Dessert is often one of the hardest items to replace on any kind of healthy diet. Almost every regular option is made with lashings of sugar, dairy, and wheat flour. This Lemon-Coconut Tart recipe, however, is just the job. It’s impressive enough for any occasion, and a bite of lemon (while not necessarily traditional) is refreshing after any indulgent meal. You won’t believe this is low-carb and healthy!
The magic of getting the tart to set, while still remaining creamy and luscious, is the combination of gelatin, pureed macadamia nuts, and full-fat coconut milk. Pure food magic. Go on… don’t wait any longer!
Crust adapted from SIBO Diet Recipes
This recipe is part of our series of holiday dishes that are compatible with low carbohydrate, SIBO-friendly (lower FODMAPs), and Elimination Diets. Armed with these delectable, satisfying and healthy versions of the holiday staples you know and love, you’ll be ready to entertain and feast, no matter your (or your guests’) dietary requirements!
Lemon-Coconut Tart with Chestnut and Pecan Crust |
- Crust
- 1 1/2 cup chestnut flour
- 1/4 cup Pecans
- 6 tbsp coconut oil
- 6 tbsp sunflower butter
- 3 tbsp Honey
- 5 drops Liquid Stevia
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Filling
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts soaked overnight then drained
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 5 lemons grated then juiced, (optional = use Meyer lemons for unique flavor)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp plain gelatin (e.g. Great Lakes brand)
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 10 drops Liquid Stevia
- 1/4 tsp salt
Ingredients
Servings:
Units:
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- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Put pecans into a food processor and pulse until they become small pieces.
- Add all the other crust ingredients continue to blend until smooth.
- Grease a 9-inch pie dish with coconut oil and press dough so that it covers entire bottom surface evenly. Prick all over with a fork.
- Grease a piece of tin foil and put it face down on top of crust. Cover tin foil with dry beans. (This is a cool trick to keep crust from rising). Bake in oven for 8-10 min, or until cooked through
- Remove beans and tin foil and let cool completely.
- Place the macadamia nuts and coconut milk in a food processor or blender and whizz until completely smooth. There should be no graininess remaining from the nuts—this might take 5 minutes or so.
- Place the macadamia-coconut mixture into a medium pan along with remaining ingredients and bring to a near boil. Take off the heat and stir well to dissolve the gelatin.
- Pour the filling onto the crust, let cool and then refrigerate 4-5 hours until completely set.
Optional: serve with whipped coconut cream. To make coconut cream, refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight. Without shaking, open the can and scoop out only the solid part. Mix in a little stevia and vanilla and stir until creamy.
I made this wonderful dessert for Thanksgiving, starting a couple days ahead. I didn’t have chestnut flour, so I substituted a mixture of quinoa, rice, and chick pea flours. Or maybe oat flour was in there. I didn’t have sunflower seed butter, so put in a couple tbsp sunflower seeds and couple tbsp peanut butter. Because I don’t have a food processor, I used my blender. Needless to say, it was probably not as smooth as yours and was difficult to press to a thin crust, so might have been thicker and tougher than yours.
I NEARLY followed the recipe for the filling but found it to be SO sour I stopped w 4 lemons, and doubled the honey and stevia. Still, it was DELICIOUS! My daughter (dr. K.f.) loved it, as well! (Actually, I only had 2 tbsp of honey so added 2 tbsp maple syrup. Sigh, I have a hard time following a recipe….). I will keep my eye out for chestnut flour — want to try this again!
Awesomeness. Your “forte” has always been substituting and trying new things. I bet it was still yum!!!
We loved that tart last year !! Substitutions and all…And we are having it again this Thanksgiving❤️
This looks great, but not useful for those of us that can’t eat nuts. Your recipes all look so good… I wish you would come up with some low-carb, nut-free desserts.
Hello – Thanks so much for writing. You’re right! This recipe isn’t appropriate for someone trying to avoid nuts. The Nutrition Team often has to pull together plans and recipes for patients who have to juggle dietary restrictions – including those on low carbohydrate and nut-free diets – so we have a few go-to options we like.
This Carrot “cake” pudding for example, if you can have coconut and flax (skip the nutty toping): https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/recipe/carrot-cake-pudding/
If you’d like, we can have one of our super smart nutrition residents pull something together for you that complies with your restriction. Send us a message here: https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/contact-2/