Mango Cream Tart with Coconut Crust

Sometimes I do think canned fruit works better than fresh ones. Here is what you have to do when it comes to puree mango – peel, dice, pit, puree and my least favourite step – strain the mango to make sure it’s very smooth. I don’t really mind about making mess in the kitchen because I do a pretty good job cleaning it up afterwards. And I do believe sometimes making a mess is making good food.

However, if you realize that the mess doesn’t give you anything better than simply opening a can. Then why sweat?!

I used to use fresh mangoes for desserts. The problem is that unless you are a mango farmer, you have no control over whether or not you will have access to perfect mangoes. And turns out you may have to deal with unripe, stringy, tough and tasteless mangoes. I would rather giving up using mangoes.

The perfect solution is canned mango pulp that you can easily buy from Indian grocery stores. It’s superior in flavour, texture and sweetness. So good that you would be so tempted to drink it straight from the can. And the lickingsssssssss from the lid, spoon, fingers. Oh my god! But it’s way better put to use in desserts, like this amazingly fragrant and tasty mango cream tart.

I came across this recipe and took a little study on the reviews and comments. Here it comes my adaptation. First I made a thicker crust, which is kind of my thing – I like thick pie/tart crust that can really hold its filling. For the mango filling, I had to adjust the amount of gelatine as the canned mango pulp is more fluid than fresh mango puree. I served the tart with plain whipped cream to balance the sweetness of the filling. Now the final sprinkle of lime zest is a must! Same as the lime juice addition to the filling. Lime plays a very important role in this tart as it yields the tart the right nuance of lime flavour without it being too overwhelming. Do a quick grocery run if you don’t have limes in the house before you start making this tart.

Ingredients (9-inch pie):

Coconut Crust 3/4 sweetened shredded coconut 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt Mango Filling 2 1/2 cups mango puree 3 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons lime juice 1 package powdered gelatine 1 cup whipping cream 2 teaspoons lime zest

Directions:

Preheat over to 350F. Grease a 9-inch pie dish with a removable bottom.

To prepare crust, toast coconut in oven for a few minutes until lightly brown. Let cool completely.

In a food processor, mix coconut, flour, butter, powdered sugar and salt until dough just becomes to form a ball.

Firmly press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pie dish.

Freeze for 10 minutes.

Then bake for 20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, mix mango, sugar, lime juice until smooth.

Sprinkle gelatine over 1/2 cup mango mixture in a microwavable container. Microwave for 15 seconds, then stir until the gelatine is dissolved.

Stir the gelatine mixture into the remaining mango mixture until well mixed. Let mixture sit in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid setting.

In another bowl, beat 1/2 cup whipping cream with an electric mixer until it holds firm peaks. Fold in the mango mixture.

Remove cooled pie crust from the pan. Pour the cream mixture in and smooth the top with a spatula.

Refrigerate the tart until set, about 3 hours, or preferably overnight.

Before serving, whip up the remaining cream until firm. Top the tart with the whipped cream and lime zest.