Ultra Easy Coconut Chocolate Tart

I can be lazy. Actually, I can be very lazy.

Some days I have the energy of a two-year old. Other days, I have the energy of the parent of a two-year old.

So, when I came across this recipe for a Coconut Chocolate Tart in Donna Hay’s New Food Fast that called for only 5 ingredients, I immediately thought to myself, “Now that’s a dessert I can do.”Not only did the recipe read easy and approachable, but it seemed delicious. Rich. Sweet. Layered.

I was excited to get started. And then came the snag (Isn’t there always a snag?). The recipe wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. It called for desiccated coconut. I am no stranger to a grocery store but I had no idea what desiccated coconut was. I had to ask my know-it-all friend…Google.

It’s finely ground unsweetened coconut. An ingredient not readily available in most American supermarkets (I hear Whole Foods stocks it).

At that point I was very close to abandoning the Coconut Chocolate Tart ship, but I decided to tough it out and work around the hurdle.

That’s when I decided to make the recipe even simpler. Instead of an easy 5-ingredient tart, this would now be an Ultra-Easy 4-ingredient tart. I decided to use sweetened coconut flakes since everyone carries them.

I omitted the sugar since the flakes were sweetened. And I toasted the flakes to dry them and make it easier to pulse them in a blender. The toasting would also give the shells a nice nutty flavor which I thought would work well with the chocolate.

So, that was the plan. And guess what? The plan worked! Hooray!

The tarts have this beautifully rich flavor (I used bittersweet chocolate). And if you top the tarts with a tad bit of coarse salt they have this incredible balanced, sophisticated and complex flavor.

I can imagine serving them with coffee or tea. Or, since they are so small and portable, they would be perfect for a cocktail party.

If you’re looking to serve an easy, delish tart, this is a must try.

Enjoy!

ULTRA-EASY COCONUT CHOCOLATE TART

Adapted form New Food Fast by Donna Hay

1 egg white

7oz sweetened shredded flakes

2/3cup heavy cream

5oz quality dark chocolate, chopped

2 TSP coarse salt (optional garnish)

Preheat oven to 350˚.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, spread coconut flakes out in one layer. Toast flakes in oven until they are just beginning to brown around the edges, about 8-10 minutes (be careful not to burn flakes).

Let coconut flakes cool slightly. In a small blender, pulse flakes until they’re finely ground. In a small bowl mix, coconut and egg whites until blended. With wet fingers, press about 1 rounded tablespoon of the coconut mixture into 2” wide muffin tin. Should make about 10 tarts.

Bake tart shells in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the shells are just beginning to turn light golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool shells for about 1 minute and then carefully remove them from the tin on a wire rack and cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat and heat until almost boiling. Remove cream from heat. Add the chocolate. Stir until chocolate has melted and the filling is smooth.

Pour the chocolate filling into the tart shells and place in the freezer for 10 minutes or until the filling has set.

Garnish with a coarse salt (optional). Serve with coffee or berries as a dessert.

Makes about 10 tarts.

Tagged as: chocolate, Coconut, Tart