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Cherries, Coconut, Cream, Summer

Jun 19 by Anita 34 Comments

Cherry Coconut Cream Tart on dessertfirstgirl.com

So I disappeared without leaving word, and came back without making a peep as well. I thought about hanging up a “Gone to BlogHer Food” sign here, but didn’t get a chance to do so before I flew off to Seattle. For those of you that didn’t know, I went to BlogHer Food a week ago  – if any of you went, I hope you had as fun a time as I did!

I was invited to BlogHer Food as a speaker along with Stephanie, my fellow sated collaborator. Together, we assembled a presentation on past and current photography trends, and how to apply them to tell different stories about food. As a first-time speaker at BlogHer Food, I was pretty happy with how we did – we had some great interaction during the talk and we got some great feedback afterwards. I always love going to BlogHer Food because I always meet so many new, amazing people there – not to mention seeing old friends or meeting dear virtual friends for the first time in person.

Cherry Coconut Cream Tart on dessertfirstgirl.com

I’ve been meaning to pull my thoughts together since I returned and do a proper writeup of the presentation and my BlogHer experience, but it’s been taking longer to get myself back on track than I thought. It’s almost like after the intense physical and mental push to get the first issue of sated published, and then to assemble the BlogHer Food presentation, my mind decided to go into summer vacation mode. After I gave my talk, I had the next few days to enjoy the conference and Seattle, and I took full advantage of it.

I returned home to a to-do list I’d chosen to procrastinate on until I got back, a pile of unwashed laundry, my doggie who demanded attention to make up for lost time, and some gloriously sunny weather – that I decided to enjoy, since the return of summer fog in San Francisco is always imminent. I didn’t quite want to let go of summer vacation just yet.

I live near an elementary school, and I typically pass by it several times during the course of my day. I see parents dropping off their children off in the morning, the kids playing outside at recess, and of course. I walked by the school last week and I noticed how silent everything was – I hadn’t heard the sounds of the school bell or children walking home for a while. And then I realized, of course, that it was summer vacation and school was out.

I don’t have an extended summer vacation planned for this year – probably one of the reasons I looked forward to BlogHer Food so much. No two week Mediterranean honeymoon for me this year! So maybe that’s why I have more vacation fever than usual. When the days turn long and languorous, when the weekend smells of jasmine and cherries and lemonade, who doesn’t want to toss out the datebook and declare summer vacation?

Cherry Coconut Cream Tart on dessertfirstgirl.com

So I confess that let things slide a bit, just to hold onto that summer vacation-y feeling a little longer. I slept in, I called up friends I hadn’t gotten around to catching up with in a while, I did do the laundry (eventually!), I spoiled the dog a lot, I baked a cherry tart – and almost forgot to take photos of it before I ate it. It was kind of lovely.

It’ll officially be summer tomorrow. Even if you’re not a grade schooler with the glorious prospect of three months of no homework ahead of you, don’t forget to enjoy yourself a bit. That’s what summer’s for, isn’t it?

I do intend to share my experiences in Seattle, and yes, we are back to working hard on issue 2 of sated, never fear! In the meantime, I’ll share this cherry tart I made over the weekend: now that cherries are everywhere, it was a no-brainer to make dessert with them. I used one of my favorite simple tart crusts, and jazzed up a pastry cream with coconut to give it a little more richness and luxurious contrast to the fresh cherries. I also put a layer of cherry preserves on the bottom of the tart shell, to make sure the fruit flavor came through and because it looked pretty.

Happy summer!

Cherry Coconut Cream Tart on dessertfirstgirl.com

Cherry and Coconut Cream Tart

About 10 servings
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Tart Crust

  • 1 cup (140 g) all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1-in pieces
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coconut Pastry Cream

  • 1 cup (218 g) coconut milk
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 g) + 3 Tablespoons (44 g) sugar
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 Tablespoons (14 g) cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (230 g) heavy cream

Filling

  • 1/2 cup cherry preserves
  • 1/2 pound cherries

For the crust:

  • Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine.
  • Add in butter and pulse until butter is in pea-sized pieces.
  • Combine water and vanilla extract and drizzle over the mixture. Pulse to combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs – it should not be fully combined into a ball.
  • Turn out mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a disk about 1 inch thick. If you have trouble making it stick together add a few more drops of water. Wrap dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 10 inch round (to fit a 9 inch round tart pan), or to fit a 4 inch x 13 inch rectangular tart pan. Ease dough into the pan and press into the sides to form.
  • Chill pan with dough in refrigerator while preheating the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Line the dough with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake tart crust for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the pastry cream:

  • Combine 3/4 cup (172g) of the coconut milk with 2 Tablespoons (30g) of sugar in a small saucepan. Heat on the stove over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and bubbles appear on the edge of the pan.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and 3 Tablespoons (44g) sugar in a bowl.
  • Whisk the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup (46g) coconut milk in a small bowl and then add to the egg yolk mixture, whisking to combine.
  • Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking.
  • Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Stir in the vanilla.
  • Scrape the pastry cream into a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface, and refrigerate until needed.
  • When you are ready to use the pastry cream, whip the cream in a mixer to soft peaks, and then fold gently into the pastry cream to lighten.

To finish the tart:

  • Spread the cherry preserves evenly over the bottom of the tart shell.
  • Spoon the pastry cream on top of the preserves and spread evenly. Fill the tart shell to just below the top; you may have some pastry cream left over.
  • Wash and pit the cherries, and slice in half. Arrange cherry halves on top of the pastry cream. Serve immediately.

Filed Under: Custards, Fruit, Pastry, Recipes, Tarts Tagged With: cherry, coconut, pastry cream, summer, tart

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Comments

  1. 1

    ThisBakerGirlBlogs says

    Jun 19 at 1:01 am

    This is my kind of treat!

