Coconut Dream Bars

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC). Lightly grease an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan and line it with parchment paper so that the paper not only comes all the way up the sides, but even sits an inch above the pan (this is a tall dessert!)

Step 2

For the crust, stir the coconut flour and sugar together in a bowl and add the melted butter, stirring until evenly combined – it will be a rough, crumbly texture. Stir in the coconut and press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake this for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned, and cool on a rack while preparing the filling.

Step 3

Whisk the coconut milk, condensed milk, cornstarch and lime zest together in a medium saucepan and bring this up to a full simmer over medium heat while whisking constantly, until thickened and glossy, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the coconut, lime juice, vanilla and coconut extract (if using). Spread this over the cooled crust and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Cool this to room temperature and then chill for at least 3 hours before topping.

Step 4

For the topping, remove the plastic wrap from the chilled coconut cream and arrange the raspberries overtop. In a small saucepot, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water, stir and let set for a moment. Heat the gelatin over low heat stirring just until melted and set aside (if using agar powder, heat this until the mixture simmers, and let simmer a minute before removing from the heat). Let this cool a few minutes, but it can still be a little warm. Whip the cream until it just begins to show signs of holding a peak and, while whipping, pour in the melted gelatin. Add the sugar, vanilla and coconut extract (if using) and continue to whip until the cream holds a soft peak. Dollop this over the berries (so as to keep them in place) and gently spread the cream to completely cover the berries. For a decorative touch, you can use the tip of a palette knife or a pastry comb to create a nice pattern on top of the cream. Chill for another hour before serving (this can be made up to a day ahead).

Step 5

To serve, lift the dessert out by holding onto the parchment paper, and portion into squares. Serve the dream bars with a little raspberry coulis.