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Chocolate
and Coconut Pecan Tart
Courtesy of Pat Spakes
Crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into
1/2-inch pieces
2 large egg yolks
Filling
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups (about 7 ounces) pecan halves, toasted
For
crust:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk flour, cocoa, sugar,
and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter; rub in
with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Whisk yolks in small bowl to blend; add to flour mixture.
Stir until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball;
press over bottom and up sides of 11-inch-diameter tart
pan with removable bottom. Bake crust until set, about
15 minutes. Cool while preparing filling. Reduce oven
temperature to 350°F.
For filling:
Blend corn syrup, sugar, and butter in medium bowl.
Whisk in eggs, vanilla, and salt. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate
chips, 3/4 cup coconut, and pecans. Pour filling into
prepared crust.
Bake
tart until filling is set and golden brown on top, about
40 minutes. Place tart on rack. Sprinkle remaining 1/2
cup chocolate chips evenly around edge of warm tart.
Let stand just until chips soften, about 5 minutes.
Using small spatula, spread chocolate to form 1-inch
border around edge of tart. Sprinkle chocolate border
with remaining 3 tablespoons coconut. Cool completely.
(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with foil; let
stand at room temperature.)
Makes
14 to 16 servings.
Baked
Cheesecake with Fruit Topping
Courtesy of Liz Alexander
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Note
from Liz: This recipe is from an English cookbook with
English weights and measures; it has been translated
for American cooks. If you make this in the evening,
the cheesecake can cool in the oven overnight, reducing
the potential for cracking.
Crust
15-16 crushed Graham Crackers (A food processor produces
a fine crumb.)
1 stick butter
Filling
1½ lbs cottage cheese (24oz carton)
3 eggs
6 oz sugar (about a quarter of an inch under 1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
Seasonal fruits to decorate (or skip the fruit and use
grated chocolate - or both!)
8 fl oz whipping cream, whipped
Directions:
1.
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.
2.
Line base of spring-form pan with greased silicon paper;
grease sides of pan. (The recipe calls for a 9-inch
(23cm) tin. I use a regular 10-inch spring-form pan
which works fine but makes the cheesecake a bit thinner.)
3.
Gently melt butter in a small pan. Remove from heat
and add crushed graham crackers; stir well. Place crumb
mixture into spring-form pan, pressing down evenly to
form a base.
4.
In a food processor, combine eggs, cottage cheese, sugar
and vanilla. Mix until curds are well blended and a
smooth cream is formed. Pour mixture onto crumb base
and spread evenly.
5.
Bake for 30 minutes on the middle shelf then turn oven
off and leave to cool for at least 2 hours - the longer
the better, overnight is best.
6. Gently remove ring from spring-form
pan and place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for
an hour or so to thoroughly chill the base before trying
to remove it. Once removed, place the cheesecake on
a serving plate. Decorate with whipped cream and fruit
before serving.
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