Why Not Eat the Coconut You Love?!
Ounce for ounce, coconut contains even more saturated fat than butter does. As a result, health experts have warned that it will clog your arteries. But even though coconut is packed with saturated fat, it too appears to have a beneficial effect on heart-disease risk factors.
One reason: More than 50 percent of its saturated-fat content is lauric acid. A recent analysis of 60 studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that even though lauric acid raises LDL (bad) cholesterol, it boosts HDL (good) cholesterol even more. Overall, this means it decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease.
The rest of the saturated fat in a coconut is believed to have little or no effect on cholesterol levels.
We think coconut is highly underrated—if you like the taste, try it as snack, eating the unsweetened, shredded kind straight from the bag. (You’ll probably have to search the health food section of your grocery store to find it.)
Resources: Men’s Health
Coconut Cream Pie
2/3 c. Sugar
1/4 c. Cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
3 c. Cold Milk
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 T. butter, room temperature
2 tsp Vanilla
3/4 c. flaked coconut
Prep Day: Mix sugar, cornstarch & salt in a heavy 2 qt saucepan, stirring well, add in cold milk, whisking continually over medium heat.Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Boil for exactly 1 minute.
Remove from heat, pour approximately half of the mixture in the beaten eggs, mixing (fast!) and thoroughly. (This process is called Tempering) Pour the tempered egg/mix back into the saucepan.
Boil and stir 1 full minute. Remove from Heat, stir in butter, coconut and vanilla, mixing well.
Place on a cooling rack for 16-18 minutes. Do NOT cool for too long as a film will form on the top of the filling.
Carefully spoon into a freezer bag. (It’s quite helpful to fold down the top of the bag to prevent a mess from getting on the edge of the bag, preventing a good seal.)
Seal the Warm Filling, try to remove as many air bubbles as possible. Label, cool, & toss it into the freezer.
Serve Day: Remove it from the Freezer and place in the refrigerator. DO Not attempt to thaw this on the counter-top- for several reasons- it contains milk, butter and eggs (which can spoil), thawing on the counter will cause the filling to separate.
Thaw in the fridge- 1 full size package takes approximately 6 hours to thaw completely. (Of course, this is entirely dependent on the temperature of your fridge!)
Prepare your favorite pie shell (prepared pastry shell, phyllo shell, or crumb crust, as desired. Cut off the corner of the bag and pipe into the pie shell.
Smooth the top, Add Fresh Whipped Cream! Garnish with toasted coconut, if desired. Enjoy!
Northerly Nosh 