Posts tagged ‘pie’

Mar 15

A Pi Day Surprise

Yesterday was Pi Day, to celebrate Pi we cooks and food lovers take just a little liberty and make it all about Pie. Now I just love pies, fruit pies, cream pies, tarts, galettes, savory tarts and pies. They are all good. I love making pastry crust, I always have frozen pie dough in the freezer in case I need it.

I was busy, lots going on with work. I didn’t check my spam folder as I normally do every day until later in the afternoon and when I did I saw an email from Kate at Food52, she wondered if I would be home today between 1-5PM, they wanted to deliver a surprise. Honestly, I was flabbergasted and intrigued. I love surprises and rarely get one. At 5PM on the dot one of the Food 52 staff hand delivered this pie in this amazing pie box (which I have been meaning to order and now I need to get another one or 2), how cool is that? It made me feel really really good, they thanked me for being a long time member, it made me feel so special. Thank you Food52 for making my day!! Oh and I can’t forget to mention the pie was a salted honey pie, with an amazing flaky buttery crust. SO DELICIOUS!! I ate way too much pie!!

Pi Day Surprise

I also want to update everyone on sweet Percy, he is doing really really good. He was a little under the weather yesterday, I think it was the rain and cool temps but today he is doing great. He is very happy in Brooklyn and has adjusted to his new life, made lots of doggie friends and is getting to know his neighborhood.

Rolling in the grass

Handsome boy

Sep 28

125 Comments

Apple Pie

Apples

I felt the need to post a dessert recipe, it’s not earth shattering or different it’s as American as apple pie, well, it is apple pie. Simple and delicious, a touch of Americana. The recipes I have posted lately have been wholesome and healthful and thats really good, I love that, but my real love is baking and I have not really been doing that lately. Maybe when the weather turns cooler I will feel more inspired to crank up the oven and bake something. To inspire myself I just got the new cookbook from Zoe Nathan, Huckleberry, it’s beautiful, droolworthy and yes, very inspiring. I hope to share some recipes from the book with you, I have already chosen several to make immediately.

Every year when apples hit the green market one of the first things I like to make is apple pie. It’s an American classic and is still one of my all time favorite desserts. Buttery flaky pie crust and sweet/tart apples scented with warm spices, cinnamon and nutmeg. Served warm with a scoop of ice cream I am in heaven. There’s a million and one recipes for apple pie, it a classic dessert and this is probably no different than most but I wanted to post as a tribute or an homage to Fall and apple season. I use several different types of apples in my pie, cortland, honey crisp, winesap,macoun,ginger gold,pink lady and always one granny smith, I don’t use Macintosh or apples with a similar texture they tend to turn mushy. Honestly, I forget what I got this go around but they looked good and I am sure they will make a great pie. Cut the apple slices fairly thin but not so thin that they will turn to mush but I do want them soft and well done. I like to use both granulated and brown sugar, a pinch of sea salt, some flour to thicken and a splash of apple cider. it’s not aggresively spiced just enough for a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. I use 6-7 apples for a deeper pie dish and 4 or 5 apples for a normal size pie dish.

Juilia Childs Pastry Dough

Makes enough dough for a double crust 9 inch pie

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1 tsp salt

6 oz cold unsalted butter cut into tbs size pieces

4 tbs shortening or leaf lard cold ( I weighed and used 2 oz of shortening or lard)

1/2 cup ice cold water

You can make this either by hand or in the food processor. To make by hand, put flours, salt, butter, lard or shortening into mixing bowl, use pastry cutter to combine until it resembles pea size crumbs. Add water mix with fork, gather with your hands, divide dough into a 2 discs and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Your dough may be pretty moist, thats ok don’t add more flour.

In Food Processor, add the flours, salt, butter and shortening or lard into the bowl of the processor. Pulse a few times until the mixture resembles pea size crumbs. Add the water and pulse a few times until it becomes a cohesive dough. Divide dough into two discs and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.

about this thickness

My apple peeler

Apple Filling:

6 apples, I like an assortment and always have 1 granny smith in the mix – peel, core and slice

1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3-4 tbs flour (You can also use cornstarch or tapioca)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

juice of half a lemon

Note: Try to get the apple slices about the same thickness, doesn’t have to be perfect but if most of them are it cooks more evenly in the pie.

