Hi guys! Just a quick hello today because I’m on vacation and I’ve got a tropical drink to sip and a stack of books to read. In honor of my island trip and Pi Day! I went ahead and made you the coconuttiest coconut cream pie I could imagine. I started with Seattle’s famous Dahlia Bakery Triple Coconut Cream Pie, and added some more coconut because – why not?

Coconut Cream Pie

(Makes one 9-inch pie)

adapted from the Dahlia Bakery in Seattle

This coconut cream pie is famous for a reason - it is rich and indulgent, and packed with coconut flavor. You can make the pastry cream and crust up to a day in advance if you are the type that likes to plan ahead. Just before serving garnish the pie with generous swoops of whipped cream and lots of toasted coconut chips and white chocolate shavings.

Coconut Pastry Cream

1 cup milk

1 cup full fat coconut milk

2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

To Assemble

One 9-inch Pie Crust, fully baked and cooled

1 cup heavy cream

coconut cream from one 14oz can of coconut milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Garnish

Toasted coconut chips

White chocolate curls

To make the pastry cream, combine the milk, coconut milk, and coconut in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the seeds and pod pot. Warm the mixture over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until the mixture begins to bubble around the edges.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, flour, and salt until well combined. Temper the by pouring a small amount of the scalded milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. Then add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan of milk and coconut. Whisk over medium-high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick 2-3 minutes more. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter and whisk until smooth. Remove and discard the vanilla pod. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over a bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until it is cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until completely cold. The pastry cream will thicken as it cools.

When the pastry cream is cold, fill the prebaked pie shell with it, smoothing the surface. Whip the heavy cream and coconut cream with the sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spoon or pipe the cream over the chilled pastry cream and garnish with toasted coconut chips and white chocolate curls.

hidden rose apple tart | apt 2b baking co

Guys, it has been a rough and confusing couple of weeks over here and I know a lot of you are feeling it too. Instead of a rosy story about this tart and how excited I am for Thanksgiving, I thought I would share some resources for simple actionable things you can do today to help protect people (and yourself!) who are going to need protecting for at least the next two years.

Support pro-women, pro-LGBTQ, pro-Earth, pro-Immigrant, and anti-Bigotry organizations. Here is a list complied by Jezebel. There is also a direct link to Planned Parenthood in the sidebar.

No Kid Hungry - Help ensure every kid in America has healthy food to eat, all year round.

Subscribe to the NY Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and/or the New Yorker. Support good journalism and keep it alive - we need it now more than ever.

Call your Congressperson.

Ok, Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Have the hard conversations. Don't sit idle! And eat some good food too.

Hidden Rose Apple Tart

makes one 9-inch tart

1/2 recipe all butter pie crust or your favorite pie crust

Hazelnut Frangipane (recipe follows)

4 medium apples

3 tablespoons sugar

pinch salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and slice the apples into thin slices.

Roll out the pie crust to a 12-inch circle and transfer it to the parchment lined baking sheet. Spread the frangipane on the crust, leaving a 2-inch border around the edges. Lay the apple slices over the frangipane in a slightly overlapping layer in a decorative pattern, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle the sugar along with a pinch of salt evenly over the fruit.

Fold the excess dough over the fruit and press gently to seal the folds. Put the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze the tart until the dough is very firm, about 15 minutes. While the tart is chilling, preheat the oven to 400ºF and whisk the egg in a small bowl.

After the tart has chilled, brush the dough with the beaten egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake the tart until deep golden brown, 35-45 minutes.