A couple of weeks ago, Dave West, the owner of Rolling Pin, called and asked if I could do a private party on October 31. "Of course", I said, "How exciting!" When he sent me all the information, I must admit, I was very sorry I committed to do the class.
It was not because the party started at 4:00 and the University of Florida Gators played Georgia at 3:30. (for those of you that don't know me, I am a die hard Gator Football Fan). It was not because it was on Halloween and I would be missing all the fun of Trick or Treating. It was because of the menu they had requested! The party is a bridal shower for a couple that is doing a Destination Wedding in the Caribbean, so the menu is all Caribbean Food, I was fine with the theme, I was fine with everything, until I got to the DESSERT. Oh no, they wanted Individual Toasted Coconut Tartletts. Sound yummy, right? My problem is I have ALWAYS been intimidated by Breads and Pastries, using the excuse that I am a "cook" not a "baker". There are too many variables when making bread or pastries, I just can't handle all the stress! I have gotten in the habit when I plan a menu, the dessert is usually something that is crustless. If I make a cake, and it does not turn out, I can make a trifle. I do make some desserts with Puff Pastry, but it is so easy to work with and usually pretty forgiving. But to make a tart, I don't think so. What if the crust is too thick, what if it is too soggy, what if I can't get it out of the pan, what if I just admit I have no experience with crusts! I tried to get the dessert changed, but it fell upon deaf ears. I procrastinated, thinking that some how, it would go away, but it didn't and yesterday I realized I had less than 4 days not only to figure out how to make a tartlett, but also to figure out how to make 50. (Did I forget to mention, the party has grown from 25 to 45?, No Worries, Mon!) So onto the Internet I went and off to the bookstore I drove, and yesterday afternoon I made 8 perfect little tartletts. Sorry, I must brag, I was very proud of myself. I now am so very happy I am doing the private party on Saturday, even though I will miss the Gator game! And the best part.....I am not afraid of pastry anymore. Maybe now I can have the courage to tackle bread!
First thing I had to do was find my tartlett pans that I bought a long time ago and never used. Then I had to find the easiest way to make pastry for 50! As always, my Cuisinart Food Processor did not fail me. It worked like a charm to whip up one recipe for the dough, I thought I would start small.
After whisking the flour and salt together,
I dropped chilled slices of butter into the bowl and pulsed.
Once the dough resembled fine crumbs like the recipe said, I slowly poured in the cold water, just till a soft dough appeared. I scraped it out of the bowl and wrapped it in plastic wrap and into the fridge it went.
The recipe says to chill it for about one hour, but actually it was a little longer, more like 3 hours (I was procrastinating again)
I finally worked up the courage preheated the oven, lightly sprayed the pans with Pam, took the dough out of the fridge and began rolling it out. I then cut it into 5 inch circles, using a bowl as my guide (a cookie cutter would have been easier, but none of mine were big enough, so I had to improvise).
I eased the circles into the tartlett pans and firmly pressed along the bottom and the sides. To make a clean cut, I rolled my rolling pin over the pan, then peeled off the excess. I pinched the tops just a little since I figured the dough would shrink slightly. I popped them into the freezer for 10 minutes, as chilling the shells before baking firms up the fat (the butter in this recipe) and prevents it from "melting" before it is set. While they were chilling, I prepared the filling, covering the top with plastic wrap so the custard did not get a film. I removed the shells from the freezer, placed them on a Silpat lined baking sheet
and put a foil "cup" of pinto beans since I do not have pie weights and baked them for 10 minutes. I removed the foil cup of beans and baked for 10 more minutes, just till the bottoms appeared dry. I cooled them on a wire rack. I then spooned the custard in the tart shells in an even layer. In a large skillet, I tossed the shredded coconut with the brown sugar over moderately high heat, stirring, until the coconut becomes translucent, about 1 minute. I topped each tart with the shredded coconut mounding it slightly. I did experiment with different amounts of the coconut as there seemed to be so much, and concluded that I need to get as much as possible on each tart as it melted down as it baked. I baked the tarts for about 30 minutes, until the coconut was richly browned. I transferred the tarts to a rack and let cool. When they were cool enough to handle I popped them out of the pans and slid them off the removable bottoms. I was afraid if I waited till they were room temperature, that I would not be able to get them out of the pans. They released perfectly, not one broke, yea! Now wish me luck that I have the same results at Rolling Pin when I make 50!
Below is the original recipe I was given for the tartletts, I made the changes as follows:
I prepared the tart shell dough in my food processor
I rolled the dough out, cut it into 5 inch circles, and used tartlett pans
I place the pans on a Silpat lined cookie sheet, baked the shells for 10 minutes then removed the beans and baked for an additional 10 minutes or just till the bottoms were dry.
Make the tart shell: In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in the butter until it resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with the ice water and stir lightly to form a dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for about 1 hour, until thoroughly chilled.
Meanwhile, make the filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk the egg yolks with the flour and vanilla seeds until smooth. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Scrape the custard into a medium bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard and let cool.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to a 15-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the dough to a 12-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, gently pressing it into the bottom and up the sides. Cut off any excess dough. Freeze the tart shell for about 20 minutes, until firm.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the tart shell with foil and fill it with dried beans or pie weights. Bake the tart shell for about 20 minutes, until golden. Remove the foil and beans and bake for about 20 minutes longer, until the shell is golden brown and crisp. Transfer the tart shell to a rack and let cool completely.
Spread the custard in the tart shell in an even layer. In a large skillet, toss the shredded coconut with the brown sugar over moderately high heat, stirring, until the coconut becomes translucent, about 1 minute. Spread the shredded coconut over the custard in an even layer.
Bake the tart for about 45 minutes, until the coconut is richly browned. Transfer the tart to a rack and let cool to warm or room temperature. Cut the tart into wedges and transfer to plates. Spoon the Kiwi and Bananas alongside. Serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with white pepper.