    Reply
  2. 2

    Natalie says

    Jun 19 at 1:25 am

    Beautiful and so summery!

    Natalie

    Reply
  3. 3

    DineIn says

    Jun 19 at 3:05 am

    It looking nice recipe i loved cake with fruit dishes 🙂

    Reply
  4. 4

    Sue @ Cakeballs, cookies and more says

    Jun 19 at 5:08 am

    welcome back, it sounds like you are one busy girl.

    Reply
  5. 5

    Mara @ Elemental Custard says

    Jun 19 at 6:00 am

    Rectangular tart pans are my all-time favourite! The cherries look so cute!

    Reply
  6. 6

    this is lemonade says

    Jun 19 at 6:40 am

    Oh how absolutely delightful! This is the sweetest looking tart ever! Just perfect for summer…can I have a slice now pleeeeease? 🙂

    Reply
  7. 7

    Belen says

    Jun 19 at 3:32 pm

    HI! I am from Argentina and I´ve been following your blog since last year. I must say I absolutly love it. It is beatiful, your posts are super interesting and of course, the recipes are delicious with great presentations! So congrats!!
    With respect to this recipe I wanted to know what other fruit you recomend to do it with. Here in Argentina is winter and as you can imagine cherries are very rare, if not impossible to get. So, what recomend?
    Thanks a lot and again, congratulations on the blog!

    Reply
  8. 8

    Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says

    Jun 19 at 3:56 pm

    This is absolutely beautiful! Awesome job!

    Reply
  9. 9

    Georgie says

    Jun 20 at 12:48 pm

    Simply gorgeous and delicious!

    Reply
  10. 10

    Joanna @ Chic & Gorgeous Treats says

    Jun 20 at 7:14 pm

    This tart is calling out to me. I love cherries though I have never that them with a blend of coconut in pastry cream. Surely enticing me to want to go home and make some for the weekend!! Cheers, Jo

    Reply
  11. 11

    Priya Sreeram says

    Jun 21 at 6:17 am

    lovely !

    Reply
  12. 12

    kellypea says

    Jun 21 at 8:32 am

    It was a pleasure happening into you at BlogHer — I’m from the Daring Bakers days when the group was quite small. Goodness, that was a while ago wasn’t it? I’ve always enjoyed your elegant style with desserts and this is no exception. I have a soft spot for this shape of tart pan and use it to make impromptu, casual jam tarts. This one is wonderful. Best of luck to you in your ventures — you certainly have many 🙂

    Reply
  13. 13

    Lucy Hill says

    Jun 21 at 7:31 pm

    The cherry is ♥♥♥..LOve it! 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe..too bad..fresh cherries are not yet available here. But anyways..that’s just a minor problem..I will really make this possible.

    Reply
  14. 14

    Jen @ Savory Simple says

    Jun 22 at 12:38 pm

    This is such a gorgeous tart!

    Reply
  15. 15

    Jen L @ Tartine and Apron Strings says

    Jun 22 at 2:22 pm

    Perfect cherries and tart! It looks really delicious and I want a bite right now!

    Reply
  16. 16

    sandie says

    Jun 24 at 10:30 am

    looks sooooo good!

    Reply
  17. 17

    Dee says

    Jun 24 at 3:32 pm

    Wow, these look absolutely beautiful!

    Reply
  18. 18

    susan says

    Jun 28 at 9:20 am

    i love coconut cream pie and this looks like a great version in a tart! pretty!

    Reply
  19. 19

    Kate says

    Jul 3 at 11:42 am

    I love fresh cherries!

    Reply
  20. 20

    Catherine says

    Jul 6 at 1:24 pm

    This looks lovely though I loathe coconut in any form. Can I sub the coconut milk out by itself or would doing so require additional changes?

    Reply
    • 21

      Anita says

      Jul 10 at 10:20 pm

      Hello Catherine,
      Yes, you can use regular whole milk in place of the coconut milk and it will work fine. Good luck!

      Reply
      • 22

        Rhianna says

        Sep 29 at 4:57 pm

        What fruits can you substitute with?

        Reply
        • 23

          Anita says

          Jul 9 at 11:40 pm

          Hi Rhianna,
          I think any berries like strawberries, blueberries, will work well. Stone fruits like peaches or plums, if they’re not too overripe and juice, cut into slices would also work. It’s a versatile recipe!

          Reply
  21. 24

    niina says

    Jul 11 at 10:51 pm

    So beautiful!

    Reply
  22. 25

    ella says

    Nov 8 at 6:57 pm

    Is there a way to make the pastry cream without eggs?? xx

    Reply
    • 26

      Anita says

      Dec 10 at 10:28 am

      Hello Ella,
      I believe pastry cream is by definition made with eggs. If you want to use a different type of filling, you can always try just plain whipped cream, or vanilla pudding. Good luck!

      Reply
  23. 27

    rachele says

    Nov 26 at 3:59 am

    Sqeee! This had me from the moment i saw it! I am making this beautiful tart as we speak. cherries are in season in australia right now so this is perfect! Can’t wait!

    Reply
  24. 28

    Carol says

    Jun 28 at 2:05 pm

    What kind of coconut milk do you use? Is this the refrigerated kind or the kind that comes in a can?

    Reply
    • 29

      Anita says

      Jul 9 at 11:33 pm

      Hi Carol,
      I used canned coconut milk – any kind you find at the store will do, but I like the Taste of Thai brand. Thanks!

      Reply
  25. 30

    Jennifer says

    Jun 29 at 12:54 pm

    I saw this on a 4th of July roundup and just had to pin it.

    Jennifer

    Reply

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about pastrygirl

Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. More about pastrygirl

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