Add everything to a mixing bowl, stir gently to combine and set aside. Add the lemon juice to the apples as you slice, it will keep them from turning brown. You can adjust the amount of sugar to your personal preference.

look closely you can see the little pieces of butter in the dough, makes it extra flaky!

Making the Pie:

Have your 9 inch pie dish ready, take out one disc of dough and roll out to a thinish round, make sure your work surface is well floured as is your rolling pin. Roll dough onto the rolling pin and gently lay into the pie dish. Add the apples and put a few dots of butter. Roll out top crust following the same procedure and lay on top of the apples. Crimp the edges, cut a few vents, decorate if you like, brush with egg wash or cream and sprinkle with some sugar. Bake in a pre heated 375 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until it’s golden brown and bubbly. Note: leave the overhanging dough on the bottom crust, trim after you lay top ccrust on and fold under then crimp, This will give a good seal so that most of the juices stay in the pie.

Apple pie right out of the oven

The pie was wonderful but I could have added a bit more flour to the filling. The apples were really juicy and the juice was not thickened quite enough. It’s almost impossible to gage really. You could do the Julia Child method and let the apples rest in a bowl and whatever juice comes off drain before baking. I didn’t do that and had quite a bit of excess juice, but I never really do that for apple pies. The flavor was great and the crust was so flaky and tender.

Jul 8

92 Comments

2 Galettes And a Trip to Mealku

Galette #1

I was asked to visit the office of a food website called Mealku, and thrilled that they want to feature me as a cook on their site. They needed to do a photo shoot and asked me to bring a signature dish or something that is going to give people some insight into my cooking style. Well, that’s not so easy as I am all over the map and it’s very hard to figure out what screams me when it comes to food. It’s wonderful that this is happening in the summer when fresh produce is at it’s peak and there is a bounty of fresh and delicious fruit and vegetables to choose from. I thought that making something with a pastry crust really does represent me, I am well known in my neck of the woods for my pies. I decided for transport purposes it would be easy to make a free form tart or galette. I have used Julia Childs recipe for many years and love it. The recipe allows either one large tart or two smaller. So I decided to do two small tarts, blackberry nectarine. I am also bringing some homemade vanilla ice cream. I will tell you more about Mealku in another post, it’s a very exciting and innovative venture. Galette #2 is going to my Daughter today is her birthday!!

Galette Dough

From Baking With Julia written by Dorie Greenspan

1/3 cup ice water

3 tbs sour cream, yogurt or buttermilk

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

7 tbs cold unsalted butter cut into tbs size pieces

Stir the sour cream and ice water together. Put flour, cornmeal, sugar. and salt into your mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cold butter and toss to coat with the flour mixture. Using either your hands or a pastry cutter work the butter into the flour until it resembles large crumbs (about the size of peas) Add the sour cream/water and stir with fork to combine. Gather the dough and gently press into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. This is enough dough for 1 large or 2 smaller galette’s, if making 2, divide dough in half and wrap each individually. Dough can be frozen also for later use. Defrost in the refrigerator.

To make the galette’s generously flour your work surface, remove one of the disks and roll into a rustic looking circle, place whatever fruit or filling you like in the center and gather up the edges, leaving some of the filling exposed. Brush with egg wash or heavy cream, sprinkle with some sugar (optional). Place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before putting in the oven. Bake at 400 degree’s for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Looks like large crumbs leave some pea size chunks of butter

Dough is wet but thats ok!

Wrapped in neat packets

Galette #2

Dec 24

16 Comments

Sweet Potato Pie

Every year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas I make pies, lots of pies for friends and family. This Christmas I only made 2 pies and lots and lots (and lots) of cookies and loaves. I found this recipe on Joy the Bakers website, she is amazing and has a fantastic cookbook out also. I just had to write about this recipe because a good sweet potato pie has eluded me for many years now. This pie is perfect, the directions are crystal clear and it will be the recipe I use from now on. I used my go to pie crust recipe instead of the one included in the recipe and I just can’t tell you how excited I am that I finally made a sweet potato pie that doesn’t have cracks. You can find the recipe here. Visit Joy’s blog it’s chock full of wonderful recipes, I also plan on getting her cookbook.

