Coconut Pecan Tart (Almond Flour)

Elegant and gluten-free, this tart starts with a no-bake, press-in crust made with coconut and almond flour - no rolling out or blind-baking required. the filling is an enchanting elixir of butter, sugar, cream and condensed milk speckled with coarse semi-sweet chocolate and pecan halves (imagine the best candy bar you've never eaten). Sprinkle on salt flakes and slice it thin; even a sliver will satisfy.

Crust:
vegetable-oil cooking spray or vegetable oil, for pan
1¼ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup almond flour
¼ tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbsp. light corn syrup

Filling:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
⅓ cup light-brown sugar, packed
⅓ cup heavy cream
1 pinch sea salt
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (~ ¾ cup)
8 oz pecan halves (2 cups)
⅔ cup sweetened condensed milk (from a 14 oz can)
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla paste or extract
flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

For the Crust:
Spray a 9x9" round tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray (or brush with oil).

In a bowl, combine coconut, flour and kosher salt. Stir in butter and syrup until mixture has the texture of wet sand and no dry flour remains (it should be crumbly but hold together when pinched between your fingers).

Sprinkle evenly over bottom of prepared pan, with slightly more of mixture at edges, then press evenly into bottom and up sides of pan (since crust is thin, it's important to distribute evenly before packing down). Refrigerate until ready to use or, covered, up to 1 day.

For the Filling:
Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, cream and kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Transfer tart pan to a rimmed baking sheet. Pour cooled butterscotch into crust, smoothing to edges with an offset spatula. Sprinkle chocolate and pecans into crust. In a bowl, whisk together condensed milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour over chocolate-pecan mixture.

Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly in places, 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 20 minutes. Carefully remove sides from pan and let cool completely (if crust is sticking anywhere along sides of pan, loosen by running a paring knife up and down in sticky spots before removing).

To serve, sprinkle with flaky salt and cut into fingers.

Makes 12-16 Servings.