Lattice Coconut-Custard Pie

Directions

Several hours ahead: Start heating oven to 350℉ (180℃).

To eggs, add sugar, salt, vanilla, and milk; beat well.

Add coconut.

Pour into greased 9 inch pie plate that has been set in shallow baking pan; sprinkle with nutmeg.

Set in oven; into baking pan, pour enough hot water to come three fourths way up side of pie plate.

Bake 35 min., or until silver knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool at room temperature.

When shell and custard are cool, melt chocolate with shortening over hot, not boiling, water.

Meanwhile, slip custard into shell this way: Tilt custard-filled pie plate a bit.

With small spatula, gently pull custard away from all sides of plate.

To complete loosening, hold plate level with both hands; shake gently.

Now hold custard, tilted, over shell, with far edge of custard just above and close to far edge of shell; shake gently.

As custard slips out, pull plate back toward you until custard is in shell.

To make chocolate top, dip metal or wooden skewer into melted-chocolate mixture and draw it across top of pie in crisscross manner, dipping skewer into chocolate as needed.

Let settle a few minutes; then serve at once.