Andy Rickers Pok Pok cookbook has some advice: he says boxed coconut cream (UHT) is best, bring cream to boil the. Simmer for 3-10 minutes. So I tried this and faced the same issue you did the first time I tried to crack coconut cream. I was staring at it for like 15 minutes waiting for something to happen.. Short answer, I wasn’t cooking it hot enough. You don’t want “high heat” but you I needed to go well into medium-high (7 out of 9 on my crappy electric stove). Make sure it really simmers. You want bubbles. You will need to stir often (I stirred almost continuously but I think this was nerves). You’ll know it when it starts to work.
Short answer: you can let coconut milk separate and skim it to get a little coconut cream, but can't convert coconut cream back to coconut milk. Diluting the cream just produces something runny and disgusting.
Long answer: Coconut milk is made by grating coconut and running very hot water through it to extract oils and flavor, then straining out the coconut pieces. It is a mix of water soluble parts and fats, and can emulsify just like normal milk or thicken sauces similarly to milk cream.
If you allow coconut milk to sit, the fatty part will rise to the top. This part is skimmed off to make coconut cream, which is much richer in fats. It cooks very differently because of the higher fat content, and does not emulsify or thicken well; however it is quite delicious!
If you're looking to substitute for coconut milk, but only have coconut cream, the best substitution will probably be a little coconut cream + a lot of heavy (milk) cream.
Note: Some people refer to the liquid contained in fresh coconuts as coconut milk, but it is more accurately called coconut water. This confusion has ruined many a recipe!
Best Answer
Yes. I made a coconut cream pie this weekend using coconut milk.
Cream pies are set mostly by starch with help from the eggs.
The protein in the milk does not play a significant role in the pie structure. The fat from the milk is important to the texture. Pies made with whole milk are much more delightful than those made with skim.
Coconut milk, and especially coconut cream, has plenty of delightful fat and works well. You may find that the color is different and more translucent. Many recipes call for a mixture of coconut milk and regular milk.