1    Baked 9" pie shell
4    Eggs, slighlly beaten
1/2 c  Granulated sugar
1/2    Teasp. salt
1    Teasp. vanilla extract
2 c  Milk
1/2 c  Shredded coconut
1/2    Teasp. nutmeg
1/3 c  Semisweet chocolate pieces
1    Teasp. vegetable shortening

Several hours ahead: Start heating oven to 350 F. To eggs, add sugar,
salt, vanilla, and milk; beat well. Add coconut. Pour into greased 9″ pie
plate that has been set in shallow baking pan; sprinkle with nutmeg. Set in
oven; into baking pan, pour enough hot water to come three fourths way up
side of pie plate. Bake 35 min., or till silver knife inserted in center
comes out clean. Cool at room temperature.

When shell and custard are cool, melt chocolate with shortening over hot,
not boiling, water. Meanwhile, slip custard into shell this way: Tilt
custard-filled pie plate a bit. With small spatula, gently pull custard
away from all sides of plate. To complete loosening, hold plate level with
both hands; shake gently. Now hold custard, tilted, over shell, with far
edge of custard just above and close to far edge of shell; shake gently. As
custard slips out, pull plate back toward you till custard is in shell. To
make chocolate top, dip metal or wooden skewer into melted-chocolate
mixture and draw it across top of pie in crisscross manner, dipping skewer
into chocolate as needed. Let settle a few minutes; then serve at once.