Coconut pie with an easy berry sauce

Given the latest season of My Kitchen Rules starts tonight in Australia, it seems like a good time to share one of my standby dessert recipes that was inspired by  the show. This, for me, is another great recipe for entertaining. Most of it can be made ahead, and even easier you just throw all the ingredients together in the food processor. The most effort you have to make is toasting the coconut. What could be easier? The original recipe was served with mangos, but I like to serve (and eat) this with a quick and easy berry sauce made from frozen mixed berries which I always have in my freezer.

This dessert is more of a slice than a pie, and is quite moist and dense. Any leftovers are great the next day as a treat with a cup of tea.  The recipe is best made at least a few hours before you want to serve it to allow time to chill.

It has been a few seasons since any of the dishes on My Kitchen Rules have become a favourite of mine, but maybe this year will provide me with some more inspiration. I have to admit though that I always record MKR, rather than watch it as it airs, so I can fast forward when the added ‘drama’ (it is reality TV after all) becomes too much.

Coconut pie with berry sauce

You will need a 11.5cm x 35cm rectangular fluted tin with a removable base for this recipe.

Ingredients

Coconut Pie

• Cooking oil spray
• 4 eggs
• 80g unsalted butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g slivered almonds
• 1 cup desiccated coconut, toasted
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 200ml coconut milk
• ½ cup plain flour

Berry Sauce

• 1 cup frozen mixed berries
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar
• A squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160C fan forced (180C). To toast the coconut, place a medium frying pan over a low-medium heat and add the coconut (no oil is needed). It will only take a few minutes to toast. Move the coconut regularly until it starts to go golden. Then remove from the heat and pan and set aside to cool.
2. Spray the tin with cooking oil and place on a baking tray.
3. Place all the coconut pie ingredients into a food processor and process until well combined. Pour into the tin and bake in the oven for 40 minutes to an hour until the pie is just set and slightly golden.
4. Refrigerate until required.
5. To make the sauce, combine the berries and icing sugar in a microwave safe bowl or a saucepan and then either place in the microwave for 1 ½ minutes (stirring halfway through) or on the stovetop until the berries have defrosted and the sauce warmed through. Taste and add more icing sugar if too tart or lemon juice if too sweet.
6. To serve, remove the tart from the fridge, slice (and dust with icing sugar if you want) and serve with sauce and cream, ice-cream or mascarpone.
7. I also served the pie in the picture with strawberries which I sliced and mixed with a little icing sugar, and roasted rhubarb (rhubarb, sliced and placed on a baking tray, sprinkled with sugar and placed in the oven 160C fan forced for about 20 minutes, until tender).

Adapted from Coconut pie served wtih mango kebab and malibu mango puree with mascarpone – My Kitchen Rules