Macaroon Cherry Tart Recipes

Steps:

• This decorative tart goes well with ice cream and makes a good dinner party dessert. The coconut is naturally oily, which helps to preserve the tart for a few days.
• Make the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry, recipe follows, leaving to chill for 30 minutes before using.
• Remove the paper and beans, brush with a little leftover beaten egg and return to the oven for 2 minutes. If there are any little holes or cracks in the pastry, just patch it up with any leftover raw pastry before you return it to the oven. Remove from the oven and set aside in the tin while you make the filling. The pastry can be baked a day in advance and kept covered until you need it.
• For the filling: whisk the eggs, caster sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Add the desiccated coconut and the melted butter, and mix well. Pour the filling into the cooked pastry crust, and bake in the oven until it is golden brown and just set in the center, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cook's Note: Sometimes I turn the oven down to 325 degrees F, after about 30 minutes, if it has already turned a good golden brown and I don't want it any darker.
• Remove the tart from the oven, and let stand in the pan for about 10 minutes before carefully removing and allowing to cool on a wire rack. Dust the tart with icing sugar to serve.
• Place the flour, sugar, and butter in a food processor and whiz or pulse briefly. Add half the beaten egg and continue to whiz. You might add a little more egg, but not too much as the mixture should be just moist enough to come together.
• If making by hand, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. Then, using your hands, add just enough egg to bring the dough together. With your hands, flatten out the ball of dough, until it is about 3/4-inch thick, and then wrap in plastic wrap or place in a plastic bag, and leave in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or, if you are pushed for time, in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Whisk together the sugar, cherries, orange zest, vanilla, egg whites and salt. Add the coconut and toss until completely coated. Spoon heaping tablespoons of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1-inch between each. Moisten your fingertips with water and shape each macaroon into a tall and rounded mound or pointed pyramid.
• Bake until the macaroons are toasted and the edges are lightly browned, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, 16 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Store macaroons in an airtight container for up to a week.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. cast-iron skillet or deep-dish pie plate. Trim to 1/2 in. beyond edge of plate; flute edges. Bake 6 minutes; set aside. , Drain cherries, reserving 1 cup juice. Set cherries aside. In a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in cherry juice until blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir until thickened, 2 minutes. , Remove from heat; stir in cinnamon and food coloring if desired. Gently fold in cherries. Pour into crust. Cover edges loosely with foil. Bake at 400° 20 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine first 6 topping ingredients. Stir in coconut and almonds. , Remove foil from pie; spoon topping over pie. Reduce oven to 350°; bake until topping is lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour. Chill 4 hours or overnight before cutting.

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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Line baking trays with parchment paper.
• Place coconut in a large zip lock bag. Toss in 2 T. maraschino cherry juice and shake until coconut is pink. Set aside.
• Cut 18 maraschino cherries in half. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.
• Using a mixer, beat egg whites and salt at high speed until soft peaks form.
• Sprinkle sugar in, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition until sugar is completely dissolved (allow 2 minutes after each addition of sugar). Whites should be in stiff glossy peaks when you're done.
• Beat in vanilla. With a rubber spatula, fold in coconut and flour.
• Drop coconut by rounded teaspoon about an inch apart onto the prepared baking sheets. They won't spread very much at all. Place a half cherry on top of each cookie.
• Bake at 300° for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Slide parchment paper and cookies directly onto a rack to cool.
• Store in tightly covered container for up to 3 days.
• Makes 36 cookies.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place almonds and coconut in a food processor; process until finely ground. Add flour and sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until crumbly. Reserve 1-1/2 cups crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture onto bottom and up sides of a greased 11-in. fluted tart pan with removable bottom., For filling, place confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup coconut, almond paste and extract in food processor; pulse until fine crumbs form. Add egg whites; process until blended. Spread into crust; sprinkle with reserved topping., Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining coconut; bake 5-8 minutes longer or until coconut is lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.