Coconut Tart with Passion Fruit and Lime Syrup

By Maria Teresa Jorge • November 24, 2009 • 0 Comments

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Coconut Tart with Passion Fruit and Lime Syrup — 1 of 2 Photo by Maria Teresa Jorge

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Author Notes: Recently during a trip to London I went to make a workshop at L'Atelier des Chefs where I learned a recipe of Coconut and Lime Tarts. I still have a passion for coconut, limes and especially passion fruit from the years I lived in Brazil. This is my re-interpretation of the Lime and Coconut Tarts which I changed to have more coconut flavour in the custard and added passion fruit to the syrup. It's a very elegant and light dessert, can be made as indivudual tarts or one big tart . - Maria Teresa Jorge

Serves 6 - 8

Lime and Passion Fruit Syrup

2 limes - zest
1 lime in juice
6 passion fruits
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

Tarts and Coconut Filling

12 ounces short crust pastry
2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup double cream
1/4 cup fine sugar + 2 tablespoons
2 1/2 tablespoons Corn starch
6 egg yolks
icing sugar for decoration

Pre-heat the oven to 400º F with rack in the middle.
Thinly roll out the shortcrust pastry and line 1 tart or 8 individual tart cases. Prick the pastry with a fork. Chill for 15 minutes. Line the tart with parchment paper and fill with beans. Blind bake for 15 to 17 minutes, remove parchment paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes or until LIGHT golden brown (they will be baking further with the coconut filling).
Reduce the oven to 300º F to cook the custard.
For the Coconut Custard: Pour the coconut milk in a pan and warm up until just before it boils.
Lightly beat the sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks in a bowl. Add the hot milk and cream and whisk to incorporate all the ingredients.
Pour the mixture and fill the pastry case or cases. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cream starts to brown lightly. It will still be a little wobbly in the middle but it will finish cooking and set as it cools. Let cool completely.
Cut the passion fruit in half and remove the juice and seeds. Strain the juice and keep in a bowl. Keep just 2 teaspoons of the seeds in another bowl.
Wash, dry and zest 3 of the limes and set aside. Juice 1 lime and strain.
Put the lime and passion fruit juice in a pan over medium high heat, add the sugar and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let boil for about 10 minutes until syrupy. Add the 2 teaspoons of the passion fruit seeds and allow to cool.
Sprinkle the top of the custard with the lime zest, pour thesyrup over all the tart and let rest.
Note: If you use a tart case that has a removable bottom you can proceed with this method. Otherwise precook the tart shell, remove from the tart case and cook the tart on a tray.
Note 2: You can make ahead the tart shell and have it ready. The custard should always be cooked the day you serve the tart otherwise the bottom will be very soggy.