Dessert: Coconut Milk Custard With Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

Recipe by Leah Koenig End your meal with this creamy, coconut milk custard topped with a sweet-tart fruit compote and crunchy pistachios.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (about 12 ounces)
7 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons potato starch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups quartered strawberries (about 6 ounces)
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
Coarsely chopped pistachios, for serving

Instructions

Blend coconut and 4 1/2 cups warm water in a blender until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl, squeezing the cheesecloth to extract all of the coconut milk. Discard coconut solids.
Vigorously whisk egg yolks and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan until mixture is pale and smooth, 2-3 minutes. Whisk in potato starch and salt. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; reserve pod for another use. Gradually whisk in coconut milk.
Set saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens to a custard-like consistency and coats the back of the spoon, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and use a rubber spatula to push custard through another fine-mesh strainer into another large bowl. Let cool slightly, stirring occasionally. Divide custard evenly into ramekins (about 1/2 cup custard per ramekin) and chill until set, 2-3 hours.
Meanwhile, cook rhubarb, strawberries, and brown sugar in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fruit is soft and juicy, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool, then chill until ready to serve.
To serve, top custards with strawberry-rhubarb compote and sprinkle with pistachios.