Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Caribbean Coconut Lemon Tart



Just yesterday... really, just yesterday, one of my very favorite Cajun posted this delicious dessert.  I happen to read it at just the right time, where I had a little extra time, I had all the ingredients in my cabinet and I got a craving for this the second I read about it.


So, Marguerite of the CAJUN DELIGHTS Blog, I just could not resist.  And if you dessert fans ever sample these little gems, you won't be able to resist them either...


I made a few changes (of course).  Most obvious, instead of a full size pie, I made little tartlettes from frozen mini-pastry shells.  I know, I should have made a home made crust, but these were in the freezer, ready and willing.


Next, for no better reason than I thought it would be fun, I added Banana Rum in place of the Vanilla extract in the recipe.  Actually, I wanted a bit of the flavor to come through, and I was out of Vanilla.  So, why not???


Here's Marguerite's recipe (take a second to read her original post by clicking HERE)...
3 large eggs
1 stick butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract (CRUZAN BANANA RUM)
2 tbls.'s fresh lemon juice (I used the juice of 1 lemon)
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
9 inch pie crust (8 Mini PASTRY SHELLS)
************************
Mix sugar and eggs in large bowl, with wire whisk. Add melted butter, vanilla, and lemon juice. Stir in coconut, last. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake @ 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, or until browned and toothpick comes out clean. Sinfully delicious!
This was incredibly easy.  It only took 30 minutes, since the shells were so much smaller than a full size pie.






And if you are ashamed of me for using store bought pastry shells, I did whip my own whipping cream...






It's a good thing I made the tart size.  Portion control!


The lemon shines, the coconut shines, The egg makes for a custard center and the baking adds a crispy top.  Just a hint of banana (remember, the alcohol cooks out, leaving the flavoring).  Plenty of butter to make it rich tasting.


I could have eaten the entire thing.  This is that good.  I have made several of Marguerite's recipes and they are always terrific.  And with dishes like these in her belly, I sure see why her blog is so cheery!


...

14 comments:

  1. that looks great! perfect for St. Thomas

    ReplyDelete
  2. This looks good and I don't even like coconut!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a beautiful tart. Love the colour & it looks delicious. I love coconut tarts. With lemon, that's even better...mmmm

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bravo, cher! These look fabulous and so cute, too! Love your additions and now I'm going to have to make them! Merci beaucoup for the nice shout-out and for making them! Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, I am drooling - two of my favourite flavours in one! OMG........

    ReplyDelete
  6. They sure look good. It must be lemon season, Bev just made a lemon tart the other night.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is definitely my type of dessert. What a great combination. Love lemon and coconut! I will have to try this!

    ReplyDelete
  8. HAAAAAA! I literally, literally, spit water out of my mouth when I read your comment. Thanks for the heads up - I wanted to take it before anyone else did, just in case!!! hahaha

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are making it REALLY difficult for me to choose a Taste and Create recipe! I want to cook everything.

    These look delicious. i love that they are mini-tarts. Then I can eat a whole one (or five) all by myself and not feel guilty!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This would be a great dessert to serve with a nice Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee, which often has notes of citrus and even lemon. I also think this is a truly lovely tart to introduce for the beginning of warm weather (at least here in the East). The flavors are perfect for lighter fare dinner, etc... Keeper for me.

    ~Cleo

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the individual serving sizes! And I made homemade whip cream a while back - so easy and good don't know why I haven't tried it sooner! :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think I've died and gone to blog heaven!
    All I can say it WOW- I think I'll be off my diet this weekend and eating this!
    Cheers~

    ReplyDelete
  13. This makes my lips pucker as only lemons and hubby can. Delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  14. You had me at Cruzan Banana rum. I grew up on St. Croix (where they make it) and remember eating tarts like this fondly. If you ever find yourself down there, be sure to stop by the Cruzan Rum factory for a tour....and enjoy the free samples!

    ReplyDelete