inside outside almond joy tart {food matters project}

I am dating myself here, but do you remember those commercials for Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars? The slogan, 'Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't?' Well, I never felt like a nut. Not once. Could explain a lot.

Given a free hand to choose whatever recipe we wanted this week over at the Food Matters Project, and keeping the holiday in mind, I found a no-brainer the instant I began my search.

It didn't hurt that I had all the ingredients sitting nicely in my cupboards, just waiting to be used.

Coconut Tart with Chocolate Smear, from the Food Matters Cookbook, page 567
2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped {or in chip form}
1 cup coconut milk {light is fine}

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Combine the shredded coconut, sugar, egg whites, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Bake until the tart shell is firm and lightly toasted, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine the chocolate, egg yolks, and coconut milk in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, whisking almost continuously, until the chocolate is completely melted and stteaming, but don't let the mixture boil and separate.

3. When the tart shell comes out of the oven, spread the chocolate mixture in it. Let the tart cool and become firm before cutting into wedges and serving. The tart will keep, covered and refrigerated, for a day or two {but I don't suppose it will last that long}.