Emeril Lagasse’s Best Ever Coconut Cream Pie made with Alton Brown’s homemade coconut milk and a Whole Foods Whole Wheat Crust. Absolutely scrumptious. A few remarks about the procedure:

1. The shredded meat of two coconuts was sufficient for my purposes (see No. 3).
2. Eight ounces of fresh coconut meat, one cup of whole milk, and one cup of coconut "juice"—the water inside the coconut—made just slightly less than 1.5 cups of coconut milk. (Yes, I know, it's not exactly Alton Brown's recipe—but hey, Alton Brown's recipe isn't exactly traditional either.) Next time use 9 oz of shredded coconut and 2.25 cups milk-water.
3. Cheesecloth works great when it's time to squeeze out the milk. Also, I didn't toss the leftover coconut from the milk process, but included it in the pie (one cup). I'm not sure if using fresh coconut would make much difference, but if I get a third coconut next time, I should toss the used coconut and use fresh flakes.
4. A video on YouTube suggests exposing the coconut to an open flame keeps the brown skin attached to the shell.

   I tested this idea and the results were surprisingly positive. I oven roasted both coconuts as per Alton Brown’s recipe, but I scorched the second coconut vis-à-vis the grill. The shell of the second coconut was moderately more cohesive than the pure-oven roasting technique. More cohesion means better separation from the flesh; better separation from the flesh means less work for me (which means I dance more and grind less). Further experimentation would be necessary for a definitive conclusion about the effectiveness of the technique. In the future I should try scorching again-perhaps with proportionally less roasting time in the oven to prevent overcooking of the tasty white stuff inside.



5. The directions on the Whole Foods Whole Wheat Crust package LIES! Do not cook the crust for 11 minutes or you will burn it—as I did. NB: I am now suspicious of my oven.


6. If you’re worried about getting picture-perfect slices out, refrigerate your pie uncovered for up to a day. The dry air of the fridge will firm up the filling nicely.


7. No, I did not make a whipped topping. No, I did not toast the flakes of coconut before drizzling them on top. Was I lazy? Yes. But not for lack of planning! I had all the ingredients… Husband was simply Ready for his pie. And I was ready to be done with said pie.