chocolate coconut tart

 

holy snow day!!! my neck of the woods is getting hit with snow all week long which means i am staying in the kitchen where it is warm. today is part two of valentine's week & of course it involves chocolate. when it comes to valentine's day, i am quite traditional in the sense that there has to be chocolate. flowers i can do without, but give me ALL the chocolate desserts i can handle! this chocolate coconut tart is so decadent, it will satisfy every chocolate lovers craving. it is a no bake tart with a ganache style filling. to give it a coconut flavour twist, i incorporated flaked coconut in the graham cracker crust & used lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion in the chocolate filling! it adds the perfect punch of coconut flavour without over powering the richness from the dark chocolate & cream. because the tarts main ingredient is dark chocolate, i reccomend using the highest quality chocolate you can get your hands on!

ingredients

for the crust

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion

for the filling

  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cubed
  • 200 grams high quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • coconut chips, for topping

directions

for the crust

  • in a large mixing bowl toss together the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, sugar and sea salt.
  • add the butter, vanilla extract & coconut emulsion. stir well.
  • pour mixture into one large or two small tart pans. shape into a firm crust & refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

for the filling

  • in a saucepan over medium heat add the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, coconut emulsion & salt. stir occasionally & bring to a boil.
  • immediately remove pan from heat & add the butter cubes + chopped chocolate. stir vigorously until the mixture is silky & smooth.
  • pour into the pre-baked crust & place in fridge.
  • chill tart for two hours to set. sprinkle with coconut chips before serving.

strawberry cheesecake pancakes in bed

 

happy friday!!! who is celebrating valentine's day this weekend? i have been hit with a nasty cold so it is looking like i will be spending the next few days watching netflix in bed. lucky for me, i have the comfiest bedding from rough linen to cozy up in! i never want to leave this bed on a good day. now i don't want to give away too much of our master bedroom design that is just about complete as i will be sharing a more detailed post on it in the near future, but let's talk a little bit about that bedding! while i usually gravitate toward different tones of grey, i couldn't pass up the "dusk" soft pink colour rough linen carriers. i opted for the queen bed makeover in dusk & white which comes with everything you need to set the bed! a duvet cover, top sheet, decorative shams & a summer cover. i filled it with a heavy duty down insert because our old house is quite cold, but i can only imagine how hot it will be in the summer so having the light summer cover will be a life saver. oh the joys of an old house! i am also so happy how well it goes with the farrow + ball wallpaper & paint i chose. the cloudy wallpaper is called aranami in grey, it is seriously the dreamiest. between the grey wallpaper, walls, doors & trim the dusk pink was a perfect subtle contrast to everything. but enough about the bed, let's get to what inspired it all.. strawberry cheesecake pancakes!

i love the idea of surprisingly your valentine with breakfast in bed & this one is fit for a king (or queen). i incorporated cream cheese & greek yogurt into the pancakes themselves, then topped them off with fresh strawberries & whipped cream. i opted to keep the pancakes simple, but if you wanted to stir a few fresh strawberries into the batter itself that works too! i remember making strawberry cheesecake pancakes for my mom on mother's day years & years ago. i used nigella's recipe which used cottage cheese as the base, but i like the tang of the actual cream cheese brings to these ones. plus, with all the chocolate & wine calories don't count on valentine's day! you can even top it with a strawberry pie filling if you have trouble finding fresh strawberries this time of year. so, you have all weekend to get the perfect breakfast in bed pancakes ready for your valentine, bonus points if you surprise them with this dream bedding too;)

xo

strawberry cheesecake pancakes

ingredients

  • 4 ounces full fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons plain full fat greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 pinch of sea salt
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
  • 1 cup whippred cream, for serving
  • pure maple syrup, for serving

directions

  • using an immersion blender, puree cream cheese, egg, yogurt & vanilla until smooth.
  • stir in raw sugar, melted butter & milk.
  • sift in flour, baking powder & salt until a lumpy batter is formed.
  • heat an oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. pour the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. * cook until both sides brown.
  • top with fresh strawberries, whipped cream & maple syrup!