Lemon Bar with Strawberry Glaze and Candied Lemon Peel

Ingredients:
    Crust
    1 3/4cups unbleached all-purpose flour
    2/3cup confectioners' sugar , plus extra to decorate finished bars
    1/4cup cornstarch
    3/4teaspoon table salt
    12tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at very cool room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus extra for greasing pan
    Lemon Filling
    4 large eggs , beaten lightly
    1 1/3cups granulated sugar
    3tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
    2teaspoons grated lemon zest from 2 large lemons
    2/3cup lemon juice from 3 to 4 large lemons, strained
    1/3cup whole milk
    1/8teaspoon table salt
    Strawberry Glaze
    Candied Lemon Peels

Directions:
    1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and line with one sheet parchment or wax paper. Dot paper with butter, then lay second sheet crosswise over it.
    2. Pulse flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade. Add butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. (To do this by hand, mix flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl. Freeze butter and grate it on large holes of box grater into flour mixture. Toss butter pieces to coat. Rub pieces between your fingers for a minute, until flour turns pale yellow and coarse.) Sprinkle mixture into lined pan and, press firmly with fingers into even, 1/4-inch layer over entire pan bottom and about 1/2-inch up sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
    3. For the filling: Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour in medium bowl, then stir in lemon zest, juice, milk, and salt to blend well.
    4. To finish the bars: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Stir filling mixture to reblend; pour into warm crust. Bake until filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to near room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Transfer to cutting board, fold paper down, and cut into serving-size bars, wiping knife or pizza cutter clean between cuts, as necessary. Sieve confectioners’ sugar over bars, if desired.

Cherry Lime Cupcakes

Asked a friend what his top two favorite flavors were: cherry and lime (aka time to start combining recipes):

Cupcake: Key Lime Pie Cupcakes
Frosting: Margarita Cupcake Recipe

That covered the lime basis; to cover the cherry flavor, I stuffed (and topped) the cupcake with maraschino cherries.

(Apologies for the shoddy photo, but I was in a rush.)

Christmas 2013

Pumpkin Roll

Chocolate Mousse


I also sent out tins of snickerdoodles to my raid team:

Oatmeal Cream Pies

While I was going through a rough patch in the past year, I had a hankering for the Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies, but wanted to make my own: Oatmeal Cream Pies

Piña Colada Cupcakes

I've been absent for a good long while and am just now starting to play catch-up with some old photos.

Made these delicious treats for my mother's birthday in April 2013: Piña Colada Cupcakes

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberries were on sale for $1.99 a pint... so of course... I buy a ton of them. But looking at the pile of blueberries, there was no way I was going to munch my way through all of them. Time to make blueberry muffins. (Cooks Illustrated Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping).

Spring Birthdays

As happens, a lot of the birthdays of friends and family fall into the months between April and June. Lots of frisky between July and September. I present three different cupcakes: Cherry Cola Cupcakes (the remake),  Jasmine Cupcakes with Raspberry and Honey, and Limoncello Float Cupcakes.

A couple of notes:
-The cherry cola cupcakes I had made sometime last year, I couldn't stand because of how oily they came out. This time around, I replaced the oil with butter. I was much happier with the consistency.
-The Jasmine cupcakes gave me a chance to use this delicious raspberry vinegar I had bought at a local food and wine festival last August. There were no raspberries at the store, so I replace the berry on top with blackberries.
-I did not have enough time to make the ice cream for the limoncello float cupcakes.

Jasmine Cupcake with Raspberry and Honey

Cherry Coke Cupcake

Limoncello Float Cupcake (Ben &  Jerry's Lemon Cookie Ice Cream)

Limoncello Float Cupcake (Vanilla Ice Cream)

Limoncello Float Cupcake with a Happy Mother

Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day, I decided to try a classic red velvet from a cookbook I got for my dad a couple years ago (The Complete Southern Cookbook)... I'm always so nervous about cupcakes tasting like food dye that I never put enough in to give it that vibrant red color... I rely on the chemical reaction between acid and buttermilk to bring out a red color from the anthocyanins in the chocolate. Does anyone have any tips for not over coloring your baked goods? Especially red velvet cakes?

Holiday Cooking 2012

Alright... it was the holidays.. Twas hectic, wonderful, and unfortunately a little sad.

Thanksgiving brought cupcakes for my coworkers and the usual spread for my family. The cupcakes (apple cobbler cupcakes with literal pumpkin pie frosting) turned out alright. The literal pumpkin pie frosting left some to be desired, but I did enjoy the apple cobbler bit.

