Coconut Pudding and Pie Filling

I got this basic vanilla pudding recipe from an old Farm Journal Complete Pie Book.  We like coconut, so we added it. I’m sure that bananas would be delicious too or just serve it plain. This pudding never fails, isn’t too sweet, and you know what the ingredients are. The flour makes it a little less tricky to make than all-cornstarch puddings can be. It can be used to fill a pie using a little less milk.
You could use a heavy-bottomed pan over low heat to make this, but a double-boiler is much better.  I spent less than $30 for a nice Farberware stainless steel one, and I use the bottom pan and cover almost every day, and use it as a double boiler more often than I would have thought when I bought it.

Old Fashioned Coconut Pudding
1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Tablespoons Flour, All-purpose
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 3/4 Cups Milk -- (use 1 1/2 cups for pie filling)
3 Large Egg Yolks -- slightly beaten
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Coconut -- flaked
Combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt in top of double boiler. Mix with a wooden spoon. Blend in milk gradually, then add egg yolks. Add butter.
Place over rapidly boiling water so pan is not touching water. Cook until thick and smooth, about 7 minutes, stirring constantly. Scrape down sides of pan frequently.
Remove from heat. Add vanilla, stir until smooth, scraping sides of pan well. Stir in coconut. Pour hot filling into pie shell or into bowl, covering with plastic wrap that touches the surface of the pudding. Stir the pudding to loosen it before placing in serving bowls. You can top the pie or pudding with whipped cream when serving if desired or use the egg whites for meringue.
Cost 2010: $1.02 per recipe or 17¢ per serving.
Per Serving: 223 Calories; 11g Fat (45.0% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 121mg Cholesterol; 150mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.