Coconut Rum Pie

It was a crazy four days. I helped my aunt move for two of them and was so tired and had so many errands after that my remaining two days didn't give me much time for pie experiments. However, I managed to make 2 really good pies. The first was a banana cream pie that I mashed together using two different recipes and the second was this coconut rum pie. I have to get the banana cream pie recipe sorted out to share.
This coconut rum pie is based on the recipe of my Irish Whiskey Pie which is a family favorite. Irish Whiskey pie is full of quick ingredients like Cool-whip and a pre-made crust. I wanted something that was all natural from start to finish. It also turned out to be gluten free - which works for so many people. It's not dairy free so be aware.
The coconut I used in the crust is a finely shredded organic unsweetened coconut. If you use a less fine shred, you may need more than what I used.

Coconut Rum Pie
Crust:
2 oz chocolate chips
4 oz butter
1 1/2 cup finely shredded coconut
Melt chocolate and butter in a glass dish in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and return to the microwave for another 30 seconds if not melted. Stir until smooth. Slowly add the coconut, stirring after every 1/2 cup. Add more if necessary to make a thick paste. Press into the bottom of pie pan to make a bottom crust. Set in refrigerator to harden while making the filling.
Filling:
1 package unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
2 eggs, separated
2/3 cup whole milk
1-2 cups sweetened whipped cream (I had some left over from the banana cream pie so I can't say how much liquid whipping cream it takes or how much sugar I used)
Combine gelatin and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small to medium sauce pan. Add milk, egg yolks and rum. Stir and set on medium-high heat. Stir constantly and let heat until thickened. Set in refrigerator until completely thick (jello/pudding consistency). Beat egg whites until they reach soft peaks, add remaining tablespoon of sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Beat thick filling in pan until somewhat smooth (I have never gotten it really smooth and no one seemed to mind a lumpy pie). Fold in egg whites and whipped cream. Gently fill crust and chill until completely firm. Let sit out for up to 2 hours to soften enough to cut (okay I don't think our pies have ever sat out that long and I cut into them just fine, you can speed this up by using the freezer to set the filling before adding egg whites and whipped cream and then after to set up for serving because I never start making this pie early enough).

Always use fresh eggs for this pie. The alcohol in the rum helps kill germs in the egg whites. I have heard you can use pasturized eggs but I have never tried them. No one I know of has gotten sick from the whiskey pie and I wouldn't guess that they would from this version.