Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes, stirring when needed, or until toasted evenly. Watch it carefully, it will burn quickly. Once toasted, remove from the oven and immediately remove from the baking sheet or it will continue to bake.

Combine the milk, 1 cup of the cream, the sugar, salt and 1 cup of the toasted coconut. Heat over medium heat until warmed.

If using a vanilla bean, use a paring knife to slice the bean open, then scrape the seeds from the pod and add them to the milk mixture. Add the pod to the milk, as well. Cover the pan, remove from the heat, and let the mixture steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Rewarm the milk mixture, then set a strainer over another saucepan. Strain the milk mixture through the strainer. Press down on the coconut with a rubber spatula to release as much of the flavor as possible. Discard the coconut. (If desired, you can rinse the vanilla bean pod and reserve for another use.)

Pour the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream into a large bowl. Fill a larger bowl halfway with ice water. Set aside.

Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Slowly whisk the warmed milk mixture into the egg yolks, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Place the saucepan back over medium heat and cook, stirring the mixture constantly with a spatula to ensure that the mixture doesn’t burn. Cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spatula.

Pour the mixture through the strainer into the cream and stir to combine. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the bowl in the ice water, making an ice bath. Stir over the ice bath until the mixture is cold.

Cover the bowl, or transfer to a container with a lid, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Freeze the custard according to the manufacturer’s instructions for your ice cream maker, stirring in the reserved 1/2 cup of toasted coconut at the very end.  Freeze the ice cream until hardened before serving.