Coconut and White Chocolate Tart
This is a fairly straightforward tart; apart from the pastry which needs blind baking it’s simply a case of melting the filling ingredients together and pouring them into the pastry case to set.
You could omit the coconut from the pastry and just use a regular shortcrust, shop bought if you really must, but you’ll no longer have a coconut white chocolate tart, just a white chocolate tart which is fine, it’ll still be nice, just a tad one dimensional.
So now you have options: the time you’ve saved by not making pastry you can now spend making clever adornments; a raspberry coulis, some white chocolate shavings, toasted nuts, candied orange, pineapple, mango… rhubarb and gooseberries would work well too when they’re in season.
But the beauty of this tart is its simplicity, so don’t beat yourself up if all you can manage is a sliced strawberry and a dusting of icing sugar.
Ingredients
(portions into 10 or 12)
For the pastry
75g desiccated coconut
225g plain flour
140g butter, cubed
1 x egg yolk
3 – 4 x tablespoons ice cold water
For the filling
500g mascarpone
150ml double cream
275g white chocolate
½ pod vanilla seed (optional)
1 x beaten egg (for egg washing the pastry case)
Make the pastry by either whizzing the butter with the flour in a food processor or by rubbing it in by hand to make fine crumbs. Add the coconut and distribute evenly before adding the egg yolk and 3 tablespoons of water all in one go. Whizz briefly or mix by hand to bring the dough together in a smooth ball. Add the remaining water if the pastry is a little crumbly still.
(If it’s a hot day and the pastry is floppy, chill it in the fridge for 20 mins before rolling.)
Roll the pastry to a thickness of a pound coin and line a 26 cm tart case, using any off cuts to gently push the pastry into the fluted sides of the tin. Return the pastry to the fridge and leave it to rest for 20 mins. Turn the oven on to 190 ⁰C.
Prick the base of the pastry with a fork and blind bake for 20 mins in the middle of the oven, then remove the paper and beans then bake for another 4 or 5 mins. Remove the tart again from the oven, trim off the overhanging pastry and brush with the egg-wash to seal any cracks or large fork holes left from pricking the pastry. Bake for another five minutes then remove to cool on a wire rack.
Gently melt the chocolate with half the mascarpone in a glass bowl, sat over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring from time to time until smooth.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining mascarpone and beat together until smooth again (an electric hand whisk makes this much easier) then add the cream and vanilla seeds, if using.
Pour the filling into the pastry case and leave to set in the fridge for at least 5 hours.
Portion the tart with a large knife; run it under the tap in between each incision to make clean, neat slices.