I adore nuts but they don’t always like me back. Specifically, I’m mildly allergic to almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts. This is rather a bore but at least I can still eat peanuts and pistachios, which are my favourites in any case. I can eat roasted and salted pistachios every day, and often do.
So pistachios were an obvious choice for this month’s Sweet Adventures‘ bloghop, Nuts about Sweets, hosted by the lovely Nic at Dining with a Stud.
I’ve made a number of sweet treats with pistachios on this blog before – namely, Mini Berry Puddings for Busy People, Rosewater, Cardamon and Pistachio Lassi, and Mini Apricot Trifles – but I felt like baking something for this hop.
I toyed with the idea of making pistachio macarons, pistachio biscuits or a pistachio cake but in the end went for this fabulous tart. This Berry Coconut Pistachio Tart is heavily inspired by Heidi Swanson’s Macaroon Tart from her Super Natural Ever Day cookbook.
I made her recipe first, then I mucked around with the ingredients, quantities and method until I came up with this version. It’s an easy recipe to make and extremely delicious.
For those new readers, Sweet Adventures is a group of Aussie foodbloggers – 84th & 3rd, The Capers of the Kitchen Crusader, Delicieux, Dining With a Stud, and I, The Hungry Australian, who host a monthly, dessert-themed blog hop. Previously, we have hosted:
- Pie (June 2012)
- Tea (May 2012)
- Lemons (April 2012)
- Layer upon Layer (March 2012)
- Love at First Bite (February 2012)
- Death by Chocolate (January 2012)
- Festive Favourites (December 2011)
- Australian Pavlova (November 2011)
To take part in this month’s hop head over to Dining with a Stud where you can find out all about how to link up your own nut (or seed) recipe. And don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post to check out all the other nut recipes.
- 1 cup wholemeal flour
- ⅓ cup shredded dried coconut
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 100 grams butter
- 4 egg whites (large)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1.5 cups frozen berries, thawed
- ⅔ cup shredded dried coconut
- 80 grams roasted pistachios, shelled and crushed
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Make base by mixing flour, brown sugar, butter and coconut in a large bowl.
- Stir thoroughly, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar.
- Press into a tart tin, using your fingers to press it into place.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and then remove to a chopping board. Keep oven on.
- Meanwhile, make meringue by beating egg whites with a stand or hand mixer until peaks form.
- Add sugar, a little at a time, and then continue to beat until meringue is thick and glossy.
- Spoon ⅔rds of the berries over the tart base, spreading them evenly over the tart.
- Sprinkle half of the coconut over them and then fold the other half into the egg whites, being careful not to bash the air out of it.
- Using a spatula, spoon meringue on top of berries, smoothing down to the edges.
- Dot remaining ⅓ of berries on top.
- Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until nicely brown.
- Remove to chopping board and let sit for 15 minutes before garnishing with chopped pistachios.
