1-Preheat the oven and prepare crust: Begin by preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C) and preparing the pie crust as outlined in the directions.

2-Make the filling base: Next, focus on the filling by combining the coconut milk, half-and-half, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat and let it boil for about 2 minutes while whisking constantly.

3-Temper egg yolks: In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with cornstarch, then temper them by slowly adding half a cup of the hot mixture before returning everything to the saucepan.

4-Cook and flavor filling: Cook the filling for 1 to 1.5 minutes until it thickens and bubbles, then stir in the shredded coconut, butter, vanilla extract, and optional coconut extract.

5-Assemble and chill pie: Pour the warm filling into the cooled, fully blind-baked crust, cover it directly with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 3 hours.

6-Whip cream and garnish: Finally, whip the heavy cream with sugar and vanilla until medium peaks form, then spread it over the chilled pie and garnish with coconut.