Double Coconut Pie

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the grated coconut
in a shallow pan or baking sheet. Place in the oven for 10 to 20 minutes
(fresh takes longer than packaged), stirring frequently, until lightly
browned. Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the
toasted coconut for the filling. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan melt the
butter with the chocolate. Combine the remaining 2 1/2 cups of toasted
coconut with the melted butter chocolate mixture. Refrigerate for 15
minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to firm up. Pat
the mixture into a 9-inch glass pie plate and chill again for at least 30
minutes before filling. For the filling: Combine the sugar, cornstarch and
salt in a medium saucepan and whisk until they are thoroughly mixed and
powdery looking. Continue whisking while adding the milk, first by
droplets, then in a steady stream. Whisk in the egg yolks until completely
incorporated. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook the mixture,
stirring constantly with a whisk or spoon, until it boils. Be sure to reach
all over the bottom and sides of the pan with the whisk or spoon to prevent
lumps from forming. When it reaches a full boil, reduce the heat to low and
continue cooking and stirring for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat
in the butter, vanilla and 1 cup of the reserved toasted coconut. Place a
piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding, covering it
entirely to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. Let cool for 15
minutes. Remove the plastic, stir well and pour the mixture into the pie
shell. Whip the cream (if using) just before serving and spread it over the
pie. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of toasted coconut over the finished
pie. This recipe yields 1 nine-inch pie.