It is cold, wet, gray, and GLOOMY today, for like the 5th day in a row. And let me say, I am so over it! So when I was asked to bring a dessert to a dinner party, I thought, to hell with it all. I'm going to look this hailstorm in the face and get all tropical up in here. For you see, underneath that layer of cream lurks a rich coconut custard flecked with lime zest, topped with a layer of thinly sliced fresh bananas.



Now I love huddling around the Christmas tree on those wintry days as much as the next guy, but just for one day this December I wanted to send fruitcake, pumpkins, Christmas cookies, and mulling spices packing so I could take my tastebuds where my heart wants to be: back in the tropics. The combination of lime, coconut, and bananas in a buttery tart crust does the trick. One bite will have the Caribbean calling!

A note about the ingredients: this recipe calls for cream of coconut. You can find it in the liquor/mixers section of the grocery store (although it's non-alcoholic) under the brand name Coco Lopez, La Preferida, Pepe Lopez, or Coco Real. It's the stuff you put in piña coladas and it's not the same as coconut milk- it's like a mixture of coconut milk and sugar. Admittedly it's kind of a weird product but it works really well for this recipe, and this is my favorite coconut custard.


Banana Coconut Cream Tart

Ingredients:

for the crust:

• 3/4 cup butter, cold and cut into chunks
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 Tblsp brown sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg yolk
• about 1/3 cup cold water
  

for the filling/topping:

• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup cream of coconut
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tblsp butter
• 1 cup toasted coconut
• zest of 1/2 lime
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup whipping cream (can use more if desired)

Method:

• Make the crust: pulse the butter and dry ingredients in the food processor until the butter is about the size of lentils. Add the yolk and pulse a few times. Add water 2 Tblsp at a time, and pulse after each addition, until dough just comes together. Remove dough from food processor and gently shape into a disc.
• Roll out crust on a lightly floured surface and place in tart pan. (I used a tart pan with a removable bottom but you can just make it in a pie plate if you don't have one.) Prick with a fork and put in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 and cook crust for about 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. (If you're a perfectionist and can't handle any degree of slumping: put parchment paper in, then weigh it down with beans or something else. Bake about 15 minutes, then remove paper/beans and continue baking until lightly browned.)
• Meanwhile, make the filling: In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk, and cream of coconut with a whisk. Heat over medium heat, whisking often, until thickened (about the consistency of loose yogurt.)
• Whisk yolks in a small bowl. Add a small amount of the hot coconut mixture and whisk quickly to temper the eggs. Add a little more and whisk again. Now add back the eggs into the hot mixture. Continue to whisk over medium heat until thick (consistency of warm pudding.) Remove from heat.
• Stir in vanilla and butter. Strain through fine strainer.
• Stir in lime zest and toasted coconut. Cool in ice bath (or just out, if your house is cold like mine!) stirring often. When it's cooled down a bit, cover with plastic wrap touching the custard and put in the fridge to finish cooling.
• When ready to assemble: whip the cream to stiff peaks with about 2 tsp. sugar and a dash of vanilla. Slice the bananas into thin coins. Spread custard in the crust and top with banana slices. Pipe or spread whipped cream on top. Sprinkle a bit of toasted coconut or lime zest on top to garnish.
• To make ahead: you can make this a couple hours ahead and leave it in the fridge or in a cold room of the house. If you make it too far ahead, it will get soggy. You can also make the custard and crust the day before and store them separately. Store the baked crust at room temp, wrapped in plastic. Store the custard in the fridge with plastic touching the surface of the custard. Before serving, give the custard a quick stir before spreading into tart crust. Whip the cream, slice the bananas, and assemble as directed above.