Restaurant Recipes: Monica Galetti’s Mango Tart

Words by
Sphere Editors

3rd November 2026

In an exclusive excerpt from her new cookbook, Gathering, Monica Galetti shares her mango tart recipe. Except this time, it's made with lemon thyme, filo pastry and coconut custard. 

Monica Galetti, mango tart.
Monica Galetti, chef, MasterChef judge and author. ©Yuki Sugiura.

“It’s delicious, easy and a bit tropical,” Monica Galetti tells SPHERE, as she describes her mango tart recipe. It's fresh from her new cookbook, Gathering, which is inspired by Monica’s travels, her Samoan background and, of course, illustrious culinary career.

The MasterChef judge, restaurateur and author sees filo pastry as a brilliant ingredient for quick desserts. Monica’s chef’s tip? “I halve the custard and pour it over the filo before baking, which makes the dessert rich and satisfying without being fussy.”

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Ingredients

Filo mango tart, Monica Galetti.
Filo Lemon Thyme and Mango Custard Tart by Monica Galetti.©Yuki Sugiura.

Serves 6-8

70g (2½oz) unsalted butter, melted
7 filo pastry sheets
150g (5½oz) ripe mango flesh, cubed
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp lemon thyme leaves

250ml (9fl oz) coconut custard: 

150g (5½oz) desiccated coconut
300g (10½oz) icing sugar
150g (5½oz) egg whites (approximately 5 eggs)
45g (1½oz) plain flour + extra for dusting

Method

Gathering, mango tart.
The cover of Gathering. ©Pavilion.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/gas 5. 

Brush the base of a standard 26cm (10½in) quiche dish with some of the melted butter.

Lay the filo pastry sheets flat on the worktop. Take one sheet at a time and gather together. Roll the first sheet into a rose and place in the middle of the baking dish. Follow with the rest of the filo sheets to completely cover the dish.

Scatter the mango in between the filo sheets, gently pushing them in place. Generously brush the pastry with the rest of the melted butter, covering every possible crevice.

In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and icing sugar, then dust half over the filo tart and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the coconut custard. In a saucepan over a medium heat, bring the coconut milk, double cream and vanilla pod to the boil. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar to combine. While continually whisking, carefully pour the hot coconut milk and cream into the eggs and sugar. Once combined, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return to the heat.

Cook the custard, stirring occasionally, until just before it reaches boiling point, the custard has thickened and coats the back of a wooden spoon. The custard should read 82°C (180°F) on a kitchen thermometer, if using. Strain the custard through a sieve, discard the vanilla pod, cover and set aside until ready to serve. 

Pour the coconut custard over the tart. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle over the lemon thyme leaves, then dust with the remaining cinnamon sugar before slicing to serve.

To try other recipes from Gathering, buy the cookbook here. 

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