tartlicious tuesday: coconut cream tart (pie) recipe & winner for cutting board announced

Coconut Cream Pie Recipe (tart) The winner of the hand crafted cutting board is "Rachel", congrats Rachel from "My Naturally Frugal Family". For the holidays we like to dress up our tables. Coconut Custard pie is easily converted into tart form and makes a lovely addition to your dessert table. We love tarts, particularly on holiday tables, because they look a little more polished, as if the pie dressed up for the occasion. There are many people who think there is a great deal of work that goes into a coconut cream pie. Truthfully, it is one of the easiest pies to make and it seems to receive more than the average compliments. All pies are delicious, but the exotic nature of coconuts seems to add more flavor. You’ll note in the photos that our coconut cream is very yellow. As you’ll read in the recipe there are 5 large egg yolks in the custard. It is our fortune that organic, free-range eggs from a local farm are sold to us directly from the farm. They are fresh, delicious and above all the egg yolks are an amazingly bright, deep yellow. Anything made with these eggs has a beautiful color. It may be that some like the white of a coconut cream pie and that is fine. But, the color of this custard speaks to us of a time when women were embarrassed to put brown sugar on the table, preferring the less healthy, refined white sugar because it was a status symbol. Today this may seem silly to us as we all know that unrefined sugar is much healthier and often preferred. This is how we feel about the eggs. We love the rich color and we do not hesitate, when asked, to say proudly that the eggs used in the custard come from local, healthy, happy, well-fed chickens! This recipe comes from Martha Stewart. You can use a pate brisee recipe for the crust or sweet tart dough. If you are making this into a tart you have the option to make a variety of sizes. The recipe will yield about 6-8 tartlets or can be used in a large tart pan. And, remember: double your dough recipe and freeze the extra! You’ll be glad you did when you’d like to make a quick pie or tart. Coconut Cream Pie Recipe (tart)
Coconut Cream Pie (or Tart) Ingredients 1/2 recipe Pate Brisee All-purpose flour, for dusting Fresh Coconut Curls 1 large whole egg, lightly beaten, plus 5 large egg yolks 3 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk 2/3 cup granulated sugar 5 tablespoons cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 ounces semisweet chocolate 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar Chocolate Curls Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch round, a bit less than 1/4 inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, trim crust to a 1/2-inch overhang all around. Fold under overhang so it extends slightly beyond edge of pie plate. Crimp edge as desired. Prick dough all over with a fork. Brush rim of dough with beaten egg. Chill pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes. 2. Line chilled pie shell with a round of parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges of crust just turn golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove parchment and pie weights. Return crust to oven, and continue baking until golden all over 15 to 20 minutes more. Place pie shell on a wire rack to cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. 3. Place Coconut Curls on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside. 4. Prepare an ice bath; set aside. In a bowl, lightly whisk egg yolks; set aside. In a saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a simmer (do not boil), and cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 4 minutes. 5. Whisk a quarter of hot-milk mixture into egg yolks; whisk in remaining milk mixture. Strain into a clean saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until custard is thick and bubbles appear in center, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface to prevent a skin from forming. Set in ice bath until completely chilled, 30 to 35 minutes. (Filling can be kept in refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, up to 1 day.) 6. Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (do not let bowl touch the water), or in the microwave. Stir until smooth, and set aside until cool to touch, stirring occasionally. 7. Using a pastry brush, coat inside of cooled crust with melted chocolate. Place in refrigerator or freezer until firm to touch, about 10 minutes. 8. Fill crust with coconut custard, spreading evenly with an offset spatula. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine cream and confectioners' sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Using a small offset spatula, spread whipped cream on top of custard. Refrigerate pie at least 3 hours before serving. Garnish with toasted Coconut Curls and Chocolate Curls just before serving. Pate Brisee Ingredients 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1 cup chilled (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water Directions 1. Make sure all your ingredients are thoroughly chilled before you begin. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl, and stir to combine. 2. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture by pressing down quickly, using as few strokes as possible. You may leave a few pea-size pieces. Add 4 tablespoons water. Gather the dough and gently press into a ball. It should come together loosely; if not, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide dough in half; place each on plastic wrap. Flatten into disks. Wrap tightly; refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. 3. Remove disks from refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, press rolling pin gently all over dough to flatten it slightly. Working from the center to the edge in all directions, roll out dough into a round about 3 inches larger than the pie plate. 4. Wrap the dough around the rolling pin; lift and center it over the pie plate. Gently unroll the dough over the plate, leaving an even amount of overhang around the perimeter. Baking time depends on individual recipes. Sweet Tart Dough Ingredients 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons white sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup unsalted butter, cubed 1 egg, beaten 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions 1. Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl. 2. Toss butter through flour mixture to coat pieces. Using fingertips, rub fat into flour, working it until you have created a coarse meal with a few pea-size particles of fat. 3. Empty crumbs onto a cool surface. Form mixture into a mound. Make a 4 to 5 inch well in center of the mound. Combine egg and vanilla and pour mixture into the well. Using a fork, draw crumbs into egg mixture, about 1 - 2 tablespoons at a time. When all crumbs are added, toss mixture a few times with a pastry blender to form large clumps, and then scrape into a mound. 4. Using the heel of your hand, push 2 - 3 tablespoons of the dough at a time, outward in 6 to 8 inch sweeps. This will blend fat and flour and give crust a delicate texture. If your hand becomes sticky, flour it as needed. Repeat process until all dough has been worked. Gather dough into a mound again. Repeat procedure 2 more times. 5. After third time, flour your hands. Gently knead the dough 5 or 6 times to make it smooth. Shape into a 5 inch disk. Dust disk lightly with flour, score with side of your hand, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 20 minutes before shaping. DO NOT LET DOUGH BECOME TOO HARD or it will be difficult to roll. If this happens, let pastry soften at room temperature. 6. Roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. After dough has been rolled, position rolling pin 4 inches from top of the pastry. Lift dough over top of rolling pin and gently roll dough toward you. Lift pastry up. Make sure you keep a finger pressed against barrel of rolling pin to keep it from slipping. Position pastry, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of dough hanging over edge of pan on side closest to you. Then unroll pastry over an ungreased tart pan, moving pin away from you. Immediately lift overhang into pan to prevent sharp edge of the pan from cutting dough. 7. Working a small portion of the dough at a time, mold it into crease of the pan. Trim excess pastry from top edge of pan. Chill pastry in refrigerator or freezer for up to 30 minutes. Tear an 18 inch square of tin foil. Make a buttered circle in center of foil 2 inches larger than size of pan. Place foil buttered side down, centering it into the baking pan. Using your hand, press foil flush against the sides. 8. Heat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Position shelf in lower third of oven. Fill pan with enough dried beans or baking nuggets to just cover surface of pan. DO NOT OVERFILL. Bake pastry shell on a shallow pan with sides. Bake crust 15 to 18 minutes or until sides begin to brown. Remove pan from the oven. Let stand about 30 seconds. Gently remove foil and beans. Reduce oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Continue to bake crust for 3 to 5 minutes or until it is golden. If bottom of pastry shell puffs up, tap it gently with bottom of a fork to expel the air. Do this carefully so the pastry crust doesn't break. When crust is done, cool completely before filling.
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11 comments

