Coconut Tarts With Prickly Pear Sauce Recipes

COCONUT TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place frozen mini tart shells on a baking sheet.
• Beat the butter, sugar, egg, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined. Stir in the coconut. Place 1/2 teaspoon of jam into each mini tart shell, and fill the shells with about 1 tablespoon of the coconut mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the shells and topping are lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

COCONUT TARTS

Steps:

• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl of food processor. Add the butter and shortening, and pulse until crumbs the size of peas form. Slowly add 1 cup cold water until the dough just comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
• In the meantime, combine the coconut, sugar, mixed essence, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan, and simmer the mixture until the sugar melts and liquid thickens to the consistency of maple syrup, about 30 minutes. Cool.
• To make the tarts: Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Dust the chilled dough with flour and divide into 15 balls. Flatten the balls and then roll out to 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
• Place 1 tablespoon of filling on the center of a disk. Lightly brush the edges of the disk with water and fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon. Crimp the edges closed, using a fork. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
• Beat the egg yolk and milk together, and brush over the tarts. Prick each tart once or twice so that steam can escape. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tarts are golden brown. Cool and serve.

CRIMSON PRICKLY PEAR SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut a 1/2-inch slice off both ends of the prickly pears, then make a 1/2-inch deep incision down the side of each one. Carefully (remember there are little stickers) peel off the rind, starting from your incision: The rind is thick, and, if the fruit is ripe, will peel easily away from the central core. Roughly chop the peeled prickly pears, puree in a food processor or blender, then press through a fine strainer into a bowl. There should be about 3 cups.
• In a medium-size (2- to 3-quart) saucepan, combine 2 cups of the puree with 1/3 cup sugar, and simmer rapidly over medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until reduce to 1 cup. Cool.
• Combine the cooked mixture with the remaining1 cup of uncooked puree in a small bowl. Taste and season with lime juice, orange liqueur and additional sugar if needed.
• Advance Preparation:
• Covered and refrigerated, the sauce will keep about a week. The finished sauce (as well as the prickly-pear pulp) also can be frozen.

COCONUT CREAM TART

Steps:

• Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse flour, butter, sugar, and salt until moist crumbs form; transfer to a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. With floured fingers, press evenly into bottom and up sides of pan. Freeze until firm, 15 minutes.
• Prick crust all over with a fork. Bake, until golden, 25 minutes, pressing down with a spoon if it puffs up; cool completely. Leave oven on.
• Make filling: Spread 3/4 cup coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, tossing occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Set toasted coconut aside.
• In a medium saucepan, heat 2 cups of the milk and remaining 3/4 cup coconut until milk just begins to simmer. Remove from heat, cover; let stand 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve, and return milk to saucepan; discard coconut.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, and remaining 1/2 cup milk until blended. Gradually whisk into saucepan.
• Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Cook, whisking, 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl, add vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until cool, 45 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat cream on medium until soft peaks form.
• To assemble the tart. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of toasted coconut in crust. Spoon on cooled filling, mounding slightly in center. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup coconut on filling; top with whipped cream, and garnish with remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 30 minutes. Remove sides of tart pan, and slice.

COCONUT TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place a shallow 23cm flan tin on a baking tray. Tip the spices, coconut and sugar into a pan with 150ml water and cook over a low heat for about 5 mins, stirring frequently to ensure the mixture doesn't catch. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line the flan tin. Trim off the excess pastry, fill the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans and cook for 15 mins. Remove the beans and cook for 5 mins more so the pastry on the base of the tin is just cooked, but not brown.
• Beat the egg and melted butter into the cooled coconut mixture, then spoon into the pastry case and smooth the top. Bake for 25 mins until the pastry is golden and the coconut pale golden. Serve with cream or real vanilla ice cream and some Cape gooseberries, then follow with cups of black Rooibos tea.

