Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie - Lower-Carb

My, oh my... But this was good.

I initially came across a recipe for Raspberry Coconut Cream Pie on the Driscoll's berries site. I made that one for Thanksgiving, with sugar as the original recipe called for. It was good and, yes, I did have to try it. (How else could I attest to its goodness?!?) I used a brand of coconut milk that I hadn't tried before and that put me off a little bit as it had a bit of a weird flavor which carried on into the finished product. But due to all the sugary stuff going on, it still tasted good. But I thought it could taste better.

So I decided to remake it low-carb style. Now, you're going to see that I used a little cornstarch. I felt this was necessary as I didn't want to increase the xanthan anymore and end up with a slimy, inedible mess. Try it however you'd like. Maybe you use tapioca or arrowroot... whatever floats your boat. You may also wish to double up on the blueberry topping ingredients, though my recipe makes enough to thinly cover the whole pie. Cutting back the blueberry topping was one way to atone for the cornstarch. Oh, and this takes some time to chill, so start early in the day or the day before you intend to have it. Also, I had intended to use ginger instead of Chinese 5-spice, but sadly, I had none. Cinnamon more your thing? Go for it!

Lower-Carb Blueberry Coconut Cream Pie
(adapted from Driscoll's site)
Crust
1c walnuts
1/2c pecans
1/2tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
1tsp Stevia In The Raw
2T butter, melted

Filling & Topping
3/4c h&h, divided
1/2tsp xanthan
1T cornstarch
3 egg yolks
13.5oz can coconut milk
1/2c Xylitol
1tsp vanilla
3/4c toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
2/3c blueberries
1tsp cornstarch
1T water 
10 drops vanilla liquid stevia

*Pulse crust ingredients in processor until crumbly, like graham cracker crumbs. Pat into a buttered or sprayed 9.5 inch pie plate, completely covering the bottom and a little up the sides. Bake in oven at 325 for about 10mns. Toast the 3/4c coconut flakes until golden - takes just a few minutes. Remove both from oven and let cool. (Turn off oven, you goof.)

Whisk together 1/4c h&h, xanthan and 1T cornstarch. Set aside.
 Mine thickened a lot, so I did add a splash more h&h, maybe another 1/8-1/4c. Place egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk until blended. Set aside. (Eat egg whites for breakfast... yum...)

Bring remaining 1/2c h&h, coconut milk and Xylitol just to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking frequently. While whisking, slowly pour about 1c hot h&h mixture into egg yolks. Add egg mixture to remaining h&h in saucepan and whisk until blended. Stir cornstarch/xanthan mixture then add to h&h mixture in saucepot and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, vanilla liquid stevia and 1/2 cup toasted coconut. Pour into cooled crust. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

If you have fresh berries, use those without any additional sweetening or treatment, to top your chilled pie. If you have frozen, as I did, place blueberries, 1tsp cornstarch and 1T water in small saucepot. Heat to a simmer and until thickened. Remove from heat, add 10 drops liquid vanilla stevia and stir. Let cool, then spread onto your coconut cream layer of the pie. Top with your choice of whipped topping and the remaining toasted coconut flakes. (That's a mountain of Redi-Whip on mine in the photo.)