While the Thanksgiving spread was normal (same turkey, stuffing, potatoes, rolls...), I had still yet to find a good sweet potato dish. I found one! It's a sweet potato casserole that is still sweet, but not too sweet. My family agreed that this was the sweet potato dish that was going to stay. 

Christmas season started out with cake balls being shipped out to my wonderful raid team. We were recently able to finish 6/6 bosses in Mogu'shan Vaults! (Guess they deserved the cake balls!) Granted... the cake ball part was too little cake and too much frosting for my taste. I will probably try a different recipe next time around.

With  my raid team taken care of... it was time to tackle the cupcakes for the coworkers. Recently I have been going out for a rum & coke with a couple of buddies at work. Not coincidentally, hot buttered rum is my favorite holiday beverage. I decided to make rum and coke cupcakes. Unfortunately, I had no cola extract. I tried to make a frosting with using straight up cola. This made the frosting too watery and didn't have that cola punch I was looking for. The rum cake part was still delicious though.

After presents had been shipped and cupcakes dispersed, it was time for Mike and I to start packing. We headed to Florida for Christmas. First time I've been able to see my cousins in over 10 years. Was a happy reunion full of good ole Southern cooking... not that I wasn't happy to make my way back to California cooking. 

We arrived back Christmas Eve and I still cooked for my parents the next day. Did the same meal as last year: prime rib, greens, and roasted potatoes  Simple, delicious, and perfect to come back to after travelling.

It was time to start planning for New Years Eve. This year, my usual group of friends decided to do a formal pot luck complete with board games. Somehow, the potluck turned into me supplying the meal.

I made slow-cooker barbecued sticky ribs, salad, roasted potatoes, and cherry-coke cupcakes. Mike made fried rice.

Alright, so you would think that the holiday baking would be over... My brother had a few weeks off after New Year's Eve. Him and his friends would come over for beers and board games. Eventually one of his friends turned me onto food porn daily and somehow the topic of cupcakes had come up. Long story short, I decided to make a batch of cupcakes that my brother would enjoy as well as a "belated birthday present" for his friend. My brother's requirement for cupcakes was "cream flavored". A short story short, I made Boston Cream cupcakes (you need to be logged in to America's Test Kitchen to see the recipe). This is probably one of the best cupcakes I have made.

LAN Party (And Cupcakes)

Went to a LAN party over the weekend... so of course I had to make something for the boyos. Cupcake Project's "Chocolate Peanut Butter Hi Hat Cupcakes" seemed to do the trick.

A Farewell for My Amazing Boss

My boss is leaving to work for another company and as a farewell, I asked him what his two favorite cupcake flavors were: chocolate and cherry. I set out to make black forest cupcakes, but I didn't want to use stock maraschino cherries, I went all the way. I made both cupcakes, cupcake filling, and maraschino cherries.

First Attempt:
I accidentally simmered the maraschino cherries for too long. A lot of them fell apart when I tried to take them out of the container.

 Second Attempt:
I changed the frosting for this batch. The Luxardo maraschino liqueur was too harsh for a frosting in my opinion. I substituted with 6 tbsp of Herring's Cherry liqueur.

Easter Dinner & Mom's Day

Most of my family was out of town this year for Easter, but I made a easy-ish dinner for Mike, my dad, and I. Turned out pretty well. I hadn't made ham in years.

My mom was out of town for her birthday unfortunately, so I went to town on her mother's day cake. I ended up with a layered carrot cake and some homemade vanilla ice cream. The carrot cake didn't end up with as many layers as I wanted because I didn't have the right sized pan. It ended up still being delicious though. Wasn't as much of a fan of the frosting as I was for her birthday cake last year.

Carrot Layer Cake

Pi Day in Conjunction with St. Patrick's Day

So... apparently I forgot to post my pi day cupcakes and St. Patrick's Day dinner. So sorry guys!

I didn't want to have to make separate cupcakes for both holidays. That's way too many cupcakes in the span of 3 days. Cupcake Project had posted upside-down key lime pie cupcakes for pi day a bit ago. As a Southern girl, those had a very strong appeal. Granted, it takes an arm and a leg to find key limes around here this time of year.  They turned out supreme even though I used ordinary limes.

As far as St. Patrick's Day goes, Mike had never had corned beef before. I felt oddly inspired to try making it this year. I also made purple cabbage, carrots, and roasted potatoes (a meal inspired by one of my best friend's chemist girls' nights events). I even made some quick homemade rolls. I must say, best meal I've made for us in a very long time.

