Lime & Coconut Tart (Paleo, Gluten-Free)

This paleo lime and coconut tart is made with grain-free, dairy-free ingredients but it certainly doesn't lack in flavour. The custard-like filling has tropical lime and coconut flavour and the crust is nutty and lightly sweetened.

📝 Ingredients

• 1.3 cups almond meal
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 125 g cold ghee (or unsalted butter, cold (about 1/2 cup, see notes below))
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon stevia powder (or 1 tbsp. coconut syrup or honey)
• Coconut oil or extra ghee for greasing
• 1.5 cup coconut milk
• 0.5 cup coconut cream (use only the thickened part of coconut milk)
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• Zest of 1 lime
• Juice from 1.5 limes
• 3 tablespoons Stevia powder (or 1/3 cup coconut syrup or honey)
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• Extra lime peel (fresh mint, and berries)
• Note: I used a tart tin with a removable bottom

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- TO MAKE THE BASE ---
2. 2Combine almond meal and flours with diced or spooned cold ghee and stevia or another sweetener in a food processor. Process until the mixture turns into crumbs. Add the egg yolk and process until the mixture turns into thick dough pieces.
3. 3Remove the mixture onto a surface sprinkled with a little tapioca or cassava flour. Knead the mixture into a ball with your hands. The dough will be very soft but pliable. Given the ingredients, the texture is different to gluten-based flour dough, so it's too fragile to roll out with a pin. Instead, we're going to use it like playdough.
4. 4Grease the bottom and sides of the tart tin (or flat tin) very lightly with some coconut oil or soft ghee. Break a few small pieces of the dough and start lining up the sides of the tin, pressing down with your fingers and making sure the thickness is even all around. Spread the remaining dough mixture on the bottom of the tin and press it down to the edges, merging with the wall lining. Make sure there are no visible gaps and the thickness is as even as possible all over the bottom and the walls of the tin. It will look a bit like a cheesecake base.
5. 5Cover with cling wrap or a large plate and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
6. 6Preheat the oven to 190 C / 375 F. Measure a piece of baking paper big enough to cover the tart tin with overlapping edges. Scrunch the paper with your hands first, then place inside the tin on top of the pastry. Add enough dried beans, chickpeas or dry rice to add weight and hold the paper in place evenly. This helps to prevent the pastry from rising when we blind bake the tart (see pictures above).
7. 7Bake for 12-14 minutes, then remove the paper and dried ingredients inside and pop back in the oven for more 5 minutes for the bottom to cook. The pastry isn't completely cooked as we will continue to bake the tart with the filling inside and you don't want to burn the pastry.
8. 8Remove the pre-cooked tart from the oven very carefully as the edges are quite fragile. Prepare the filling while the base is baking.
9. 9--- TO MAKE THE FILLING ---
10. 10Add coconut milk and cream, lime zest, lime juice, kaffir lime leaves (if using) and Stevia (or coconut syrup/honey) to a small saucepan and place over low heat. Stir through and leave on the heat but don't bring to simmer or boil, only until it starts steaming. Take off the heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes while the base is baking.
11. 11Once infused and cooled down, strain the coconut milk mixture into another bowl or pot to remove the lime zest and leaves.
12. 12Preheat the oven back to 160 C / 320 F.
13. 13Whisk the eggs and the yolks in a large bowl until frothy. Gradually, stir in the coconut milk mixture and the baking powder.
14. 14Pour the mixture into the pre-cooked tart casing in the tin. Place in the oven, middle shelf, and bake for 15-20 minutes until the custard filling is set. It might still look a little wobbly but it will finish cooking and set once out of the oven.
15. 15Remove from the oven and allow to cool and set on the countertop.
16. 16In the meantime, toast the shredded coconut in a frying pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently until it turns golden brown. Sprinkle over the tart and garnish with extra lime zest or fresh mint if you like. Serve with berries or fruit of choice.