Coconut Cheese Cakes (Parsi Coconut Tarts)
These traditional Parsi 'Cheese Cakes' (a historical term for filled tartlets) feature a rich, sweet coconut filling encased in flaky puff pastry. The filling combines fresh grated coconut with egg yolks, sugar, and the warm aromatics of nutmeg, mace, and rosewater. Baked until golden, they offer a delightful contrast between the crisp buttery pastry and the moist, fragrant center.
Ingredients
- 1 package Puff pastry (Thawed. Originally 'puff paste'.)
- 3/4 cup Fresh grated coconut (Originally '5 tolas' (approx 58g). Use white meat only, finely grated.)
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar (Originally '1/4 sher' (approx 115g).)
- 2 yolks Egg yolks (Originally '2 fresh eggs (dal)' - dal refers to the yolk.)
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground nutmeg (Originally '1/4 tola' (approx 3g).)
- 1 teaspoon Ground mace (Originally 'chadi' (likely referring to mace or a spice stick, modernized to ground mace to pair with nutmeg).)
- 1 teaspoon Rose water
- 1 tablespoon Butter (For greasing the tins.)
Instructions
- 1Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease tartlet tins or a muffin pan generously with butter.
- 2In a mixing bowl, combine the grated coconut, sugar, egg yolks, ground nutmeg, ground mace, and rose water. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated into a sticky, sweet paste.
- 3Roll out the puff pastry to approximately 1/2 inch thickness (or slightly thinner for crispier tarts). Cut into rounds large enough to line your tartlet tins. Press the pastry gently into the buttered tins, trimming the edges evenly.
- 4Spoon the coconut mixture into the pastry-lined tins. Optionally, sprinkle a small pinch of extra sugar on top of each tart. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown and the filling is set.