One thing to note is that my purple cabbage is blue. It turns out, that red cabbage can be used as an at home pH kit. If your cabbage is blue, your solution is basic; if your cabbage is red, your solution is acidic. I've also noticed, that in cabbage recipes, people tend to add some vinegar; this helps it retains its red/purple color.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day All!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I have group meeting at work. I cannot justify going to a meeting on a holiday without bringing some cupcakes. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I decided I wanted to eat hot tamales in cupcake form.

Throughout the search I found two types: #1: cayenne pepper and cinnamon #2: melted red hots...

I ended up doing a combination of the two. The actual cupcake uses the cayenne pepper and cinnamon and the frosting uses cinnamon schnapps. However... I topped it with gummy red hot hearts and sprinkles. They definitely have a kick and I will definitely have to bring a jug of milk to work tomorrow. (The actual recipe was taken from the Food Network.)

Autumn Cupcakes

I had been promising my lab that I would make them cupcakes for quite a few weeks (not to mention they make the best guinea pigs). I wanted to try out some fall cupcakes. There are two flavors that scream "autumn" to me: caramel apple and pumpkin spice.

Group meetings are never better than when one has a cupcake. Dull data becomes interesting. (Granted, that's probably the early afternoon cupcake sugar rush as opposed to the data becoming more interesting.) I did make an interesting observation: the men preferred the pumpkin spice, whereas the women preferred the caramel apple. Take that as you will, but possibly consider that when making either of these cupcakes for a gathering.

You can find the recipes here: caramel apple cupcakes & pumpkin spice cupcakes. I did make the pumpkin graham crackers that Cupcake Project lists for the pumpkin spice cupcakes, but instead of putting them on top, I crumbled them up on the frosting.

Note: I seem to have lost the caramel apple cupcake recipe, as soon as I find it, I will edit this post.

Edit: I have found the recipe! I had to dig through the internet until I found it, but I found it nonetheless! It was on the Cupcake Friday Project. Enjoy!

Honey Hazelnut Cupcake with Gianduja Gelato

Rating: 3 of 5

Note: I could have done this cupcake without the cupcake; the only part I was truly in love with was the gelato... and it was to die for. The cupcakes were more muffin than cupcake. The ganache frosting was also pretty tasty. However, for this dessert, the gelato takes the cake.

Gianduja Gelato
Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups toasted hazelnuts
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 3 1/2 oz. chopped milk dark chocolate + ½ oz. semisweet dark chocolate
• 5 large egg yolks (I used about 5 ½- 6 egg yolks; the amount you use affects the creaminess of the texture.)
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the hazelnuts for 10-12 minutes, stirring them 1-2 times in between. Snap one hazelnut in half. If it is light golden brown, the hazelnuts are done. Use a warm kitchen towel to rub the hazelnut skins off (don’t worry if you can’t take them all off).
2. Warm milk with 1 cup cream, sugar, and salt in saucepan. Remove from heat and add chopped hazelnuts. Cover and steep for one hour.
3. Put milk chocolate pieces in a large bowl, heat the last cup of cream in a saucepan until it starts to boil. Pour cream over chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Place a mesh strainer over the bowl.
4. Pour the hazelnut-infused milk through the strainer into a medium saucepan, squeeze the hazelnuts with your hands to get as much flavor as possible and discard the hazelnuts.
5. Warm the hazelnut-infused mixture. Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl and gradually pour the hazelnut mixture into the egg yolks. Whisk constantly and scrape the warm egg yolks into the saucepan.
6. Stir the mixture over medium heat and scrape the bottom when you stir. When the mixture is ready, it will thicken and coat the wooden spoon/spatula. Pour custard through strainer and stir into milk chocolate mixture. Add vanilla and cool over an ice bath.
7. Chill and make your ice cream according to the ice cream maker manufacturer’s instructions.

Honey Hazelnut Cake
Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• Pinch of salt
• 2-3 teaspoons baking powder (Adjust according to how light you want your cake to be.)
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons honey

Directions

•     Preheat oven to 360 degrees F.
•     Sift flour and blend with sugar, salt, and baking powder.
•     Gradually add the eggs and stir.
•     Chop the hazelnuts and incorporate them into the dough.
•     Melt the butter and honey and pour this into the dough.
•     Bake for approximately 25 minutes if you are making cupcakes.

Chocolate Honey Ganache Frosting
Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup 60%+ dark chocolate
• 4-7 teaspoons honey (Adjust to taste.)

