It seems like lately, there is always an extra tart shell floating around my kitchen. So faced with this dilemma a few weeks ago, I pulled out Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts for some inspiration.
Martha published Pies & Tarts in 1985, and hands down, it is one of my favorite cook books of all times. Over the intervening 26 years, I have tried most of the tarts in this book, with a few exceptions. This recipe is one of the exceptions.
If you are intimidated by the thought of baking a tart, this is a great recipe to try. The filling is basically a coconut custard, which is cooked on the stove top and poured into a baked and cooled tart shell. The "cream" referrs to whipped cream, which can be served on the side, or piped onto the tart before serving.
I was generally pleased with the way that the tart came out, but I felt that the custard needed some additional sweetness. The obvious fix: use sweetened coconut flakes, in lieu of the unsweetened flakes that the original recipe calls for.
This tart would be a lovely dessert for Easter. The printable recipe is here.
