Tuesdays with Dorie: Toasted-Coconut Custard Tart

I'm so glad Beryl of Cinemon Girl picked Toasted-Coconut Custard Tart for TWD this week, but more so that I made it. I wasn't going to because maybe just 2/5 of us like coconut, I love it. After reading the rave reviews in the P&Qs I just had to.

I decided to use my 9" spring form pan* for my crust since I do not have a tart pan, and it came out perfect! I love Dorie's crusts, they are the only ones that have ever turned out for me. I was also happy that I could finally use the frozen egg yolks I had leftover from previous recipes using egg whites. *Yes, freeze your yolks in a freezer bag, and thaw in cool water and they are perfectly fine to use, they may be a different consistency at first, but they'll incorporate fine.

Because we're not liqour people I left out the Rum and also the Coriander (thought I had some, but honestly I would not have added it, seems weird). I just added some extra vanilla.
When making the custard, be warned that once it starts to thicken, it goes quick! Mine took maybe 10 minutes from start. I toasted my coconut on the stove, because I always burn it in the oven. This way I could control the toasting of it. Also, please ignore my over whipped cream, it still tasted good!



I really loved this tart! Dorie is right the ratio to cream to custard in this tart is much better than a big pie. It was perfect! Even day 3 was great. This is another Dorie recipe I will be making again. I would definitely make this for company or potluck, and if you like/love coconut, this recipe is one to try! Head over to Beryl's site to get the recipe.



sharing a piece of this over at Tina's



enjoy,

Flan

From Mommy I'm Hungry

I have had Flan one other time, and it was a coffee flavor but I didn't know it. It was also a little mushy which totally turned me off on it. I decided to try again when I found this easy recipe. It came out great! Nice and thick, great density and flavor.

1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a warm* 8 inch round glass or ceramic baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, milk and vanilla until smooth and well combined (another tip I saw was to use a blender*). Pour egg mixture into baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely. Store in fridge for at least 3 hours or over night to firm up.
To serve, run a knife around the edges and carefully invert on serving plate that has an edge. The caramel syrup will drizzle the flan itself.




From Mommy I'm Hungry

Caramel topping Tips:
-Heat the sugar until it melts. Don't stir, which promotes crystallization--the caramel will seize up and be grainy, not clear--but you may swirl the pan slightly to help redistribute any sugar that's starting to brown.

-*Tips from allrecipe user: Keep your baking dish warm/hot in the oven while you make the flan, so that when you do pour your caramel (melted sugar) into it, the caramel doesn't harden as quickly. When melting sugar, be patient and keep the heat LOW because the sugar may brown too dark. Don't fret if you still have small lumps of sugar in the end.. they will desolve when you bake the flan. As for the flan mixture, blend everything in a blender (adding the condensed milk last because its thicker) for the most effective and fastest way of mixing.

-I found these tips until after I made mine. Mine took forever to dissolve, and my recipe said to keep stirring it! It was not so pourable, but I did my best, and it sort of came out ok. The sugar caramel will dissolve from the moisture of the Flan once it's cooled in the fridge.

-adapted from Ralph's flyer and allrecipes





From Mommy I'm Hungry
enjoy,

Lemon Curd

4 lemons at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt

Remove the zest of 4 lemons with a vegetable peeler or zester, being careful to avoid the white pith. Squeeze the lemons to make 1/2 cup of juice and set the juice aside. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the sugar and process for 2 to 3 minutes, until the zest is very finely minced. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar and lime zest. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

Pour the mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. The lemon curd will thicken at about 175 degrees F, or just below a simmer. Remove from the heat and let cool or refrigerate.

Makes 3 cups. For lime or orange curd, substitute equal measurements for the lemon in this recipe.

Recipe of Ina Garten from foodnetwork.com

~ This is such a rich flavorful curd, that I bet it'd be just as wonderful on plain pound cake also. Or fill mini phyllo dough cups and garnish with a raspberry and you have yourself a mini dessert cup. This recipe is also featured at Just Baking.