Coconut Tart
This is a vintage favourite – reminding me very much of baking with my grandmother. This recipe will make one family sized tart or 12 tartlets. A gorgeous variation is to spread a couple of tablespoons of lime marmalade over the base then grate over the finely grated zest of 1 lime. This lime layer replaces the raspberry jam layer.
Ingredients
You will need a 23cm loose bottomed flan tin lightly greased or brushed with lining paste. Mix will also make 12 individual tarts.
For the pastry
8oz Plain flour
Pinch of salt
4oz Butter, lard or vegetable shortening (chilled and cut into dice) – or room temperature for hand mixing
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp icy cold water
For the filling
2-3 tbsp Raspberry jam or 2-3 tbsp. lime marmalade and the finely grated zest of 1 lime.
125g Soft butter or margarine
125g Caster sugar
2 eggs
125g Dessicated coconut
1 tbsp Self Raising flour
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Preparation
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees c (fan)
Start by making the pastry. Place the flour into the bowl of a food processor, add the butter and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Beat together the egg yolk and the water then with the motor running, pour the liquid in a steady stream and keep the machine going until the dough forms into a ball. Wrap in paper or a beeswax wrap and place in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour. Alternatively – rub in by hand.
To make the filling simply place all the ingredients (apart from the jam) into a roomy mixing bowl and whisk together with a hand held whisk.
Roll out the dough and line the tin then you can do one of two things. Either bake blind for 12-15 minutes having lined the tin with paper and baking beans. Trim the edges of the pastry and move onto the filling. OR
Line the flan tin, trim the pastry (don’t leave it overhanging as you would if baking blind) and prick the bottom all over with a fork. Freeze the pastry in the tin for at least 15 minutes. Place a baking sheet into the oven when you switch it on to preheat.
Take the now frozen pastry and tin from the freezer, carefully ease the pastry shell from the tin by pushing up the loose base. Take away the metal base then pop the pastry shell back into the fluted rim, resting on a piece of baking paper or baking parchment on a cold baking sheet. Press the pastry down gently with the finger tips then spread the base a very thin layer of jam and top off with the coconut filling.
Immediately (don’t forget the pastry will thaw very quickly) transfer the filled pastry shell from the cold baking sheet onto the preheated sheet. Pop straight into the oven and bake for 25 minutes until risen and golden.
Allow to cool on a wire rack – slide away the baking sheet and paper. When cool place the palm of the hand under the pastry (or a smaller size of loose bottom from another tin), slide the tin up the arm like a bracelet then transfer to a serving plate.
Alternatively, if the pastry case has been baked blind, spread with jam, fill with the coconut mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
This tart will keep up to one week in a tin.
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