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie (double boiler), or by placing it in a bowl over a small pan of simmering water. You can microwave it in 20 second intervals, but melting it over a stove is faster.
2. Warm the heavy cream in a saucepan until scalding (just before it boils).
3. Slowly add the heavy cream to the chocolate in small increments and mix. Aim for an emulsion of the cream and chocolate. I prefer to use a silicone spatula to mix.
4. Add in the honey and stir to combine.
5. Leave for 2-3 hours at room temperature until it is stiff enough to frost.

Smores Ice Cream Cupcakes

Update (2012-03-06):
Made these for my friend's birthday, but used a different marshmallow ice cream recipe. This one turned out much better.

Rating: 5 of 5

Note: The graham cracker crust didn't have a solid enough consistency, they all broke and crumbled by the next day. The ice cream on its own was also lacking in flavor, but the marshmallow really popped when put on the cupcake. Some improvements to be worked upon for next time, but flavor wise... they were perfect. They were all gone by the end of the next day.

Marshmallow Ice Cream
Ingredients:

•     2 C half and half
•     1 10-oz. bag of large marshmallows
•     2 C heavy cream
•     2 T vanilla extract

Directions:
In a large pot, combine half and half with marshmallows. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until marshmallows have completely melted. Remove from heat and let cool briefly. Then place in fridge to cool for 20-30 more minutes, until chilled and slightly thickened.

In the meantime, whip heavy cream until you have soft peaks. Fold into cooled marshmallow mixture and add vanilla extract. Stir until everything is combined. Place in ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions for making ice cream.


Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients:

•     2 C graham cracker crumbs
•     1/4 C sugar
•     8 T unsalted butter, melted
•     Pinch of salt

 Directions:

1. Line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners (you’ll need around 24 crusts total if you want to make a bottom and top for each cupcake). Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a small bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter and salt with a fork. Drop around 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture into each cupcake liner and press down firmly. Bake for about 5-10 minutes (until edges of crust are golden). Remove from oven and set half aside. Leave oven set at 350° F and prepare cupcake batter.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:

•     1 C + 1 T sugar
•     14 T unbleached all-purpose flour*
•     7  T unsweetened cocoa powder*
•     3/4 t baking powder
•     3/4 t baking soda
•     1/2 t salt
•     1 large egg
•     1/2 C milk
•     1/4 C vegetable oil
•     1 t vanilla extract
•     1/2 C boiling water

 Directions:

1. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir lightly with a fork to combine. In a mixing bowl, combine egg, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Combine dry and wet ingredients and mix on low speed for a minute, then medium speed for 1-2 more minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl in between if needed. Add boiling water and mix just until combined. (Note: The batter will be very thin at this point.)
2. Pour 1/4 cup of batter on top of half of the crusts (mine were a little over 3/4 full). Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until tops are firm and toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Let cool completely.

To assemble:
Slice the rounded top off of the cupcakes to level them. Place a small scoop of ice cream on top and flatten with the back of a spoon. On top of the ice cream, place one of the baked graham cracker crusts. Enjoy quickly or place in the freezer until you do!

Strawberry Cake

Happy Birthday Dad!

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Note: It had a little bit too much lemon zest for me..


Strawberry Cake

Ingredients:
Butter
All-purpose flour, for pans
3 cups self-rising flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup pureed strawberries
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
4 large eggs, beaten


Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour; set aside.
- Prepare the cake batter; in a large bowl, stir to combine self-rising flour, sugar, oil, pureed strawberries, vanilla, lemon zest, and eggs.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertips, 26 to 28 minutes.
- Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.
- Prepare the cream cheese frosting (recipe below); frost as desired and refrigerate until ready to serve.


Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
~ 3 2 cups (approx. 1 box) confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
1 TBL milk (if needed)



Note: I also added some pureed strawberries, about 1/4 cup liquid.

Directions:
-  Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
-  Slowly add the sugar in 1 cup batches until desired sweetness is achieved.  You may need less than 3 cups if you like your frosting less sweet.
-  Stir in vanilla.  Add milk slowly if you need a looser consistency.

Carrot Cake

Rating: 5 of 5

Notes: This was my first time working with raw vanilla bean and I quite enjoyed it!

