Tropical Tart Food

TROPICAL FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Mix flour, powdered sugar, ground ginger and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk 1 yolk and water in small bowl to blend. Add to processor by tablespoonful and process until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Pour milk into heavy medium saucepan. Add ginger. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat. Cover and let steep 30 minutes. Strain and return to same saucepan. Bring to simmer. Whisk 3 yolks, sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl until well blended. Gradually whisk in hot milk. Return mixture to same saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to boil. Boil 1 minute. Pour pastry cream into clean bowl. Press plastic onto surface and refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 14 inch round. Transfer to 11inch round tart pan with removable bottom. Line crust with foil, parchment or coffee filters; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until sides of crust are set, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake until crust is golden, piercing with fork if bubbles form. Transfer pan to rack and cool completely.
• Combine preserves and Cognac in heavy small saucepan. Stir over low heat until preserves melt. Transfer to processor; puree until smooth. Brush half of syrup over bottom of crust. Spread pastry cream evenly over. Arrange fruit over pastry cream. Rewarm preserve mixture. Brush over fruit.

TROPICAL FRUIT TART

Steps:

• For crust:
• Mix flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk egg yolk, cream and vanilla in small bowl. Add to flour mixture; process until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 4 hours.
• For Filling:
• Pour milk into heavy medium saucepan. Bring just to simmer. Whisk yolks, sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot milk. Return mixture to same saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until mixture thickens and comes to boil. Boil 1 minute. Pour pastry cream into medium bowl. Stir in minced ginger. Press plastic onto surface of pastry cream. Cover; chill until cold, about 4 hours. (Dough and pastry cream can be made 1 day ahead. keep chilled separately. Let dough soften slightly before pressing into pan.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of 11x7 1/2-inch rectangular or 11-inch round tart pan with removable bottom. Line crust with foil. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until sides of crust are set, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake until crust is golden, piercing with fork if bubbles form, about 15 minutes. Transfer pan to rack and cool completely. Remove sides from pan.
• Combine preserves and Cognac in small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until preserves melt and mixture is thick, about 2 minutes. Strain syrup into another small saucepan; discard solids. Brush half of syrup onto bottom of crust. let stand at room temperature until set, about 5 minutes. Spread pastry cream evenly over. Arrange fruit over pastry cream. Rewarm ginger syrup. Brush over fruit. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and chill.) Garnish tart with mint.

TROPICAL FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Unfold crust.
• Using wet fingertips, press together any cracks to seal. Rub crust with flour. Place crust, floured side down, in 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Fold overhang in; press firmly, forming double-thick sides. Pierce bottom of crust with fork. Bake until golden, about 14 minutes. Cool completely.
• Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in whipping cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Spread filling in prepared crust. Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 1 hour.
• Arrange pineapple, kiwis and mango atop tart. Stir preserves in saucepan over low heat until melted. Brush preserves over fruit. Chill tart up to 2 hours.

TROPICAL FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll puff pastry into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry 1 inch from edges, creating a border; with a fork, prick dough all over inside border. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cook pineapple, sugar, and lemon juice over medium-high until pineapple begins to break down, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.
• Pour through a fine-mesh sieve back into saucepan, discarding solids, and sprinkle with gelatin. Let stand until gelatin softens, 5 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring, then pour into a medium bowl set in a bowl of ice water. Stir until cool and thickened, 4 minutes. (To store, cover and refrigerate, up to 3 days.)
• Whisk cream until soft peaks form. Stir pineapple mixture until smooth; fold in whipped cream until combined. Spread on pastry and top with mango and coconut.

TART TROPICAL PARFAIT

Steps:

• Spoon 1/3 cup yogurt into a 6- to 8-ounce parfait glass or jar. Top yogurt with 1/2 of the kiwi, 1/2 of the macadamia nuts, 1/2 of the agave. Repeat layers with the remaining yogurt, kiwi, nuts, and agave. Top parfait with mint.