  • November 23, 2011 at 8:47 pm //

    Such a gorgeous pie! I absolutely LOVE coconut cream pie – so delicious! Love your photos!

  • November 24, 2011 at 3:51 am //

    Wow – that looks gorgeous! I have been on a huge coconut high as of late, so I’d perfectly love this!

  • November 24, 2011 at 6:52 am //

    Your tart looks awesome–this would make a great non-pumpkin Thanksgiving dessert!

  • November 24, 2011 at 11:00 am //

    Wow- what an amazing pie! Mountains of cream. Yum. I am so happy to have found your cooking website. Take Care!

  • November 24, 2011 at 11:27 am //

    looking really good. Getting a bottle coconut creme from a friend in the beverage business…already thinkin’ about what i’m goin’ to create with it :D

  • November 24, 2011 at 11:51 am //

    Yum! I couldn’t resist a coconut cream pie.

    Also, thank you for your sweet comments on Season with Spice. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

  • November 24, 2011 at 5:27 pm //

    Gorgeous! My father loves coconut cream pie. I’ll have to make this for him :-) Happy Thanksgiving!

  • November 28, 2011 at 12:13 pm //

    I love coconut cream pie. it’s been ages since I have tasted any..

  • August 28, 2012 at 9:48 pm //

    This mushroom soup is rellay simple, and makes a thick, creamy textured soup. Water can be added after cooking to make a thinner soup, or try adding cream if you like. I make this in a wok but you can use a stock pot, whichever you have available. Serve hot with toast. SERVINGS SCALINGOriginal recipe yield: 8 servingsUSMETRICAbout scaling and conversionsINGREDIENTS * 2 tablespoons vegetable oil * 4 cups fresh sliced mushrooms * 1 onion, chopped * 1 stalk celery, chopped * 5 cups chicken broth * 1/4 cup uncooked white rice * 3 tablespoons soy sauce * salt and pepper to tasteDIRECTIONS 1. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat, and saute mushrooms, onion, and celery or carrot in the oil for 10 minutes. 2. Add chicken or vegetable stock, rice, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, and simmer for at least an hour. 3. Take mushrooms, onion, celery and rice out of the soup. Using a blender or food processor, blend until smooth. Stir back into wok. Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot. Was this answer helpful?

  • August 29, 2012 at 1:20 am //

    Put a roast (size depends on how many pelope) in the crockpot with big chunks of onion, baby carrots, garlic salt and pepper, 1/2 cup of steak marinade (like Dales or Moores). High heat for 8 hours.Fix mashed potatoes and gravy. Use the juice from the roast to make your gravy.Green beans (the longer they cook the better) you may have to add water as they boil down. Season with olive oil, minced onion, salt and pepper.Serve it with dinner rolls and iced tea. Was this answer helpful?