I made just a couple of very minor changes,firstly I doubled the recipe, I needed two pies, instead of boiling the sweet potatoes I bake them until they are soft and caramelized and instead of mashing with a potato masher I puree in the food processor. She calls for 2 5 oz cans of evaporated milk. I used one can and 5 oz of heavy cream. I also added only cinnamon because these pies are not for me, I baked them for a friend and thats how she likes it. The method is brilliant, similar to Meta Givens pumpkin pie recipe on Food52, you heat the pureed sweet potato with half the milk, the butter, brown sugar and spices, let it cool and then add to the remaining milk or cream, eggs and vanilla. Bake in a hot oven (450) for 10 minutes then an hour at 325. The resulting pie is perfection. If you are a fan of sweet potato pie you must try this recipe.

Nov 17

49 Comments

Classic Pecan Pie With A Twist

Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is a staple on Thanksgiving at my house. I took a classic pecan pie recipe that I have been using for years (it’s the recipe on a Karo syrup bottle) and I tweaked it by soaking the pecans in cognac (you can use the booze of your choice, bourbon or brandy come to mind) the pecans are then slowly oven dried I also subbed Lyles golden syrup for the clear Karo, I also added an extra egg. The cognac infused pecans are delicious (kept sneaking a nut or two) and for the filling I used vanilla sugar instead of adding vanilla extract and I flavored with cognac. The booze is optional of course you can use this recipe to make a classic pecan pie but the addition of the cognac makes it more festive. Use your favorite pastry recipe. I always use the Julia Child master pastry recipe. I always have a container of vanilla sugar on hand, simply add a split vanilla bean to a container of sugar, cover and let sit so that the vanilla infuses the sugar.

Makes One 9 inch pie

The boozy pecans:

1 1/2 cup pecans
1 cup cognac or bourbon or brandy
OPTIONAL you can add a cinnamon stick, whole allspice, cardamom pod or whatever spice you like to the cognac for spiced boozy pecans.

Pour your cognac in a saucepan and bring to a boil, remove from heat and pour onto your pecans. Place them in a covered container and let them sit at least 6 hours preferably overnight.
When the pecans have finished their soak, drain (don’t discard the booze it will look cloudy but thats ok, I use it for flavoring, you will need a tsp for the filling) Turn your oven on to the lowest temperature (mine is 170) line small sheet pan with parchment and spread the nuts. Let them dry in the oven for 4-6 hours.

Making the pie:

Your favorite pastry crust or store bought dough
4 large eggs at room temperature (or 3 extra large)
1/4 cup dark Karo syrup
3/4 cups Lyle’s golden syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup vanilla sugar or regular granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of your reserved booze or vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup of your boozy pecans

Pre-heat oven to 350. In mixing bowl add the eggs, just break the yolks and lightly beat them, now add the syrups, sugar, butter and flavoring. Mix with a spoon just until combined. Add the pecans and stir just to mix it all together.
Place dough into 9 inch pie pan, pour in the filling and bake for 60-70 minutes. The middle of the pie should jiggle slightly when lightly touched. Remove from oven let cool completely before serving.

Sep 18

23 Comments

Fig And Goat Cheese Tart

Figs are in season and then they are gone like a flash. I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful fresh figs available in a recipe using Mosto Cotto syrup. It’s delicious, and can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. I used it as a syrup to pair with a buttermilk panna cotta and as a glaze for ribs. It’s so versatile. For this recipe I steeped fresh mission figs in Mosto Cotto with black peppercorns, orange and cointreau. I wanted the figs to retain their shape and texture so instead of poaching in the syrup I steeped them for a few hours. The figs were soft but firm enough to retain their shape and the flavor of the syrup permeated each fig. I then sliced them, and reduced the syrup by about half and used it as a glaze for the figs. The tangy goat cheese only slightly sweetened with honey and the figs steeped in delicious Mosto Cotto syrup is delicious. I made a traditional pie dough because I wanted something flaky and a bit more delicate than a tart dough, I used my go to recipe from Julia Child. This would be equally delicious though in a more substantial tart crust or even puff pastry.I created this recipe when I was asked to do a guest post for Marx Foods, who carry Mosto Cotto, and I happily agreed to do so. I will always keep a bottle in my pantry, it’s just that good. The beauty of this tart is how easy it is to prepare. It really takes almost no time at all to put together, and makes a lovely not too sweet dessert or put a slice or two of prosciutto di parma on top for a nice lunch. NOTE: If you can purchase Mosto Cotto I highly recommend but if you can’t use wine, the Mosto Cotto is made from Montepulciano grapes from the Abruzzo region of Italy and also Amarena Cherries, try to find a wine using those grapes if you can (Montepulciano d’Abruzzo) for the syrup if you cannot then use a good red wine it will be fine.

