I've got a lovely burnt Coconut...

Whilst sewing a button onto an old pair of shorts - which had seen better days considering I was bought them as a young teen - and patching on some velcro whilst listening to some beautiful Jazz (Sample it for yourself here) I realised that I am by no stretch of the mark a "normal teenager." To most people who have met me in person I would say they might not think this remotely true, yes I am quite a quirky and happy-go-lucky kind of person when you meet me, but only once you get to know me do you realise that I have some really very unusual hobbies and ways of spending my time.

Obviously I'm not alone in being a baking fan (you, my humble reader, must have at least a passing interest in the cooking art) but it isn't my only "quirky" habit. It has been noted by people that teenagers who grow their own herbs and other plants aren't quite normal. Someone who knows how to sew a button back onto their jeans is disappointingly rare. Anyone who can repair basic household things or even have a vague understanding of technical ideas is becoming even less so. I have grown up with my father being able to fix almost anything which broke in our house (unfortunately not anything hi-tech of course) and unfortunately I never really paid attention to how he did these things. But as I've grown up I've realised that being able to do the odd job here and there is not only handy (and far easier than you'd imagine most of the time) but also saves time and money.

Really, that's where my hobbies come from, a desire to do something myself which I know is far cheaper, quicker and can sometimes yield far better results (especially when baking or growing herbs). Call me a tight-wad or a cheap scrounger all you want. But saving a few pennies here and there means I don't have to spend money buying a new towel rail for the bathroom (something I recently fixed at Uni) and can instead spend it on something I really want. That's why I don't mind being called weird or "quirky" or "odd" because to me it is far more odd to not know the basic mechanical knowledge that goes into making everything that surrounds us.

Today's recipe was by far the most easy I've had to do, mainly because it cheats and uses a ready made flan case. Part of me thought this wasn't really in the mood of the challenge which to me has a bit of a "discovering new things" and DIY vibe to it but I must say that it was a relief to not really have to put any effort in at all!

However... that doesn't necessarily mean everything went completely to plan! I think the main problem with today's challenge was actually the store-bought, ready-made flan case, why? Well naturally it isn't the shop's fault - nor the company who made said case - but mine and mine alone. Because when I went shopping for this flan case I wrote down on my list "flan case" and I came back with a "sponge flan case."  Naturally sponge isn't as heat resistant as pastry...

The Result:

Mmmm burney

So as you can see, it is a tad (a lot) blackened around the edges. Though I'll be first to admit that this is certainly not the worst disaster I've encountered on the blog it is certainly one which is very disappointing, I really looked forward to my coconut tart. Yet, when I bit into that first mouthful of coconutty tart I discovered that the overcooking had actually made... a MASSIVE difference, as much as I wish I could say that it was lovely and tasty despite the slight excessive use of oven it is clear that if only I had noticed in advance that that the flan case was the wrong kind perhaps it would have been perfect. The end result was a lovely filling and a burnt crust. Disappointing to say the least.