Triple Threat Coconut Cream Pie

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 cups Sweetened shredded coconut
1 each Vanilla bean; split lengthwise
2 large eggs
1/2 cup Sugar
2 tblspoons Sugar
3 tblspoons All purpose flour
1/4 cup Unsalted butter; =1/2 stick
1 ea 9inch Pie shell; prebaked & cooled
2 1/2 cups Heavy cream; chilled
1/3 cup Sugar
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
2 ounce Unsweetened "chip" or large-shred coconut
4 ounce White chocolate; chunks for curls

Instructions:


To make the pastry cream, combine the milk and coconut in a medium saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both the seeds and pod to the milk mixture. Place the saucepan over medium high heat and stir occasionally until the mixture almost comes to a boil.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour until well combned. Temper the eggs (to keep them from scrambling) by pouring a small amout (about 1/3 cup) of scalded milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Then add the warmed egg mixture to the saucepan of milk and coconut. Whisk over medium high heat until the pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter and whisk until it melts. Remove and discard the vanilla pod. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and place it over a bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until it is cool Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surfce of the pastry cream to prevent a crust from forming and refrigerate until cold. The pastry cream will thicken as it cools. (first 7 ingredients)

When the pastry cream is cold fill the prebaked pie shell, (another receipe) with it, smoothing the surface. In an electric mixer with whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla on medium speed. Gradually increase the speed to high, and whip to peaks that are firm unough to hold their shape. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with the whipped cream, and pipe it all over the surface of the pie, or spoon it over. (next 4 ingredients)

For the garnish, preheat the over to 350. Spread the coconut chips on a baking sheet and toast in the oven watching carefully and stirring once or twice, since coconut burns easily, until lightly borwned, 7 to 8 minutes. Use a vegetable peeler to scrape about 2 ounces of the white chocolate into curls. Decorate each piece of pie with toasted coconut and white chocolate curls just before serving.