Coconut custard tart

I found a recipe for tart shells using coconut flour and was intrigued. And having made so many cakes, I decided it was time to try making a tart. A coconut custard tart seemed like a good one to start with.

Strawberry coconut custard tart

Ingredients for the tart shell

Beautiful egg yolks

2 eggs

30 ml coconut oil, melted

¼ C + 2 tbsp coconut flour, sifted

2 tbsp arrowroot flour (optional), sifted

⅛ tsp pink salt

Ingredients for the custard

400 ml full cream coconut milk, divided

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

3-3½ tsp organic honey

⅛ tsp ground turmeric

4 large egg yolks

3½ tsp beef gelatine

Method for the tart shell

1. In a bowl, combine the sifted coconut flour and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a hand blender, blend the eggs and oil together till frothy.
3. Mix the flour and salt into the egg mix and combine thoroughly to form a dough ball. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C.
5. Covering the dough with cling film, press the pastry out into a 9” tart pan (with removable bottom) to form a pastry shell. This will take some time as coconut flour is not so elastic. Press firmly and slowly out to the edge. Make sure the dough is spread out evenly on the pan.
6. Prick the tart shell with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.
7. Let cool completely.

Method for the custard

1. In a double boiler, heat the coconut milk, reserving a few tablespoons for dissolving the gelatine.
2. Once the milk is hot but not boiling, add the vanilla, honey, and turmeric and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside. (This is a good time to test the sweetness of the mix.)
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks.
4. 1 tbsp at a time, add the hot coconut milk mix to the eggs, all the while whisking vigorously. Don’t add in too much hot coconut milk at a time otherwise the eggs will cook.
5. When the eggs and coconut milk are completely combined, pass it through a sieve and back into the top of the double boiler.
   
6. Heat the custard mix gently on the stove, continuing to whisk until it thickens. This takes a while so be patient! If the custard coats the back of a spoon, then it’s thick enough. Once thicken, remove from heat and set aside.
7. Mix the gelatine with the reserved coconut milk and heat gently to dissolve it.
   
8. When the gelatine mixture is ready, add it into the custard. The mix will finish thickening later when it is chilling in the fridge.
   
9. When the custard is almost completely cooled, pour it into the tart shell.
   
10. Place the custard tart in the fridge overnight to set.
11. When the custard tart is completely set, remove from pan, and let return slightly to room temp before serving.
    
12. Add fruits as toppings just before serving.
    

I hadn't had much experience with using gelatin, and I'm not known for being dexterous or delicate, so both making, or rather, setting the custard, and decorating the tart proved nerve-wrecking. But I was quite happy with the way both turned out, particularly the look of it. It looked like a proper tart! My only misgivings is with the crust, a bit with the appearance but mainly with the texture. It felt a bit dense and slightly dry. I think a bit more liquid might be needed, so next time, for the ¼+ cup of coconut flour, in addition to the 2 eggs, I will add some milk.