Coconut Tart
The filling in this tart has a similarity to a sweet coconut macaroon. It is perfect with a dollop of local cream or real vanilla ice cream. In Africa, I would often treat myself to a slice with a cup of Rooibos tea.
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 cardamom pods, shelled and with the seeds crushed
- 175g desiccated coconut
- 225g caster sugar
- 25g butter, melted
- ¾ of a 500g block all-butter shortcrust pastry
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 orange – juice and grated zest
- cocoa powder to dust
- Heat oven to 180c/Gas Mark 6. Place a shallow 23cm flan tin on a baking tray. Tip the spices, coconut and sugar into a pan with 150ml water and cook over a low heat for about 5 mins, stirring frequently to ensure the mixture doesn't catch. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line the flan tin. Trim off the excess pastry, fill the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans and cook for 15 mins. Remove the beans and cook for 5 mins more so that the pastry on the base of the tin is just cooked, but not brown.
- Beat the egg and melted butter into the cooled coconut mixture, then spoon into the pastry case and smooth the top. Bake for 25 mins until the pastry is golden and the coconut pale golden.
Sweet Potato & Ginger Parcels
Perfect served with a green salad or steamed green vegetables. These little parcels also make great lunch box treats.
- 400g sweet potatoes
- 50g melted butter, plus a knob extra
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 thumb-sized piece of root ginger, grated
- ½ a 190g pack feuilles de brick pastry
- A few pinches of cinnamon to taste
- Oven-bake the sweet potatoes in their skins until tender. Melt a knob of butter in a pan. Fry the chilli for about 30 seconds, then add the spring onion and ginger and fry for a further 1 min. Scrape flesh from potatoes, discard skins, then mash into the pan. Season with a little sea salt and pepper, along with a pinch of cinnamon.
- Heat oven to 180c/Gas Mark 6. Unroll a pastry sheet and cut 3cm x 6cm strips from the middle; discard leftovers. Brush strips with melted butter and then place a spoonful of potato mix at one end, then fold up from side-to-side to make a triangular parcel. The filling should be completely sealed in. Arrange parcels on a baking sheet, brush with butter and repeat until you've used up all the filling.
- Bake for 20 mins until crisp and golden. Dust with another pinch of cinnamon and then serve.