Black Bottom Coconut Cream Tart with Macadamia Nut Crust*

Ingredients:

Macadamia Crust:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 oz. Macadamia nuts, finely ground

Chocolate Ganache:
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream

Coconut Cream Filling:
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk, scalded
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut (or more to taste, I use 1 cup)

Garnish:
1/4 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted.

Directions:

For the macadamia crust: in a large bowl, combine flour, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and salt. Beat until mixture is well combined and crumbly. Stir in macadamia nuts.

Press mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake tart crust in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.

For the chocolate Ganache: Put chopped chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Immediately pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Spread chocolate ganache over the bottom of the crust.

For the coconut cream filling: In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks lightly. In a small saucepan, whisk together cornstarch and sugar. Whisk in milk and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened. Pour about one quarter of the milk mixture into the egg yolks and whisk until blended. Pour egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, whisking constantly until thick. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Stir in coconut. Pour into tart, spreading the filling to the edges. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Chill completely before serving.

*From The Mauna Loa Cooking Treasury by Leslie Mansfield. © Celestial Arts 1998. w/ slight modifications