Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Moist Coconut Tartlets (HK style)

HK coconut tart

I am living in a business district in Barcelona. Besides of banks, lawyer offices and insurance companies, there are many cafes as well.

People come to office at 10. Around 10:30 they sneak out to have a cup of coffee, may or maynot have a mini sandwich but definitely some cigarettes, plus a long chat with their colleagues . At noon they'd have another coffee break since they have been "working" the whole morning. At 2:00 they're off for lunch, come back to office at 4:00. But an hour later ... oh you're so clever... yes, another coffee break! (A side note... the office hour in general is from 10 to 8, people do work for a very long hour, however their inefficiency is pretty well-known...)

I was half-joking to my husband, if I couldn't reach my bank officer/lawyer/insurance agent, I know where I could get them...

In conclusion, everyone loves cafe.

Hongkong people share a similar cafe culture... but minus the frequency... and we must eat, mostly sweet buns, pastries or tarts. In old time, these baked goods were loaded with butter, cream and eggs. This is the reason I think... back then the economy was kicking off, diversifed ingredients were imported, people were liberating their wallets, so as their stomach... So come to pastries and tarts, we like them very, very rich, from the inside filling through the outside crust.

Coconut tart is my all-time favorite. If you are a real coconut-lover, this HK-style tart is the ultimate! No no no, there is no custard inside, it is totally coconut-y! A couple of ingredients (like milk and butter) keep the filling soft, but leaving them overnight is the key to turn them moist.

coconut tartlets

(actually I made the tartlets weeks ago but couldn't post it as I had been sick. Now I am fanatically looking for the missing recipe ... please give me some time and I'd try to post it as soon as I can. Thank you)

Last but not the least, I am very happy to receive Beautiful Blog Award by Margot at Coffee and Vanilla. Being one of gorgeous blogs herself, Margot features delicious European and Caribbean cuisine, and actively promotes food blogging by organizing various events. So please check out the details of Beautiful Blog Award, you might like to nominate someone as well, or you would be the next one!

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11 comments:

Meeta K. Wolff said...

these look so adorable and just perfect for tea time! lovely!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

What delightful little tartlets! i'm a sucker for coconut-based things!

Cheers,

Rosa

Coffee and Vanilla said...

Beautiful tartlets!

Thank you for accepting the award.
Here is the link to BB list:
http://www.coffeeandvanilla.com/?page_id=7022
If it is not a big problem, could you link the badge to the BB list?

Have a wonderful day,

Margot

Anh said...

gattina, these are really beautiful. I have eaten similar tarlets but felt that they are not as good as expected. Waiting for your recipe to try these out.

May said...

I'm crazy about coconut. And now crazy about those sweet tartlets! Looking forward the recipe.

Pia said...

Good luck finding the recipe.

The Cooking Ninja said...

wow! your tart look fantastic. I'll try it out once I'm back in France. :)

ChichaJo said...

These look delicious! I love chewy coconut pastries!

Food For Tots said...

Both my hubby and I love this HK coconut tartlet very much. Yours looks really great! Can't wait to get your recipe. ;)

Lisa Turner said...

I do love coconut and would love to try these. I hope you find the recipe!

Homemade Heaven said...

Looks similar to what we in South Africa call Hertzog Cookies. Sweet treats - yummy!