Mango & lemongrass tart with coconut pastry Recipe and Free Cooking Tips

Ingredients

300ml thickened cream

3 lemongrass stems, bruised

3 egg yolks

1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar

1 1/2 gold-strength gelatine leaves (see note)

2 mangoes, peeled, thinly sliced 

 Coconut pastry

1 1/3 cups (200g) plain flour

100g chilled unsalted butter, chopped

1/3 cup (30g) desiccated coconut

1 tbs icing sugar, plus extra to dust

Method

Place the cream and lemongrass in a pan over medium heat. Bring to just below boiling point, then remove from the heat and set aside for 1 hour to infuse.

Meanwhile, for pastry, whiz flour, butter, coconut and icing sugar in a processor to combine. Add 3 tbs chilled water, then process until mixture comes together in a ball. Enclose in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Roll pastry on a lightly floured surface to 2mm thick. Use to line a greased 10cm x 34cm loose-bottomed tart pan. Chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line pastry with baking paper and pastry weights or uncooked rice. Blind-bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights, then return to oven for 5 minutes or until golden, crisp and dry (cook for 2-3 minutes longer if necessary, but keep checking). Cool.

Beat yolks and sugar with electric beaters until thick and pale. Add cream, discarding lemongrass. Soak gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. Return cream mixture to pan on low heat and stir for 2-3 minutes until thickened slightly. Remove from heat. Squeeze excess water from gelatine, then add to pan and stir to dissolve. Cool completely, then pour into tart case. Chill for 2-3 hours until firm, then top with overlapping mango slices.

Dust with extra icing sugar and tinge edges with a kitchen blowtorch, if desired.