COCONUT TARTS WITH PRICKLY PEAR SAUCE

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Coconut Tarts with Prickly Pear Sauce image

Provided by Rick Bayless

Categories     Food Processor     Citrus     Dairy     Egg     Fruit     Nut     Dessert     Bake     Freeze/Chill     Pear     Coconut     Chill     Gourmet     Vegetarian     Pescatarian     Peanut Free     Soy Free     Kosher

Yield Makes 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 18

For crust
1 cup slivered blanched almonds (1/4 lb), toasted and cooled
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups fine fresh bread crumbs (from 6 to 7 slices firm white sandwich bread)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted for filling
1 fresh brown coconut (1 1/2 lb)
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla (preferably Mexican)
For sauce
1 3/4 lb fresh red prickly pears (also called cactus pears; about 8)
3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons orange liqueur such as Cointreau (optional)
1/2 cup crema (thick Mexican cream), crme frache, or sour cream thinned with 1 teaspoon milk
Special Equipment
6 (4-inch) fluted tart pans

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.

Erkan Ozdovenci
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These tarts were delicious! I will definitely be making them again.


Ukwueze Norbert
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These tarts were amazing! The coconut filling was creamy and sweet, and the prickly pear sauce added a nice tanginess.


Emeldah Muonga
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I've made these tarts several times now and they're always a hit! The prickly pear sauce is the perfect finishing touch.


Iron Heart
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These tarts were a bit too tart for my taste, but I'm sure they would be perfect for someone who likes sour desserts.


eva roman
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I thought the coconut filling was a bit too thick, but the prickly pear sauce was delicious.


Chukwu Grace
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These tarts were easy to make and turned out great! I will definitely be making them again.


Imad Alkabsh
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I'm not usually a fan of fruit desserts, but these tarts were amazing! The prickly pear sauce was the perfect complement to the coconut filling.


Fiverr Impressions
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These tarts were a bit too sweet for my taste, but I'm sure they would be perfect for someone with a sweet tooth.


Manoj Sir
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I thought the crust was a bit too crumbly, but the filling and sauce were delicious.


Tania Tania Ncube
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These tarts were a bit more work than I expected, but they were definitely worth it! The prickly pear sauce was amazing.


Akagbusi Samuel
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I'm not a huge fan of coconut, but I really enjoyed these tarts. The prickly pear sauce was a great way to balance out the sweetness of the coconut.


Gabriel Jarkin
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These tarts were delicious! The coconut filling was creamy and sweet, and the prickly pear sauce added a nice tanginess.


Tharusha Thiwanka
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I've made these tarts several times now and they're always a hit! The prickly pear sauce is the perfect finishing touch.


Free Motion
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These tarts were easy to make and turned out great! The prickly pear sauce was a bit too tart for my taste, but overall I really enjoyed this recipe.


Michelle Leitzel
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I thought the coconut filling was a bit bland, but the prickly pear sauce was amazing.


Kyanna Stinson
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These tarts were a bit too sweet for my taste, but the prickly pear sauce was delicious.


Yesuf Ahmed siraj
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I'm not usually a fan of coconut desserts, but these tarts were amazing! The prickly pear sauce was the perfect complement to the sweet coconut filling.


Devin Stowers jr
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These coconut tarts were a hit at my last party! They're so easy to make and the prickly pear sauce adds a unique and delicious flavor.