Sunset's Triple Coconut Cream Mini Pies

• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut (finely shredded)
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 2 large eggs
• 12 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 9 pie crusts, 3-1/2 inch (see our "Coconut Pie Shells" posted separately)
• 2 12 cups heavy whipping cream
• 13 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (3 ounce) white chocolate, 3-oz chunk, at room temp
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut ("chip" or large-shred, see Notes below) or 12 cup unsweetened coconut (shredded , toasted)

1. Make the pastry cream: Put milk and coconut in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add both seeds and bean to saucepan.
3. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, and flour.
5. While whisking, drizzle about 1/3 of the hot milk mixture into egg mixture, then slowly whisk egg-milk mixture back into saucepan.
6. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking, until pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble, 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat, stir in butter, and discard vanilla bean.
8. Spoon hot pastry cream into a bowl and set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water, stirring occasionally, until cooled to room temperature.
9. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface (to prevent a skin from forming) and chill until cold, at least 3 hours.
10. Fill the pies: Carefully remove baked shells from brioche molds.
11. Spoon pastry cream into shells, filling each a little more than halfway.
12. With an electric mixer, whip cream with sugar and vanilla until it holds stiff peaks.
13. Fills a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (no.
14. 6) with whipped cream and pipe a double layer of cream onto each pie, or simply spoon it on (use all the cream--the pies should look like beehive hairdos).
15. Garnish the pies: With a vegetable peeler, scrape wide curls or shavings from the chunk of white chocolate.
16. Sprinkle curls or shavings over pies, dividing evenly, and top with toasted coconut.
17. Serve immediately.
18. NOTES: Pastry cream can be made ahead and kept, refrigerated, for two days; unbaked, formed pastry shells keep, frozen, a few weeks.
19. The baked shells can be filled with the pastry cream several hours ahead, then topped with whipped cream and garnishes just before serving.
20. "Chip"--or large-shred--coconut, which is sold at natural-foods stores and Whole Foods Markets, looks like little curls and makes the prettiest garnish, but regular shredded coconut works just fine.
21. Toast coconut in a 350-degree oven until golden, 10 to 15 minutes.

milk, coconut, vanilla bean, eggs, sugar, sugar, flour, unsalted butter, pie crusts, heavy whipping cream, sugar, vanilla, white chocolate, unsweetened coconut

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/sunsets-triple-coconut-cream-mini-pies-244386 (may not work)