COCONUT CREAM TARTS

Steps:

• Adjust oven racks to lowest and lower-middle positions, and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 48 mini-muffin cups with vegetable cooking spray.
• Mix 1/2 cup of the sugar and graham cracker crumbs in a small bowl. Working in 4 batches, lay 12 cut egg roll wrap squares on work surface. Brush wrappers with melted butter on both sides, and roll each piece in the graham cracker mixture to coat, shaking off excess. Use fingers to fit wrappers in prepared muffin tins to form a cup.
• Place 2 muffin tins each on oven racks and bake, switching tin positions after 10 minutes, until golden and crisp, 15 to 18 minutes. Immediately remove tarts from tins and place on a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining wraps. (Cooled tart shells can be stored in an airtight tin for up to 1 week.)
• Scatter coconut in an 8-inch baking pan. Bake on lower-middle rack, stirring every 5 minutes until evenly golden brown, about 15 minutes. For the filling, whisk cornstarch and remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a medium saucepan. Whisk in yolks, immediately followed by the milks. Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently at first, then constantly as mixture starts to thicken, 8 to 10 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer. Stir in vanilla, remaining 2 Tbs. of butter and 1/2 cup of the toasted coconut. Put plastic wrap directly over the surface to prevent a skin from forming, let cool, then refrigerate. (Filling can be refrigerated up to 2 days.)
• When ready to assemble, arrange tart shells on a serving tray. Spoon a tablespoon of filling into each shell, sprinkle with toasted coconut, and serve.

COCONUT TARTS WITH PRICKLY PEAR SAUCE

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Line bottom of each tart pan with a round of parchment or wax paper.
• Finely grind 1/3 cup almonds with sugar in a food processor (reserve remaining almonds for filling), then add bread crumbs and pulse until combined. Drizzle butter over crumbs and pulse until evenly moistened. Divide mixture among tart pans and press evenly over bottom and up side of each tart pan. Chill tart shells while making filling.
• Make filling:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Pierce softest eye of coconut with a metal skewer or small screwdriver and drain liquid through a sieve into a bowl and reserve. (If it tastes sweet, the coconut is fresh; if it tastes off, the coconut is rancid and should be discarded.) Bake coconut 15 minutes, then cool until it can be handled.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Break shell of coconut with a hammer or back of a heavy cleaver, then remove flesh with point of a strong knife, levering it out carefully. Remove brown skin with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. Shred coconut in cleaned food processor fitted with medium-size shredding disk or hand-grate with medium-size teardrop holes of a box grater. Measure 2 1/2 cups loosely packed coconut and reserve. Transfer remaining coconut to a shallow baking pan and toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack and reserve for garnish. Leave oven on.
• While coconut toasts, bring reserved coconut liquid, cream, and sugar to a simmer in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until reduced to about 1 cup, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, then stir in reserved 2 1/2 cups untoasted coconut, yolks, vanilla, and reserved toasted almonds (2/3 cup) until combined well.
• Put tart pans on a large baking sheet, then spoon coconut filling evenly into shells, stirring filling in between additions to get even amounts of solids and liquid and bake until filling is set and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool tarts on a rack.
• Make sauce:
• Wearing rubber gloves, cut a 1/2-inch slice off both ends of each pear, then make a 1/2-inch-deep incision with a paring knife down side of each pear. Peel off rind, starting from incision, and discard. Coarsely chop flesh, then purée in cleaned food processor. Force pur&eacut;e through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl using a rubber spatula.
• Bring 1 cup purée and 3 tablespoons sugar to a simmer in cleaned 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan, stirring, then simmer briskly, stirring frequently, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cooked purée to a bowl, then cool to room temperature and stir in uncooked purée. Season to taste with lime juice, additional sugar, and orange liqueur (if using).
• Using tip of a paring knife, loosen edge of 1 tart crust from pan, then invert tart into your hand, removing pan, and transfer tart, right side up, to a serving plate, then repeat with remaining tarts. Serve tarts topped with dollops of crema and sprinkled with toasted coconut, then spoon sauce around tarts.