kaffir lime and coconut tartlets

kaffir lime and coconut tartlets

• 12 Apr 2012

Normally for Passover I'm faced with 2 baking options - meringues or coconut macaroons. Meringues are off the menu until I invest in a new oven but I couldn't entirely abandon coconut macaroons. Here they are, reinvented as kaffir lime and coconut tartlets. I can't take credit for the concept as I've had this Gourmet Traveller recipe bookmarked for ages and just reworked it. As well as passover friendly these little tartlets are also gluten free.



I've never managed to track down flaked coconut at the supermarket, so I used shredded coconut instead.



The mixture is pretty sticky so getting it into the muffin moulds was a bit of a challenge. I have other flatter tartlet moulds which would have been far easier to use but I kind of forgot I had them!



I greased the moulds then dusted them with potato flour and lined the bases with paper to ensure I'd be able to extricate them from the tin. The tartlet shells are quite moist, even after baking, so they're quite fragile. For the lime curd filling I selected a recipe with no added fat, so the end result is a very tangy curd. Next time I might add a little bit of unsalted butter to smooth out the tang in the curd.



I kept some of the filled shells in the fridge and they keep okay for about 24 hours and thereafter they get soggy. I took them into work today and they were given the seal of approval by my test audience.

Kaffir Lime and Coconut Tartlets - adapted from Gourmet Traveller
makes 12 mini tartlets
printable recipe
Coconut Crust
1½ cups shredded coconut
¼ cup caster sugar
1 egg, separated
1 fresh kaffir lime leaf, finely shredded

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease and flour 12 mini muffin tins (I used potato flour) and line the bases with baking paper.

In a medium size bowl beat the egg yolk and half the caster sugar until pale and thickened and the sugar has completely dissolved. In a clean and dry bowl whisk the egg white. When soft peaks form, slowly add the rest of the caster sugar to form a meringue. Fold the egg whites through the egg yolk mixture; gently add in the kaffir lime leaf and the shredded coconut.

Using your fingers, press tablespoons of the mixture into the prepared muffin tins. Bake the tartlet shells for 10 minutes until the crust is just golden. Turn the oven off (I left the oven slightly ajar for 10 minutes to bring the temperature down first) and leave the tartlet shells to rest in the switched off oven for another hour.

Take the tray from the oven and carefully remove the tartlet shells and place on a wire cooling rack.The unfilled tartlet shells can be stored in a airtight tin.
Fill the tartlet shells with lime curd just before serving.

Light Lime Curd - adapted from an Alice Medrich recipe
Makes ½ cup. You will need to make a double batch to fill the 12 tartlets. You'll have a bit leftover but that's not such a bad thing.

Ingredients
⅓ cup lime and lemon juice (I used 1½ limes and 1 lemon)
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
5 tablespoons caster sugar
1 large egg at room temperature

In a small saucepan combine the juice, the rind and the sugar and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolve. Lightly beat the egg in a medium bowl. Add the lime syrup to the egg mixture in a steady stream whilst whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes. Strain the lime mixture back into the saucepan and stir continuously over a low heat for about 5 minutes or until the curd has thickened. Spoon the curd into a container, cover and place in the fridge.

I'll be back tomorrow with the last of my passover baking recipes, so until then.

Jillian