Coconut Tortoni Recipes

TORTONI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Break the macaroons into pieces and toast them on a baking sheet until golden, dry and crumbly. Let cool. Grind to fine crumbs in a food processor. You need about 1 cup.
• Combine the sugar and 3/4 cup water in a small, heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until the syrup reaches 230 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Meanwhile, in a mixer, whip the egg whites until they form firm peaks. By hand, whip the yolks until fluffy. In the mixer bowl, fold together the whites and yolks.
• When the sugar is ready, turn on the mixer to medium speed and, with it running, slowly pour in the syrup in a fine thread. Reduce the speed to low and whip until the mixture cools to room temperature. Mix in the vanilla.
• Whip the cream and fold it into the egg mixture.
• Line the base of a 2-quart soufflé dish (or other mold) with parchment. Spoon half the crumbs into the base. Cover with the mousse. Top with the remaining crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
• Dip the base of the dish in a bowl of hot water. Run a knife around the edge of the mold, then invert onto a plate. Cut into wedges.

COCONUT TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place frozen mini tart shells on a baking sheet.
• Beat the butter, sugar, egg, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined. Stir in the coconut. Place 1/2 teaspoon of jam into each mini tart shell, and fill the shells with about 1 tablespoon of the coconut mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the shells and topping are lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

DISARONNO COCONUT MACAROON TORTONI

Steps:

• Chop the macaroons (the macaroons I buy are the soft macaroons from Target, chocolate dipped ones or plain ones).
• Place on a parchment or foil lined cookie sheet and bake them at 225 degrees for 45 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring several times while baking. You want then dried and crunchy.
• Cool and place in Ziploc bag.
• Toast the sliced almonds until lightly browned.
• Cool and then coarsely crush them.
• Mix them in with the toasted macaroons.
• Freeze the macaroon/almond crumbs until needed (this can be done hours/days in advance or while you are making the sugar/water/egg mixture and it's cooling). I will usually double this part of the recipe and keep a bag for later. It's a time saver for when I make it again.
• Boil the water and sugar until it reaches 235 degrees (if you don't have a thermometer, until the syrup spins a thread when dropped from the tip of a spoon), this will take a little while, be patient.
• Just before sugar water is to temperature, beat the egg yolks with mixer until it starts to get pale and fluffy.
• Drizzle the hot syrup into eggs gradually while beating.
• Cook the egg mixture over a double boiler for 7 minutes while constantly mixing on a low speed.
• Whip into the egg mixture 1/4 cup of DiSarrono (if you prefer no alcohol you can substitute 1 tsp almond extract).
• Chill in refrigerator for 40-50 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream, vanilla and powdered sugar (and 1/2 tsp almond extract for no alcohol recipe) until stiffly whipped.
• Whip in 1/4 cup DiSaronno.
• Remove egg mixture from refrigerator and mix in 2 1/2 cups macaroon/almond crumbs.
• Gently fold-in egg/macaroon mixture into whipped cream mixture.
• Place foil cupcake wrappers or pretty martini/parfait glasses or serving dishes on cookie sheets.
• Using a large ice cream scoop or spoon, mound individual portions into each dish.
• Crush remaining macaroon/almond crumbs and sprinkle generous amount on top of each portion.
• Place one cherry on top of each one.
• Freeze for at least 4 hours.
• After tortoni is frozen, place servings into large Ziploc bags and keep in freezer and use as desired.
• This Tortoni can be frozen in a single resealable container. Just scoop frozen tortoni into serving dishes and sprinkle with crumbs and place cherry on top.
• Note: copy cat recipe for DiSaronno works well for this Tortoni. 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, 3/4 cup boiling water, 1/2 cup dark corn syrup, 1 1/2 cups 80-proof vodka, 1 tablespoon pure almond extract, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix sugars and boiling water in glass pitcher or bowl. Stir until dissolved. Add corn syrup, stir well. Add vodka, almond and vanilla extracts. Cool and store in sealed container (empty vodka bottle re-labeled). Makes 3 cups.

BISCUIT TORTONI

Steps:

• Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, slowly beat the almond paste, almond extract, and confectioners' sugar until completely blended. Add the egg white and beat until smooth. Let the batter rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Spoon the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch tip. Pipe out 1-inch mounds of the batter onto a parchment-lined or nonstick cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and tan. Set on a rack to cool. When completely cool and crisp, chop the macaroons in a food processor. You should have approximately 1 1/4 cups of crumbs.
• Tortoni Cream: Spread out almonds on a cookie sheet and place in a preheated 325 degree oven for 3 minutes. Turn tray around, toss nuts with a metal spatula and toast for another 3 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup of cream, the macaroon crumbs and confectioners' sugar. Chill for 30 minutes. Mix in the rum and vanilla and chill for another 30 minutes. Whip the remaining 1 cup of cream to soft peaks and fold into the macaroon mixture.
• Divide the mixture among eight 4-ounce paper cups. Top with the almonds and cherries, if desired. Freeze for 4 hours or until firm.

COCONUT MACAROON ICE CREAM (BISCUIT TORTONI)

Steps:

• Boil sugar and water together to form a syrup which spins a thread when dropped from the tip of a spoon.
• Beat egg yolks well; add syrup slowly, beating eggs during addition.
• Cook for 5 min.
• in double boiler.
• Remove from heat and beat well.
• Add the 1 c.
• macaroons and cool.
• Whip the cream and fold into cooled egg mixture.
• Fold in vanilla.
• Spread in a shallow container and top with the powdered macaroons to give a brown crust appearance.
• Freeze overnight.
• Note: This cannot be made in any kind of ice cream machine; the texture will be ruined.

ALMOND TORTONI

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat egg white until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, and continue beating until thick and glossy; set aside.
• Whip cream in a large bowl. Carefully fold in sherry, almond extract, macaroon crumbs, ground almonds, and chopped red and green cherries. Gently fold egg white into cream mixture.
• Spoon into 8 paper baking cups placed in medium size muffin tray. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. Cover muffin tray with clear plastic wrap, then wrap with aluminum foil. Freeze overnight.
• To serve: Let sit for 5 minutes at room temperature, then garnish with maraschino cherry halves.

COCONUT TUILES

Steps:

• Melt the butter, then leave until cool, but still runny. Preheat the oven to fan 160C/ conventional 180C/gas 4 and line a baking sheet with non-stick silicone.
• Whizz the coconut in a food processor until finely ground, but not powdery. Whizz in the icing sugar and flour, then the egg whites followed by the cooled butter - you should have a smooth, slightly runny paste. Scoop this out into a bowl.
• Put a teaspoon of the mixture on the silicone and spread with the back of a dessertspoon into a neat thin 7cm round. Alternatively, place a round stencil on the silicone and scrape the mixture flat in the hole with a palette knife. Shape 3-4 at a time, leaving space between.
• Bake in batches for 7 minutes each, until pale golden around the edges. Remove and scrape off on to a wire rack to cool. To shape, press each one over a rolling pin as it cools.

COCONUT TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place a shallow 23cm flan tin on a baking tray. Tip the spices, coconut and sugar into a pan with 150ml water and cook over a low heat for about 5 mins, stirring frequently to ensure the mixture doesn't catch. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line the flan tin. Trim off the excess pastry, fill the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans and cook for 15 mins. Remove the beans and cook for 5 mins more so the pastry on the base of the tin is just cooked, but not brown.
• Beat the egg and melted butter into the cooled coconut mixture, then spoon into the pastry case and smooth the top. Bake for 25 mins until the pastry is golden and the coconut pale golden. Serve with cream or real vanilla ice cream and some Cape gooseberries, then follow with cups of black Rooibos tea.