Lime Tarts with Coconut Cream

Whipped Topping

• In an 8″ to 10″ frying pan over medium-high heat, stir coconut until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes; pour into a small bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature up to 2 hours.
• In another bowl, combine whipping cream, coconut milk, and powdered sugar. Beat with a mixer on high speed until coconut cream holds soft mounds. Cover and chill up to 2 hours. Whip to blend before using.
• Remove pan rims from crusts, and set each crust on a dessert plate. Fill crusts equally with lime curd. Top each tart with equal portions of coconut cream and sprinkle with coconut.

Butter Crusts

• In a food processor or bowl, combine flour and sugar. Add butter; whirl or rub in with your fingers until fine crumbs form. Add yolk; whirl or mix with a fork until dough holds together. Pat into a ball.
• Divide dough into 6 equal portions. Firmly and evenly press each one over the bottom and up sides of a 4½-inch tart pan with removable rim. Set pans slightly apart on a 14″ x 17″ baking sheet.
• Bake in a 300° F regular or convection oven until pale gold, 15 to 25 minutes; let cool at least 15 minutes. If making up to 1 day ahead, cool completely, wrap airtight and store at room temperature.

Lime Curd

• With a vegetable peeler, pare green part of peel from 4 limes. Put peel and sugar in a food processor and whirl until peel is very finely chopped; let stand, covered, 30 minutes or up to 6 hours. Ream juice from limes. Measure 1 cup; save the remainder for other uses.
• Add the 1 cup lime juice to sugar mixture in a food processor; whirl until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture through a fine strainer into a 2- to 3-quart pan, pressing liquid from peel; discard peel. Add eggs and whisk to blend; add butter.
• Stir over medium-low heat until mixture thickly coats a metal spoon, about 15 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, cover and chill until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days. Stir before using.

Notes

• Tarts can be assembled in 10 minutes if you bake butter crusts and make lime curd ahead—up to 1 day for crusts, 3 days for curd.