Coconut Creme Caramel Food

COCONUT CARAMELS

Steps:

• Line a 13x9-in. pan with foil; grease foil with 1 tablespoon butter. Layer with 1 cup coconut and 3/4 cup almonds; set aside., In a Dutch oven, combine sugar, coconut milk, corn syrup, cubed butter and cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until a candy thermometer reads 238° (soft-ball stage), about 40 minutes., Using a pastry brush dipped in water, wash down the sides of the pan to eliminate sugar crystals. Cook and stir until thermometer reads 244° (firm-ball stage), about 5 minutes longer., Remove from heat; stir in 1 cup coconut, vanilla, ginger, salt and remaining almonds. Immediately pour into prepared pan (do not scrape saucepan). Sprinkle with remaining coconut. Let stand until firm, about 5 hours or overnight., Using foil, lift candy out of pan; remove foil. Using a buttered knife, cut caramel into 1-in. squares. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.

COCONUT CARAMELS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut flakes in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast until light golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Brush an 8-inch baking dish generously with coconut oil or coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle about 3 to 4 tablespoons of toasted coconut in an even layer on the bottom of the pan, and set aside.
• In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the coconut cream, sugar, corn syrup and sea salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil, stirring frequently especially toward the end, until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees and caramel is a light golden brown and thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the ginger and cardamom.
• Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Once the caramel stops bubbling and the surface forms a thin skin, about 3 minutes, sprinkle another 4 tablespoons toasted coconut across the surface. Allow to cool at room temperature and set completely, about 2 hours.
• Run a spatula around the sides of the baking dish, loosen and lift the caramel, and move onto a board or clean surface.
• Slice the caramel into 8 (1-inch-wide) strips, then across into 1/2-inch pieces, so you have about 72 caramels. Roll the sides of each piece in more toasted coconut. Wrap as individual sweets using 4- to 5-inch squares of parchment, wax paper, or cellophane, or use store-bought candy wrappers, twisting the ends to seal. Store at room temperature in a cool dry place. Caramels will keep stored at room temp for up to 7 days or frozen after wrapping for up to 1 month.

CARAMEL COCONUT PIE

Steps:

• Melt butter in large skillet.
• Add coconut and 1/2 cup pecans.
• Cook until golden, stirring frequently.
• Set aside and let cool slightly.
• Combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk.
• Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth.
• Fold in whipped topping.
• Layer 1/4 cream cheese mixture in each pie shell.
• Drizzle 1/4 caramel topping over each pie.
• Sprinkle 1/3 coconut mixture evenly over each pie.
• Repeat layers with remaining cream cheese mixture, caramel topping and coconut mixture.
• Cover and freeze pies for at least 8 hours.
• Let frozen pies stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before slicing.
• Garnish as desired.

COCONUT CREME CARAMEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190C.
• Prepare the caramel: heat the sugar and the water in a heavy skillet, wait without stirring untill you get a blond caramel. Pour the caramel in 6-8 creme caramel moulds.
• Pour the coconut cream and the milk in a skillet and bring to boil. Add the ground cardamom, Beat eggs, yolks and sugar untll pale, then pour the boiling milk while beating.
• Pour the coconut cream into the moulds to fill them. Put all moulds in a bigger plate and add a few centimeters warm water. Cook in the oven for about 35 minutes or untill the creme is set.
• Let cool, first at room temperature, tham in the fridge, serve cold, unmoulding each crème caramel on a plate.

COCONUT CREME CARAMEL

Steps:

• Melt 1/2 cup sugar with 3 tablespoons water in a saucepan over medium-low heat, occasionally swirling the pan, until the sugar starts to bubble and turn golden brown, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and divide the syrup among 8 (1/2) cup ramekins so the bottoms and sides are covered with the syrup. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining sugar, coconut milk, whole milk, and eggs in a bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved. Divide the mixture among the ramekins. Create a water bath by filling a baking dish halfway with water. Place the ramekins in it and bake until the custards set, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the water bath. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate and least 12 hours. To serve, loosen the sides with a knife and invert custard onto plates so the caramel is on top, drizzling any remaining caramel on the plates around the custard. Serve chilled garnished with a mint leaf.

PEACH TART WITH COCONUT CREAM AND SLIGHTLY SALTED CARAMEL

Steps:

• For the peach tart: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Toss the peaches with the brown sugar and lemon juice and set aside.
• Place the flour and confectioners' sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn to low speed and add the butter a few pats at a time. Once all the butter has been added, beat until the flour, sugar and butter begin to form a dough and it holds its shape when pressed together with your fingers. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and gently knead and bring together to form a ball. Pat the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Place into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
• Spray eight 4-inch tart pans with nonstick cooking spray. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten into a disc. Press the dough into each tart shell, using your fingers to press the dough up the sides of the tart shell. Trim any excess dough that overhangs from the top. Dock the dough with a fork. Place the tart shells into the fridge to chill for 5 minutes.
• Line the inside of the tart shells with parchment paper and fill with baking beans. Transfer the shells into the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and baking beans, then put back into the oven for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool before filling.
• For the pastry cream: Add the egg yolks, granulated sugar and cornstarch to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high until the yolks are pale yellow and peaks begin to form, a few minutes. Scrape down the edges of the bowl with a spatula and beat again to ensure the ingredients are fully incorporated.
• Set up an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside. Add the coconut milk, kosher salt and vanilla beans with the pods to a small saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat and gradually, very little at a time, add the heated coconut milk into the whipped egg yolk mixture with the stand mixer turned down to low speed. It's important to add it very gradually to temper the eggs so they will not scramble. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan that the coconut milk was heated in and turn the heat to medium-low. Whisking constantly, cook until the pastry cream has thickened and reaches the consistency of pudding, about 5 minutes. Transfer the thickened pastry cream back into the stand mixer bowl and whisk on medium speed. Add the butter, one pat at a time. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes to cool it down. Spread the pastry cream onto a quarter sheet tray and cover with plastic wrap, pressing down onto the pastry cream itself to avoid a skin from forming on the top. Place into the fridge to chill for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Once the tart shells have cooled, place a tablespoon or so of pastry cream to cover the bottom. Then top with 1 1/2 tablespoons of macerated peach filling in each tart. Spoon some more pastry cream to cover the top of the tarts and spread with a spatula to flatten it down.
• For the caramel: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. Then remove from the heat and add the vanilla and sea salt (be careful it's hot!!).
• To finish the tarts, lay a peach slice on top of each tart. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.