Figs and Syrup

1lb (6-7 fresh ripe figs)

1/2 cup Mosto Cotto Syrup

1/2 cup sugar

2 strips (approx 2 inches wide) orange skin- careful not to include the pith

3 whole black peppercorns

1 tbs cointreau

Bring mosto cotto, sugar, orange rind, peppercorns and cointreau to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While it’s simmering slice the figs in half and place in heat proof bowl. Pour the hot syrup over the figs and cover. Let sit until it reaches room temperature.

Making the tart

10.5 oz soft goat cheese (chevre) at room temperature

1 heaping tbs honey (I used peach blossom)

Favorite pie dough, tart crust recipe. (You could also use puff pastry for this)

Juilia Childs Pastry Dough

Makes enough dough for a double crust 9 inch pie

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1 tsp salt

6 oz cold unsalted butter cut into tbs size pieces

4 tbs shortening or leaf lard cold

1/2 cup ice cold water

Blind bake your pie dough, I like to use a rectangular shape for this tart, either use a fluted rectuangular tart pan or a small 1/2 sheet pan. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out your dough to fit into the tin, prick with fort multiple times, ( chill in refrigerator at least 20 minutes before baking) place a piece of parchment on top and add pie weights or beans.Bake for 15-20 minutes, remove parchment and weights and bake again for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. While the pie crust is cooling slice the figs into thin slices approximately 1/4 inch thick, set aside. Pour the remaining syrup into sauce pan, removing peppercorns and orange zest and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and reduce by 1/2 (It takes about 10 minutes) or until syrup thickens. Let cool.

Place goat cheese in mixing bowl add honey and whip until fluffy.

Smooth onto tart, arrange figs on top and brush some of the reduced mosto cotto syrup over the fruit. Serve as is or it’s delicious to lay a slice of prosciutto di parma on top.

Sep 13

21 Comments

Chocolate Brown Butter Hand Pies With Banana Hazelnut Filling

Chocolate Brown Butter Hand Pies

Every month I look forward to Bake Together, Abby always comes up with a delicious recipe to challenge and entice. Septembers Bake Together is a party, to celebrate the release of Abby’s new cookbook, Mini Treats & Handheld Sweets ~100 Delicious Desserts to Pick Up and Eat! The pie dough is amazing, it’s really adapted from a cookie dough in her book. There is brown butter and brown sugar and each pie is filled with a delicious fruit filling. I took Abby’s wonderful recipe for Brown Butter Apple Hand Pies and added my own touch, I thought it would be fun to make a chocolate crust filled with banana’s and hazelnuts with a hint of orange, a bit of a change from your traditional filling. Abby’s pie’s were rectangular I decided to go for round, using a fluted cutter. The banana mixed with the nuts, brown sugar and orange zest is delicious.

For the chocolate brown butter dough
16 tablespoons (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup (7 ounces) firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 2/3 cup+ 1 tbs unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup natural cocoa powder

Filling

4-5 medium size ripe but firm banana’s chopped into small pieces

3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

1/2 cup brown sugar not packed

1/2 tsp orange zest

Make the filling right before you are going to assemble the tarts, place chopped banana, hazelnuts, orange zest and brown sugar in a bowl and toss to combine, the brown sugar should coat each piece of banana.

Make the dough
Put the butter in a large saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until nutty brown and the milk solids are dark brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Slide the pan from the heat and add the brown sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar is almost dissolved, then set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Using your fingertip, check the temperature of the batter—it should be warm but not hot. If it’s hot, set the pan aside for a few more minutes before continuing with the recipe.

Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until well blended. Add the flour and cocoa and stir until a smooth, soft dough forms.

Arrange two pieces of plastic wrap on the counter and scrape the dough onto the center of one. Divide the dough in half (about 14 3/4 ounces each) and put half on the second piece of plastic wrap. Using the plastic as a guide, shape both into 5-inch squares.Wrap in the plastic and set aside at room temperature until firm enough to roll, about 3 hours. (You can pop the dough into the refrigerator for a hour or so, but you don’t want the dough to be too chilled. It would be impossible to roll.)

Assemble and bake
Line two cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick liners. Put the egg and water in a small bowl and, using a fork, mix until well blended.

Working with one piece of dough at a time on a lightly floured piece of parchment (this dough is soft, so the parchment is a must for successful rolling), roll out to a rectangle slightly larger than 9×15 inches. Using a sharp paring knife or a fluted roller and a ruler, trim the edges to get a neat 9×15-inch rectangle, then cut into 3 x 2 1/2-inch rectangles (for a total of 18 rectangles). Arrange the pastry rectangles about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets and cover with plastic. Roll out and cut the second piece of dough as you did the first one. NOTE: I made round pie’s so I did not make an even rectangle.

Uncover the dough on one of the cookie sheets. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the filling onto the center of each rectangle and spread down the center, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the edges. Using a small pastry brush, brush the edges of each rectangle with egg wash. Lay the remaining rectangles over the filling. Using the tines of a fork, press (or crimp) the pastry edges to seal. Lightly brush the top of each hand tart with egg wash. Using the tip of a small, sharp knife, cut 2 small slits in the top of each hand tart to let steam escape. Sprinkle the tops with some of the turbanado sugar and slide the cookie sheets into the fridge while the oven heats up. (NOTE: because I used fluted rounds I brushed the edge of each with the egg wash, laid the top on and gently pressed all the way around to seal)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake on center rack in oven for approximately 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on pan then remove to wire cooling rack. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.

Jun 6

32 Comments

Bake Together-Creamy Blackberry,Raspberry,Basil Galette

I am excited about this months Bake Together, Abby’s challenge this month is pie, Very Berry Mini Pies to be exact. As always we follow the basic premise of the recipe but are given the freedom to make it our own. My submission is one of my favorite spring/summer combinations, blackberry and basil. I make gelato, simple syrup and what ever I can from this flavorful combination.I decided to make small galette’s (free form tarts) and fill with blackberries and raspberries folded into a mascarpone basil cream. The crust is my go to pie crust from Julia Child and instead of vegetable shortening I use leaf lard. These sweet little galettes are creamy, loaded with berries and really delicious. Thanks Abby for another great challenge.

The Dough:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1 tsp salt

6 oz cold unsalted butter (I used cultured) cut into pieces

4 tbs cold leaf lard or shortening cut into pieces

1/2 cup ice cold water

Add the flour and salt to food processor and pulse twice. Add the butter, lard or shortening and pulse until it resembles crumbs, pour into mixing bowl and add the water. Gently mix to combine. Divide into two discs, cover in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Filling:

2 pints blackberries

1 pint raspberries (red or black)

4 basil leaves rolled and cut chiffonade

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup mascarpone

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbs flour

pinch of salt

zest of 1 lemon

Add the mascarpone, egg yolk, basil, sugar,lemon zest, flour and salt to mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the berries and fold in. Refrigerate until ready to use

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Divide the dough into 8 pieces. On floured surface roll a piece of the dough into a round that is approximately 7-8 inches in diameter. Spoon some of the blackberry mixture into the middle of the round and bring the sides up leaving a little of the berries exposed. Continue until you have 8 galettes’s. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When the galette’s are chilled, bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven, brush with warmed apricot jam (optional) and let cool on a rack until ready to serve.

May 11

17 Comments

Mom’s Peach Pie

Mom and me.

