*crispy waffle*

I've decided to submit this recipe for SHF 31: Neutral Territory. The theme is sweets in shades of white. To be honest, I rarely make desserts that don't involve some form of chocolate (hey, I have a house full of chocolate addicts!) but this is one of my current favorite, creamy white desserts. Plus, what's whiter than coconut and cream?

A couple of weeks ago I found unsweetened shredded coconut at the Asian grocery store. This was a big deal because 1) I wasn't sure I could get it here, without shredding it myself, and 2) it was hella cheap. A bag the size of say, a box of cereal was 1.65 euro. So I bought half that-- it was 80 cents -- and I still have a huge plastic container of it. As a result of this bounty, I decided to work on coconut cream pie.

I inserted coconut into every element of the pie: the crust, the custard, and I put toasted coconut on the top. I usually dislike American coconut cream pie because it is made with sweetened coconut flakes (gross) and it doesn't taste much like real coconut. Rather, as Cooks Illustrated put it, it tastes more like suntan lotion. (Not that I eat suntan lotion, but you know what I mean!)

The resulting tart tasted sooo good and coconut-y, but I decided I wanted to totally put this over the top. And what's more over the top than adding caramel? So first, I added dulce de leche to the custard itself. This turned out okay, but not great. What was really strange was that this version came out tasting like Girl Scout Samoas cookies for some reason, even though there was no chocolate. Tasty, but not like, 'wow' tasty.

I then was like, "Why not just set the caramel over the crust, then put the custard over it?" This simplified things because if you have caramel or dulce de leche on hand (as I usually do- yeah, that's right) then all you have to do is heat it a bit and pour it over the crust without the annoyance of adding it to the custard. Voila! This was the over-the-top tart that I was looking for, and our dinner friends, Vanja, Ruth and Rachel approved (and requested the recipe, so here you go!)

Coconut caramel cream tart
makes one 9-inch tart

Ingredients

For the coconut shortbread crust:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (115 grams)
2 tablespoons grated coconut (NOT the sweetened kind!)
1/4 cup sugar (25 grams)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter (110 grams), cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 egg yolk

For the filling:
1/2 cup dulce de leche, cajeta or caramel
1 can coconut milk (a 14 oz. or 400 gram can)
1 cup milk (240 ml)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup grated coconut (50 grams) (the same unsweetened kind as above)
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch (30 grams)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping (this is optional; I personally like the tart without whipped cream, but most people I know prefer it with the cream):
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons grated unsweetened coconut, toasted in a dry pan until brown

Preparing the shortbread crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees centigrade.) Butter a 9-inch tart pan or springform pan. (If using a springform pan, you can also line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter the parchment paper.) Combine the flour, coconut, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, and using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and bring the mixture together with your hand until it forms a ball.
Pat the crust in the prepared pan. (It is a soft crumbly crust, so I've found that unless it is refrigerated for several hours, it is almost impossible to roll out.) Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the crust is golden but not totally brown. Set on a cooling rack and cool to room temperature.
The caramel: Warm the caramel a little and add a bit of water (if needed) to give it the consistency of honey. Pour the caramel on the cooled shortbread crust and tilt the crust so the caramel covers the entire bottom of the crust. Cool to room temperature.
The custard: Bring the coconut milk, milk, shredded coconut, sugar and salt to a slight simmer in a medium saucepan.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon sugar together. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture over the eggs, whisking the entire time (this tempers the eggs).
Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan. Stirring with a spoon or whisk, bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 full minute. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and butter. Stir until the vanilla is incorporated.
Transfer immediately to the pie crust and smooth the surface. Cover with cling wrap directly touching the custard. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
The topping: Refrigerate or freeze your mixing bowl and beaters for a half hour or so. Meanwhile, toast the coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Just before serving, place the cream and sugar in the mixing bowl and beat over medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, spread over the top of the tart. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and serve immediately.

Links:
Crispy waffle: Dulce de leche recipe
Crispy waffle: Cajeta recipe

Labels: recipes, the sweet

posted by sheryl | 1:15 PM |

now this is so me!:)
I always greet lovely coconut recipes like this with a wide smile. If I only found time for making it...!
By

Evelin 4/12/07 9:24 PM

Something so creamy, so lovely, so decadent. I've always been partial to coconut cream pie, so this is surely a variation I will be trying! Oh, my waistline, how it will suffer this month. Thank you so much for taking the time to be a part of SHF.
By

tara 5/25/07 4:42 PM

This is so going on my baking list, even if my better hlaf does not like coconut (shreds)...more for me!
By

Helen 5/25/07 7:49 PM