Coconut Cream Pie

For my 24th birthday, my middle sister, Brittany, got me one of the most creative and thoughtful gifts I've ever gotten, a cooking class! It was something that I have always wanted to do, but have never actually done it. Whole Foods offers several classes a week. They have everything from demos to hand-on which include baking 101, sushi rolling and of course my favorite, French cuisine. My sister got me the baking 101 which was right up my alley. The chef was so knowledgable and we made some dynamite recipes, including this coconut cream pie.

Ingredients:

Pie Crust

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c cornstarch

2 c half-and-half

4 egg yolks

3 T butter

1 c flaked coconut

2 1/2 t vanilla (divided)

2 c whipping cream

1/3 c sugar

Garnish with toasted coconut

Directions:

Combine 1/2 c sugar and cornstarch in a heavy sauce pan. Whisk together the half-and-half and the egg yolks. Gradually whisk the egg mixture into the sauce pan. Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Stir in butter, 1 cup coconut and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let it stand for 30 minutes. Pour the custard filling into the pie crust and chill (I prefer to chill mine overnight.)

Topping - beat together the whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer. Beat until foamy - you will see bubbles around the edges. Add remaining sugar and vanilla and beat until soft peaks form. This might take a few minutes so be patient! Spread over the pie filling and garnish with toasted coconut.

Enjoy!