This is the best pie in the entire world. Courtesy of Robert Trachtenberg, NYT Cooking. Tip: when making cream pies, you can do nothing else. All eyes and concentration should be on the pie.

Crust Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (150 grams)

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

2 to 4 tablespoons ice water, as needed

Filling Ingredients:

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup sugar

6 egg yolks

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon softened unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon coconut extract

3 tablespoons cream of coconut

Topping

1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut or unsweetened coconut flakes

2 cups heavy cream

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
• In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-size pieces. Slowly add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together. It should be moist, but not wet.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk with the heel of your hand. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
• Roll out chilled dough on a floured surface until it is large enough to create a 1 inch overhang on a 9 inch pie pan. Using a fork, poke several holes along the base of the crust. Finish the rim of the crust to your liking and chill until firm about 30 minutes. Line with parchment paper and pie weights. Bake until the edges are pale golden and the crust will hold its shape, 25-3o minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights and bake until the crust is dry and pale golden 5-10 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool.
• Make the filling: Decrease oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour evaporated milk, cream and sugar into a saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to a boil, then immediately remove from heat. Using a whisk attachment on an electric mixer, beat egg yolks until they appear pale and fluffy. Add cornstarch and butter; continue beating until they are fully incorporated. Add vanilla, coconut extract and cream of coconut. Set the mixer on a low speed and slowly add the warm cream mixture to the egg mixture. Pour the filling back into the saucepan and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the custard has thickened to the consistency of runny yogurt. Pour coconut filling into the baked pie shell and bake until the edges are barely puffed and the center wobbles like Jello when you give the pan a shuffle, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the pie to cool completely, 2-3 hours.
• Make the topping: Place coconut on baking sheet and toast until light brown, about 7 minutes. Whip cream, sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks.
• To finish: Place a large mountain of whipped cream in the center of the pie and, using a small offset spatula, create a dome shape. Sprinkle the entire dome with toasted coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve