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A crunchy, almond cookie holds a rich, coconut and lime pudding topped with fresh sliced strawberries or mango slices. You can make the pudding without cornstarch, be sure to get it very thick before chilling it.

Ingredients
The Filling:
½ Cup Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1 ½ Tablespoons of Cornstarch
1 Cup of Coconut Milk
6 egg yolks, beaten lightly in a small bowl
Zest of 3 Limes (grated very finely, a microplane works well)
Few Drops of Lime Juice

The Meringues:
6 Egg Whites
Pinch of Cream of Tartar
Pinch of Salt
½ Cup of Sugar
½ Cup Whole Raw Almonds, toasted, chopped to coarse meal texture

Toppings:
Fresh Strawberries, sliced
Ripe Mangoes, sliced

Method
Make the pudding first unless you plan to bake the meringue cookies in advance.

For the Pudding:

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt, add the coconut milk. Whisk mixture over medium-low heat. Be careful not to use too much heat so the coconut milk doesn\'t separate. When the first signs of steam appear, remove from heat and add about five tablespoons of the hot mixture to the egg yolks one tablespoon at a time while whisking continuously to temper the yolks, then add the tempered yolks back to the hot coconut milk and whisk over medium-low heat until the mixture forms a thick pudding. Stir in the lime zest and juice. Chill the cooled pudding in the refrigerator covered.

For the Meringue:

Preheat the oven to 200 F (93 C.). Place two racks toward the top of the oven. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. You can add another baking sheet under the sheet that rests on the lower rack to prevent the bottoms from browning.

Lightly touch the upper sides of the stand mixer bowl with a very small amount of lime juice. Add the egg whites to the bowl and begin whipping them with a whisk by hand until they are frothy, then use the mixer starting over low speed, whisking until they begin to expand, add cream of tartar and salt, continue to whip and gradually increase the speed, then gradually add the sugar. As the egg whites get more structure, turn the speed up to high, but be careful not to overwhip the whites or they will deflate Whip until the egg whites form stiff peaks. When the whisk pulls a stiff peak up that holds it\'s shape, they are ready. Carefully fold in a few drops of vanilla and the ground, toasted almonds.

With a large spoon, drop meringue onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and spread into 2 inch rounds, ½ inch thick. You can make a divet in the center of each to hold the filling. Alternatively, use a large round tip in a piping bag and pipe the meringue to fill neat circles or use an offset spatula to spread the meringue into neat rounds.

Bake the cookies in a preheated oven until the meringues become dry, when the meringues are almost dry to the touch, the oven can be turned off with the meringues remaining inside for another hour or two to completely dry. Store the finished meringues in an airtight container until you are ready to serve the dessert.

To Serve:
Cut the fruit into thin slices. Place a meringue cookie with the flat side down on a small serving plate, top with a small spoonful of the chilled pudding and top with slices of the fresh fruit, serve immediately.

Cooking tips: Preheating the oven helps prevent the bottoms of the meringues from browning. Adjust the temperature lower if necessary to avoid browning the meringues. They will become lightly golden in color at the very end of baking. Be sure not to over-process the almonds, they should add a little crunch to the texture of the meringues.