Vintage pie recipe number two from my Mom, this recipe is adapted from “The Joy of Cooking”, which was first published in 1931.The original recipe calls for only peaches, I had some that I froze last year and it turns out it was not quite enough peaches so I added blackberries. It’s not your average peach pie, to the peaches you add egg, butter, flour and sugar, the original recipe does not have a top crust but I thought it would be nice. The peaches are creamy, buttery and delicious. You can mix berries (blackberries or raspberries) in with the peaches also. I made this pie for my Mom, she doesn’t live near me and I don’t get to see her as often as I would like, thanks Mom for a wonderful recipe! Happy Mothers Day! I just noticed my Mom is wearing high heels with her robe, gotta love that.

Juilia Childs Pastry Dough

Makes enough dough for a double crust 9 inch pie

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1 tsp salt

6 oz cold unsalted butter cut into tbs size pieces (I really like using cultured butter)

4 tbs shortening or leaf lard cold

1/2 cup ice cold water

Makes one 9 inch Pie

Double Pie crust (homemade or pre-made)

6-8 large peaches (approx 3 cups sliced peaches)

1 whole egg or 2 egg yolks

2 tbs flour (if using frozen peaches increase to 3 or 4 tbs)

1/4 tsp cinnamon (OPTIONAL)

2/3 – 1 cup sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

Pre-heat oven to 400 degree

Line pie pan with bottom crust, add the peaches. Whisk together the egg, flour, sugar and melted butter and pour over the peaches.I used frozen peaches so increased the flour to compensate for the extra liquid. If you are making a double crust pie roll out top crust and lay on top, crimp the edges cut a few vents, brush with either cream or an egg wash and sprinkle with some sugar and refrigerate the pie so the pie dough is chilled and then place in oven. To save the oven from spills and drips I bake my pie on a sheet pan, or you can lay foil on the bottom of the oven to catch any spills.NOTE: You can make this pie with only a single bottom crust and if you do follow the directions for baking below.

For Single Crust Pie:Bake at 400 degree’s for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 300 and continue baking for 50 minutes. For double crust pie bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes then lower to 350 degree’s for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven when its golden brown and bubbly, let cool on a rack. Serve when completely cooled. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is wonderful with this pie, just saying!!

Fell apart a bit but delicious!

May 4

30 Comments

Mango Cream Tart With Mango Whipped Cream

Mango Cream Tart

The contest on Food52 is all about mango’s and this is my entry. I love that you can use mango in both sweet and savory applications. I chose to highlight a dessert. The mango cream is adapted from the genius recipe for lemon cream from Tartine Bakery. I really love how creamy and thick the curd is and it works beautifully as a filling for tarts or cakes, it is truly genius. When I think of mango, tropical flavors come to mind, so I added coconut to the pastry dough, its filled with mango cream and topped with mango whipped cream. The mango cream stabilizes the whipped cream and gives a subtle mango flavor, it’s not too sweet I just used a tbs of powdered sugar. I suggest serving with julienned fresh mango.

Mango Cream

2 large ripe mango pureed – Tommy Atkin mango are quite large or use 3 ataulfo mango’s

3 tbs lime juice

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg

8 oz cool but not cold butter cut into tbs size pieces

Set double boiler with a few inches of water to simmer on stovetop. Place all the ingredients in bowl and whisk to combine. Place over simmering water and bring to 175-180 degrees. It will be quite thick when done, remove from heat strain through a sieve and cool to 140 degrees. Add to blender, with blender running add the butter a tbs at a time making sure each tbs is incorporated before adding the next one. It will be very thick and creamy. Refrigerate at least 4 hours preferably overnight before using.

Coconut Tart Dough

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup shredded coconut (toasted coconut would also be delicious)

8 ounces cold butter chopped into pieces

3 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 egg yolks

2 tbs heavy cream

Pulse the flour, coconut, sugar and salt in food processor, add the butter and pulse until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg yolks and cream and pulse until it forms a cohesive dough. Dump onto work surface and form into two discs, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour. You can make this the night before and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to assemble the tart remove dough from the refrigerator, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Press one dough disc into 9 inch tart pan or tartlet pans, prick bottom with fork. Put back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes you want the dough to be chilled before baking. Bake until golden brown approximately 25 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool before adding the filling.

Mango whipped cream

4 ounces very cold heavy cream

1/4 cup mango cream

1 tbs powdered sugar

Whip cream until it is thick and billowy, add the mango cream, powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating until thick and soft peaks form. Fill tart shell with mango cream and pipe on the mango whipped cream.