Cut the vanilla pod in half and remove the seeds with the back of the knife. Add the vanilla seeds, and the pod, to the coconut milk.
Bring the coconut milk to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt (optional). Let the milk infuse for about 10 minutes.
Cooking the custard
Bring the milk to a boil again and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Mix the leftover 100ml of coconut milk with the cornstarch and pour this into the hot coconut milk.
While stirring with a whisk, heat the mixture for about 2-3 minutes. Make sure the custard doesn't burn on the bottom of the pot.
Once thickened up, the custard is ready! Transfer it into a bowl, cover with plastic foil and let it cool down in the refrigerator.
Serve with...
Clean the cherries and remove the cherry pits. If you like you can add a little bit of lemon juice to the cherries. This will balance out the sweetness of the cherries.
When the custard is cold, you can use a whisk to loosen it a little. Preferring a more airy custard? Feel free to mix in some whipped up coconut cream.
Serve the custard with the cherries and shredded dried coconut!