KLAPPERTAART | MANADONESE COCONUT CUSTARD PIE

The first time I made Klappertaart was in Jakarta a few years ago. I called my Oma and asked her for the recipe. She only gave me the ingredients, not the measurements. "Put in the coconut in the pan and add in the coconut water just until it covers the coconut about over 2 cm" she said. "Use some condensed milk to sweetened the mixture and some flour to thicken them" she explained further. 

Hmm.. I have to tell you it did not come out great. Not that it tasted bad, it tasted delicious but I did not get the texture that I wanted. The custard was too runny, well, it was not a custard, more like a coconut vanilla sauce. I already figured that it was too runny when it was still in the pan but I thought that it would hardened as it cools in the fridge, but it did not. So, after that I've tried to perfect my klappertaart and finally I have a basic recipe that I can use to make a great one!

I don't know why I did not put two and two together at that time but I'm actually only making a version of pastry cream added with some fresh coconut to it. When the light bulb finally lit up, I added some egg yolk to further thicken the mixture. 

Klappertaart Recipe | Resep Klapertaart:

Tools

• 1 Medium Saucepan
• Spatula and Wooden Spoon 
• Whisk and a Medium Bowl
• Sieve
• A few small custard ramekins or one large dish

Notes on The Ingredients

• If you cannot find fresh young coconut, use frozen coconut instead. 
• If it happens that you can't find both and have to use the canned coconut, run it under the water for a minute and let it soak to remove the sweetness of the syrup. Do this a few times.
• If you cannot find fresh coconut water, try to find boxed coconut water. Find one with the least sugar taste in it. I have tried a few here in Holland and my go to coconut water is Grace Coconut Water, you can find this either in the chinese winkel or Jumbo Supermarkten. 

Ingredients

• 500 gr young coconut meat
• 400 ml coconut water
• 250 ml condensed milk 
• 1 vanilla pod, seeded or 3 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 50 gr almonds, roughly chopped
• 2 egg yolk (L) or 3 egg yolk (M)
• 30 gr cornstarch

Method

• Put the coconut meat, coconut water, condensed milk and vanilla in the saucepan and bring to boil. Turn off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes for the milk to infuse. Add in the almonds.
• Combine the egg yolks and the cornstarch in a medium bowl.  Spoon a few of the milk from the saucepan into the egg mixture and lightly whisk to temper. Sieve the egg mixture into the saucepan and mix well. 
• Return the pan to medium heat and cook until the custard mixture begin to bubble and allow to cook for 30 s - 1 minute to cook the cornstarch. 
• Transfer the mixture to a pie dish and let cool and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (for large dish) or 1 hour (for small dishes)
• When the custard is cooled, decorate it with Italian Meringue, the recipe I used from BBC Food. 

Notes

• You can find the recipe for the Italian Meringue at BBC Food.