Ingredients:
    Carrot Cake
    2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
    1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon ground cardamom
    1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
    1/2 teaspoon table salt
    1 pound medium carrots (6 to 7 carrots), peeled
    1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
    1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
    4 large eggs
    1 1/2 cups vegetable oil or safflower, or canola oil
    Cream Cheese Frosting
    2 vanilla beans
    8 ounces cream cheese , softened but still cool
    5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, but still cool
    1 tablespoon sour cream
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar (4 1/2 ounces)

Directions:
    1. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 by 9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment and spray parchment.
    2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, cloves, and salt in large bowl; set aside.
    3. In food processor fitted with large shredding disk, shred carrots (you should have about 3 cups); transfer carrots to bowl and set aside. Wipe out food processor workbowl and fit with metal blade. Process granulated and brown sugars and eggs until frothy and thoroughly combined, about 20 seconds. With machine running, add oil through feed tube in steady stream. Process until mixture is light in color and well emulsified, about 20 seconds longer. Scrape mixture into medium bowl. Stir in carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Pour into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking time. Cool cake to room temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.
    4. For the frosting: Using a paring knife, halve and scrape seeds from 2 vanilla beans. When cake is cool, process cream cheese, butter, sour cream, vanilla extract, and vanilla seeds in clean food processor workbowl until combined, about 5 seconds, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add confectioners' sugar and process until smooth, about 10 seconds.
    5. Run paring knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Invert cake onto wire rack, peel off parchment, then invert again onto serving platter. Using icing spatula, spread frosting evenly over surface of cake. Cut into squares and serve. (Cover leftovers and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)

Banana-Caramel Coconut Cream Pie with Dark Rum

Rating: 4 of 5

Note: Ash and I noobed out and completely forgot to top the pie with the whipped cream/garnish; still tasty though.


Ingredients:
     Crust
     6 ounces animal crackers
     2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut
     1 tablespoon granulated sugar
     4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
     Banana-Caramel
     1/2 cup granulated sugar
     3 tablespoons water
     3 tablespoons heavy cream
     pinch table salt
     2 tablespoons unsalted butter
     2 medium bananas , slightly under-ripe (5 to 6 ounces each)
     Filling
     1 can coconut milk (14 ounces)
     1 cup whole milk
     1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
     1/2 cup granulated sugar
     1 tablespoon granulated sugar
     3/8 teaspoon table salt
     5 large egg yolks
     1/4 cup cornstarch
     2 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 2 pieces
     1 teaspoon vanilla extract
     2 teaspoons dark rum
     Whipped Cream and Garnish
     1 1/2 cups heavy cream (cold)
     2 tablespoons granulated sugar
     1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
     1 tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut , toasted in a small dry skillet until golden brown

Directions:
      1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. In food processor, pulse animal crackers, coconut, and sugar to fine crumbs, eighteen to twenty 1-second pulses; then process until powdery, about 5 seconds. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl and add butter; stir to combine until crumbs are evenly moistened. Empty crumbs into 9-inch glass pie plate; using bottom of ramekin or 1/2 cup dry measuring cup, press crumbs evenly into bottom and up sides of pie plate. Bake until fragrant and medium brown, about 15 minutes, rotating pie shell halfway through baking time. Set on wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
      2. While crust cools, bring sugar and water to boil over high heat in small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook until dark amber, 5 to 8 minutes, occasionally swirling pan once sugar begins to color. Off heat, add heavy cream (caramel will bubble vigorously) and pinch salt; whisk to combine. Whisk in unsalted butter. Pour caramel into pie shell, tilting pie plate to coat evenly; set aside to cool.
      3. When caramel is cool, peel bananas; slice each crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick rounds. Arrange slices in single layer on top of caramel; set aside.
      4. For the filling: Bring coconut milk, whole milk, shredded coconut, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that sugar dissolves. Following illustrations 1 through 6, whisk yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle about 1 cup hot milk mixture over yolk mixture; whisk well to combine. Whisking constantly, gradually add remaining milk mixture to yolk mixture in 3 or 4 additions; whisk well to combine. Return mixture to saucepan and cook until thickened and mixture reaches boil, whisking constantly, about 1 minute; filling must boil in order to fully thicken. (To determine whether filling has reached boil, stop whisking; large bubbles should quickly burst on surface.) Off heat, whisk in butter, vanilla, and rum until butter is fully incorporated. Pour hot filling into cooled pie shell and smooth surface with rubber spatula; press plastic wrap directly against surface of filling and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours.
      5. For the whipped cream: Just before serving, beat cream, sugar, and vanilla with electric mixer until soft peaks form, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Top pie with whipped cream and then sprinkle with coconut. Cut pie into wedges and serve.