July 2018

Summer is a great time to enjoy fresh fruit and there’s no better way to get it going than with this fresh fruit flan recipe. The shortbread crust adds a delicious buttery taste without overpowering the fresh fruit flavour and the coconut milk pastry cream adds just the right amount of silky smoothness.

Ingredients

Shortbread

• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp orange extract

Coconut Milk Pastry Cream

• 1 cup coconut milk (use coconut beverage, not canned coconut milk)
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Fresh Fruit

• Your choice of fresh fruit, washed and patted dry

Method

Shortbread: Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat together butter and icing sugar until smooth and creamy. Add orange extract and beat one minute. Gradually beat in flour until well mixed. Form dough into a ball and press onto bottom of 10” flan pan. Prick with fork and bake in oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Coconut Milk Pastry Cream: Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Heat coconut milk in heavy saucepan until steaming but not boiling. Whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Return the ingredients to the saucepan and cook while stirring until thick, about 1 – 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk thoroughly until mixture is smooth. Place in a glass container and press plastic wrap or parchment paper over the top and cool in refrigerator.

Assembly: Spread the coconut milk pastry cream evenly over the shortbread crust. Top with your favourite berries or fruit and enjoy.