Time has certainly got away from me these past few weeks. I’ve been working on creating some new additions to my photography course, and that’s been soaking up all my time and creative energy as of late. But it’s nearly wrapped up, and now I’ve gotten a nice little moment to write up this coconut lime tart recipe that I’ve had in my back pocket for over a month now.
It’s an excellent treat for this time of year, when you’re craving something bright and zesty after soooo many hearty stews and soups (at least that’s how I feel about it. If you never tire of soups and stews, God bless you.) I’ve found myself wistfully thinking about a coconut lime margarita and a warm sandy beach more than once this winter, but since that’s not really an option for me for a variety of reasons, I decided to make myself a tropical getaway in food-form. Enter, coconut lime tart. While the crust might look like a sandy beach, the flavor + texture is much more along the lines of a coconut-y graham cracker cookie. Plus, it’s an easy one to whip up in the food processor (it takes less than a minute.)
Filling-wise, it’s basically your standard custard base with some coconut milk, lime juice, and lime zest added in. There’s also a touch of tapioca flour to thicken it up, but you could use normal flour if you don’t have tapioca flour on hand. I also added some natural powdered green food coloring to give it a lime-green hue, but you can skip this step if you don’t have any handy, or you can try it with matcha powder, but just be aware it will probably add a matcha flavor to the custard, too. If you use liquid non-natural food coloring (i.e. artificial food coloring), it is MUCH more concentrated than the natural powdered stuff, so you’d probably only need 1 or 2 drops of it.
After the coconut lime tart is all baked, you can top it with an Italian meringue for a wee bit of extra-sweetness and a little of that delicious toasted marshmallow-y flavor. You can keep things simple and just spread the meringue on top with the back of a spoon, making sun little swirls and swooops, or if you want it to look a bit fancy like it does in the photo, you can use a pastry bag with a star tip to pipe out rosette swirls and little stars. The choice is yours, but it will taste fantastic either way. I hope you enjoy this little burst of summer flavor, and I’ll do my best to be back with another recipe sooner rather than later, my friend! 😘
Lime Tart with Coconut Graham Cracker Crust and Meringue
Ingredients
Coconut Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup raw shredded coconut
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons coconut oil softened
- 1 egg room temperature, whisked
Lime Coconut Filling
- 1 whole egg
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk use the cream on top of the can with a little liquid and whisk until smooth
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
- 1 1/4 teaspoons natural powdered green food coloring optional garnish
Italian Meringue
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
Coconut Graham Cracker Crust
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Lightly grease a 7 x 11-inch rectangle tart pan with coconut oil. In a food processor, pulse together the graham cracker crumbs, shredded coconut, sugar, and salt until the mixture resembles sand in texture. (You can use a blender to make the crust, but a food processor works better).
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Add the coconut oil, then pulse until combined, then add the egg and pulse until the dough comes together. Press into the tart pan to form the crust. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Lime Tart Filling
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the egg yolks and sugar at medium low speed until the mixture lightens in color to a pale gold, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as-needed, about two minutes.
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Switch to the paddle attachment, and with the mixer going at low speed, add the coconut milk. Then add the lime juice, then lime zest and optional food coloring and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of bowl as-needed. Tap the bowl on counter to release any air bubbles, then place the crust on lipped baking sheet and pouring the filling into the crust. Bake at 325 until the filling is juuust set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature.
Italian Meringue
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Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium low heat until dissolved. Raise the heat to high and wait until the syrup reaches 235 degrees Fahrenheit, making sure to NOT stir the mixture.
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While the syrup is boiling, beat the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at medium high speed until there's little bubbles at the top of the egg white mixture. Add the cream of tartar, then continue beating at medium high speed until soft peaks form. Stop the mixer until the syrup has reached the right temperature.
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When the syrup is ready, turn the mixer on medium high speed and begin adding the syrup to the egg white mixture in a thin steady stream. Continue beating until the meringue is glossy and holds a stiff peak.
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For a more rustic look, simply spoon the meringue on top of the cooled tart. For a more polished look, add the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip and pipe the meringue onto the surface of the lime tart in small star shapes + larger rosette swirls. Use a kitchen torch to "toast" the meringue until lightly golden at the tips, then place the tart in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (overnight works best) before serving. Keep chilled.
Awww thanks for sharing this Eva, you are such a friend! I can SO imagine you building the perfect house for yourselves on your own homestead. Can’t wait for that to happen. Hoping all your wishes come true in 2021.
Thank you so much my dear! I am so very excited for what is to come. Best wishes to you as well
Hi there, I was wondering if it is necessary to use a stand mixer/does the mixture need to be constantly stirred while adding new ingredients to the filling? Thank you!