Note from Mommypotamus: Today’s guest post comes from Suzanne Perazzini of Strands of My Life. Her ebook, Paleo Treats, is chock full of delicious recipes that are free of grains, nuts, eggs and refined sugar. Thank you for stopping by, Suzanne!
These tarts look like little works of art
. . . and the eating is just a bonus. The base, made from almond meal, is soft but holds together well and compliments the custard perfectly. The custard is rich and satisfying with a faint flavor of coconut.
I add the pinch of turmeric because it creates a pretty colour but also for its anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin extract from turmeric is now recommended by the medical profession for inflammation although this has been known for many centuries by the Chinese. Any seasonal fruit can be used for the finishing touch but raspberries are great because of their low fructose content for those of you who have to be wary of fructose. This would be a great dessert to make as a large tart for when you have friends over. It’s not difficult and has the wow factor.
Raspberry Custard Tarts
Yield 8 small tarts
For this recipe you will need: Eight tartlett pans, 3 inches in diameter, To assemble:, 64 raspberries
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 2 ¼ cups almond flour/meal (where to buy almond flour)
- 4 tablepoons unsalted butter/coconut butter (Mommypotamus note: For those of you that don't bake by weight I measured this and it came to 4 tablespoons)
- 3 tbsp plus 1 teaspoon raw or coconut sugar (where to buy sustainably produced coconut sugar)
- 1 egg
For the custard:
- 13.5oz/400ml full cream coconut milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (where to buy gluten-free extract, how to make vanilla extract)
- 1 tablespoon honey (where to buy raw honey)
- Pinch of turmeric (where to buy organic turmeric)
- 1 tablespoon gelatin (where to buy grass-fed gelatin)
Instructions
For the pie crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F or180°C.
- Put the almond meal and sugar into a food processor and pulse a few times to mix.
- Add the butter and process until it is amalgamated.
- Add the egg and process again until a wet dough is formed.
- Tip it out into a bowl and mix again until it is well blended into a ball.
- Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Press the pastry out into eight 7.5cm/3" diameter tart tins.
- Bake 10 minutes then cool completely.
For the custard:
- In a double boiler, heat the coconut milk, reserving a few spoonfuls of milk for dissolving the gelatine.
- When it is hot but not boiling, add the vanilla, turmeric and honey and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat.
- Beat the egg yolks in a bowl.
- tbsp at a time, add the hot coconut milk to the eggs, all the while whisking.
- When it has all been added, pour back into the top of the double boiler and heat gently on the stove, continuing to whisk until it thickens. This takes a long time so be patient.
- Add the gelatin to the reserved coconut milk and heat gently to dissolve it.
- When the custard is ready, add the gelatine mixture which will finish the thickening when it is refrigerated.
- Cool down almost completely before pouring into the pastry shells.
- Place in the refrigerator to set and add 8 raspberries to each tart just before serving.
About The Author
Suzanne Perazzini is the writer, recipe developer and photographer of the blog Strands of My Life, where cooking and taking photographs is an escape into a private world of sensory perception and creation.She lives with her husband and son in New Zealand in a house overlooking the Pacific Ocean. She is a published author, an incorrigible traveller and lover of all things beautiful. Strands of My Life is a blog about her food journey towards great health.
Do you think this can be made without the gelatin? Have you ever tried it?
This looks delicious! Is there a substitute for gelatin though? I don’t consume gelatin but would love to try this recipe.
Try agar , not sure about substitute quantity though
I’ve never tried it but you can make pectin by soaking lemon seeds in water…not sure if pectin would have the same effect as the gelatin though??
Lisa, I’ve not tried this before but I found some instructions here: http://www.thekitchn.com/jam-makers-tip-save-lemon-seeds-for-homemade-pectin-194003.
That’s where I heard the idea…LOVE that site! 😉
I absolutely love you for this, I’ve been craving something similar 🙂 making these this weekend.
what can be used instead of the tart pans? i don’t feel like buying a new gadget?
I’d like to know the answer to this too. Maybe a single larger tart pan?
Hi, would it be possible to swap the coconut butter with the same amount of coconut oil? I cannot have dairy and making coconut butter in a blender is a lot of work….
We have just been experimenting with gelatin. These are on the list! Thanks!
These look delicious!!! I’m assuming you are actually a photographer?! I’m basically self-teaching…I’ve gotten better but nowhere near being professional. For me the pics on a Blog mean a lot! 😉
Hi!! If I made this into one big pie instead, would the baking time for the crust be any different??