Chocolate-Haupia Pie

thanks to vy n. for the recipe! (see the bottom of the entry if you'd like to try this yourself.)

the can-opening looked to be going ok.



but umm, fail. the fancy-schmancy can opener didn't go all the way through the metal, so i had to pry up a section of the lid :\



the filling is done cooking!



and because i like to live dangerously, i added a dollop of nutella(!) to the chocolate half.



letting the coconut and the chocolate halves cool before combining. (and yes, i'm using a graham cracker crust even though the recipe called for a regular crust. clearly danger is my middle name.)



it is also clear that i do not understand the concept of "divide evenly".



whipping up some cream:





all done!



first slice



verdict: i've only ever had chocolate-haupia pie once, straight from Ted's Bakery on the north shore. this pie is great, although the filling is a bit too firm -- not silky enough(?) (maybe less cornstarch next time) and too chocolately (maybe 3/4 the amount of chocolate). in any case, i might just have to get a second slice to round off this breakfast of champions.

recipe: hmm now that i'm looking at it again, i think i may have accidentally used double the cornstarch, which would explain my consistency problem! also, i will say the coconut extract is not optional, since mine didn't come out coconutty enough for me.

Ingredients:

1 9-in. unbaked pie crust
1 cup milk
1 can coconut milk (14 oz.)
1 tsp. coconut extract (if you don't have it's ok)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Prick crust bottom all over with a fork, weight it if desired. Bake crust for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

3. In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, coconut milk, coconut extract and 1 cup sugar.

4. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in water.

5. After bringing coconut milk mixture to a boil, reduce to simmer and slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Continue stirring over low heat until thickened—about three minutes. Divide evenly into two bowls.

6. In another bowl, microwave chocolate until melted.

7. Mix chocolate into one of the bowls of coconut pudding, then pour mixture into the pie crust, spread and let sit for about 30 min to cool.

8. Pour the remaining bowl of coconut pudding on top of the chocolate-coconut pudding mixture and spread smooth. Try not to mix the flavors together! Refrigerate the pie for an hour or more.

9. Whip the heavy cream with 1/4 cup of sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream on the pie surface. To make it pretty, you can use a star tip and pipe the cream in rosettes. Sprinkle chocolate shavings on top.