
 nutmeg and the reserved coconut milk. Stir in the reserved coarsely grated
 coconut.
 Set a rack in the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Roll
 out the dough for the
 bottom crust and arrange in pan.
 Pour filling into pie crust. Bake the pie for about 45 minutes, until the
 crust is baked through and the
 filling is set, but not over-cooked. After the pie has baked for 30 minutes,
 check it frequently so it
 does not over-cook. Once the pie is wobbly textured when the pan is gently
 shaken, remove it from
 the oven; it will continue to cook for a few minutes longer after it is
 removed from the oven. If the pie
 is over baked, it will be heavy and watery. Cool the pie on a rack.
 OLD FASHIONED CUSTARD PIE:
 Omit coconut. Add 1/2 cup heavy or light cream to the milk. Mix sugar with 1
 teaspoon cornstarch
 before adding to milk. Bake as above.
 Yield: one 9-inch pie
 
 
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