Coconut Custard Pie

Happy 26th Fatty!
I will hold on the chiffon this time and combined your two favorites - coconut and custard - into a nice flaky pie.

Coconut Custard Pie
custard and cream makes enough for 2 pies!

FOR THE CUSTARD
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup maple syrup
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup skim milk
1-13.5 oz can of light coconut milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Prepare the custard by whisking together the eggs, flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the skim milk and light coconut milk. Heat until small bubbles begin to form along side of pan (do not boil).
3. Remove from heat. Stream milk slowly into egg mixture while whisking rapidly.
4. When all the milk is added, return mixture to the saucepan over low heat. Simmer until thick and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, transfer to a heatproof bowl and stash in fridge or freezer until custard is room temperature.
6. Stir in vanilla extract.

FOR THE COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM
1-13.5 oz can of regular coconut milk, refrigerated
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar

1. To prepare the whipped cream, spoon out the top cream portion of the refrigerated coconut cream into the bowl of a mixer.
2. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in vanilla and confectioner’s sugar.

FOR THE PIE
1 prebaked pie crust (see previous post for recipe and nutritionals)

1/4 cup toasted shredded coconut, unsweetened
3 tbsp toasted coconut chips, unsweetened

1. To assemble pie, pour cooled custard into crust.
2. Top with whipped cream and toasted coconut.
3. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or until custard is cold.

The pie turned out a bit shallow since my crust shrunk quite significantly this time. Not sure what really went wrong since I did pretty much the same thing as the many times before and made sure to chill the pie after fitting into pan. After some reading, I am suspecting the 1:1 flour to butter ratio (high liquid content) could be the reason. Maybe 2:1 is more standard. I still have the second half of the dough left and will try freezing it for a little longer to see if that helps with the shrinkage. If not, I think it's time to test another recipe! Less fat, why not?

The coconut flavor is the star of this pie. You get the coconut from the toasted coconut chips, coconut cream, AND coconut custard. I should've incorporated some shredded coconut into the crust too!

Custard made with yolks are probably more creamy and rich than the whole egg version here, but I don't really like the hassle/rush to find a use for the leftover whites. I am fine with the lighter creaminess of the whole egg version. The original sugar in the custard was also replaced with maple syrup to make it a bit more healthier. Note that the switch led to a longer time for the custard to thicken up.

mini one for tasting

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
Coconuty and sweetness was just right!
Texture: 4.5 stars out of 5
Whipped coconut cream is more solid than whipped cream. Next time for a fluffy soft cream, I may fold some whipped heavy cream in with the coconut cream to lighten it. Also, toast coconut chips longer for more crisp.

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I was working on the nutritionals for this pie and ended up with 26g of saturated fat and 130% of daily value for ONE slice (approx 8 slices per 9" pie). Knowing that coconut is high with saturated fats, I was still shocked to see that high of a number. 

What's my daily limit for foods with saturated fats?

The American Heart Association recommends aiming for a dietary pattern that achieves 5% to 6% of calories from saturated fat. That means, for example, if you need about 2,000 calories a day, no more than 120 of them should come from saturated fats. That’s about 13 grams of saturated fats a day.

(Source: American Heart Association)

BUT ...

• Saturated Fats only mildly elevate Large LDL, a benign subtype of LDL that is not associated with heart disease.
• Eating saturated fats raises blood levels of HDL (the “good”) cholesterol, which should lower your risk of heart disease.
• There is absolutely no evidence that eating saturated fat is associated with heart disease. It is a myth that was never proven.
• Natural foods that contain saturated fats are usually very nutritious and especially rich in fat soluble vitamins.

... according to another source.

It's not conclusive whether saturated fats are good or bad (and it depends on where that saturated fat is coming from too). But, it's bad anyways to be getting 130% of your daily value for saturated fat just from a slice of coconut custard pie.. But WAIT! I am so dumb. I made enough custard and cream for at least 2 pies. That cuts everything in half (or more.. since my pie is very shallow). And I corrected the portion to 12 slices per pie. The below nutritional is a rough estimate. 130 to 55%.. still a bit high? At least it's coming from natural sources.