Earlier this week, I wrote about the delicious contemporary Hong Kong-style dim sum at the Hotel Grand Pacific, in Victoria, BC.

Executive chef Rick Choy shared his recipe for the sweet and chewy coconut tarts he serves at dim sum, and they’re surprisingly easy to make at home. They’d make an excellent dessert for an Asian meal. They’d also pair well with fresh fruit or a fruit sorbet.

Coconut Tarts
Adapted from Chef Rick Choy, The Hotel Grand Pacific

Don’t use very fine coconut; you want the tarts to have a little texture. If you don’t have small tart pans, I found that you can bake the tarts in mini muffin tins; just butter them well or use a vegetable oil spray to keep them from sticking.

Filling
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

Method:
1. In a food processor, blend the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and blend until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the lemon juice, water, and vanilla and blend briefly to form the dough.

2. Set the dough aside to rest for about 20 minutes. If the dough seems very sticky, let it rest in the refrigerator.

3. Roll out the dough and use to form pie shells using either individual molds or a baking pan with 4-inch insets, or 2-inch insets if making the smaller size. (Note: I used a glass to cut circles slightly larger than my two-inch-diameter mini muffin tins, then put the dough circles into the muffin tins, crimping the edges to form tart shells.)

4. Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C).

5. Make the filling: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, then blend in the egg till well combined. Add in the cream, then mix in the coconut.

6. Scoop the filling into the individual tart shells. Bake at 320°F (160°C) for about 15 minutes or until filling is set and tops of tarts are golden brown.

Yield: Five 4-inch tarts or ten 2-inch tarts

If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and let us know what you think. Thanks!

And if you want to sample Chef Choy’s coconut tarts at the restaurant, The Hotel Grand Pacific, 463 Belleville Street, Victoria, BC serves dim sum on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 am to 3 pm.

Tasty Travels!

Carolyn

Want to combine the ambiance of a posh high tea with contemporary Hong Kong-style dim sum? Then check out the weekend dim sum brunch at the The Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia’s capital city.

I was surprised to learn that this fairly traditional hotel serves dim sum in its gracious Pacific Restaurant—at least until I found out that the hotel’s executive chef, Rick Choy, hails from Hong Kong. He and his team cook West Coast fare the rest of the week, but on Saturdays and Sundays, Choy goes back to his Hong Kong roots.

Like any serious dim sum dining room, the Grand Pacific is serious about its tea.

You choose your brew from an extensive menu that was compiled in consultation with local tea experts, Silk Road Tea. I sampled a delicate white tea that had hints of orange.

The dim sum menu is small, with dishes all made to order, using local ingredients like seafood from B.C. waters or duck from the nearby Cowichan Valley.

I love congee, and the Grand Pacific version, full of local salmon, was especially delicious.

Another favorite was this fresh, crisp, and garlicky gai lan (Chinese broccoli).

The dim sum offerings are artfully arranged, perhaps reflecting Chef Choy’s background; he was an interior designer before he became a chef!

I also sampled these delicate scallop-filled dumplings, earthy and delicious sticky rice with mushrooms and pork (another one of my favorites), and puffy steamed chicken buns.

For a sweet finish to your dim sum experience, try these excellent Hong Kong-style coconut tarts, which are stuffed with a sugary, chewy coconut filling.

Chef Choy has graciously agreed to share his recipe for coconut tart recipe with WanderFood readers. Come back later this week for the recipe!

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If you go…
The Hotel Grand Pacific, 463 Belleville Street, Victoria BC, serves dim sum on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 am to 3 pm in their Pacific Restaurant. Reservations are recommended; call 250-380-4458 or book online through Open Table. Most dishes are C$8 each.

Tasty Travels!

Carolyn

The two food faces of Victoria, British Columbia:

Afternoon tea at the Hotel Grand Pacific (above)...

...Or down-and-dirty dinner at Pig BBQ Joint—plates not required!

If you go:
The Hotel Grand Pacific, on Victoria’s Inner Harbour, serves afternoon tea daily from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Reservations are required; call 250-380-4458.
Pig BBQ Joint is in downtown Victoria (1325 Blanshard St., at Johnson, 250-590-5193, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily). The vinegary pulled pork is especially delicious!

Tasty Travels!

Carolyn