Pina Crema Tarts Recipes

PINA COLADA TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In medium bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar and salt. With pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• With fork, stir in cream and vanilla just until mixture begins to hold together.
• With hands, gently squeeze dough into loose clumps.
• Place on large sheet of plastic wrap; press clumps together to form a ball.
• Using the plastic wrap to keep edges from crumbling, roll into a 12-inch circle. Gently lift dough onto a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom; fold edges over to make sides double thick, and press dough firmly into corners of pan.
• Line pastry with foil; fill with dry beans or pie weights.
• Place tart pan on baking sheet or pizza pan; bake 35 minutes.
• Turn off oven; carefully remove foil and beans.
• Use a fork to pierce pastry in 2 or 3 places; return to turned-off oven for 5 minutes.
• Let cool completely.
• In medium bowl, beat cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth;.
• Beat in yogurt, extract and rum.
• Fill cooled pastry shell; chill.
• Drain pineapple well on paper towels; chill.
• Just before serving, garnish tart with pineapple and toasted coconut.

PASTéIS DE NATA (PORTUGUESE CUSTARD TARTS)

Steps:

• Using a pastry brush, grease eight individual pastry tins generously with the melted butter, then chill in the fridge. Put the butter between two sheets of baking parchment, then bash and roll into a large rectangle roughly the thickness of a £1 coin. In a large bowl, mix the flour with 150ml water and a pinch of salt using a wooden spoon. Tip the dough onto a clean surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth.
• Shape the dough into a rough rectangle, cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for 20 mins. If your butter is getting too soft, put it in the fridge to chill too. Roll the dough out into a large, thin rectangle at least twice the size of the butter. Put the butter in the middle of the dough, fold all the edges up over it to encase it, then fold the dough over itself in half.
• Roll out the dough to roughly half its original size, then fold in half, then half again to make a rectangle a quarter the size of the original. Repeat this process once more, flouring your work surface if you need to. Don't worry about being too precise here, or if the butter starts breaking through some of the layers. Cover and put the pastry in the fridge to rest for 20 mins.
• On a floured surface roll the chilled dough into a thin A3-sized rectangle, then roll it up lengthways into a tight sausage shape. Divide the pastry into three, the middle section will make your perfect looking tarts, then wrap and freeze the rest for another time. (It would also make delicious palmier biscuits if you roll it out and sprinkle with sugar.)
• Slice the pastry into 8 discs. Work the discs into the tins with your fingers, pressing and stretching them to fill the tins. If the layers start to come apart, press them back together. Chill while you make the custard.
• In a pan, warm 150ml milk with the cinnamon stick, lemon peel and half the butter until just simmering and the butter has melted. In a large bowl, sieve the cornflour and flour into the remaining milk and whisk to form a thin paste. Pour the warm milk mixture over the flour paste and leave to infuse for a few mins. Sieve the custard back into the pan, heat gently and keep stirring for 3-4 mins until it reaches the consistency of double cream. Take off the heat and blend in the remaining butter.
• Put the syrup ingredients in a frying pan and stir over a medium heat for 5 mins until you have a light, fragrant caramel. Take the pan off the heat and carefully pour in 100ml water. Return the pan to a low heat until the sugar has melted again into a syrup. Strain into a bowl.
• Slowly add half the syrup to the custard and whisk until completely blended. You can store the custard in the fridge from this point, but don't add the eggs until just before you are ready to cook the tarts. Heat your oven to 260C/240C fan/gas 8 or as high as your oven will go. Put a baking tray on the top shelf of the oven to heat up. Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl, then incorporate into the custard. Pour the mixture into the pastry bases.
• Put the filled tin on the hot baking tray. Put the tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 5- 8 mins, or until the custard starts to puff up. Once the custard has puffed up, turn the oven onto its grill setting and transfer the tarts to the top shelf. Grill for 1-2 mins or until caramelised - the darker the better. Remove from the oven and brush with a little of the remaining syrup. Let the tarts cool slightly in the moulds before turning out onto a cooling rack.

BEST LIME TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs, butter, almonds and sugar. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. tart pan. Bake until edges are lightly browned, 15-18 minutes., In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, milk, lime juice and zest. Pour over crust. Bake until center is almost set, 12-14 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 2 hours., In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in sour cream and grated lime zest. Spread over tart. Garnish with raspberries and lime wedges.

PORTUGUESE CUSTARD TARTS (PASTEIS DE NATA)

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, and cold water in a bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough just comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Dough should be sticky; adjust with more flour or water to achieve what's shown in the video.
• Transfer dough onto a well floured surface. Dust a little more flour over the top. Knead for a minute or two to form a round. Cover and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Roll dough into a square about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour as necessary; dough should still be sticky.
• Spread 1/3 of the butter over 2/3 of the square using a silicone spatula, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Flip the unbuttered side over the middle of the square and fold the opposite end over it like a letter. Straighten the edges as needed.
• Turn dough with a bench scraper to unstick it from the counter; dust with flour. Flip and sprinkle more flour on top. Roll dough into a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle, carefully stretching edges as needed. Spread another 1/3 of the butter over 2/3 of the dough. Fold into thirds. Transfer onto a lined baking sheet and freeze until butter is slightly chilled, about 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle dough with flour and roll into a square a little over 1/8 inch thick. Spread remaining butter over the dough, leaving a 1- to 1 1/2-inch border on the top edge. Dip your finger in water and lightly moisten the unbuttered edge. Roll dough into a log starting from the bottom edge. Dust with more flour and polish the ends as needed. Seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• Combine sugar, 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, cinnamon, and lemon zest in a pot. Boil over medium heat, without stirring, until syrup reaches 210 to 215 degrees F (100 degrees C). Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven 550 degrees F (288 degrees C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
• Whisk flour, salt, and cold milk together very thoroughly in a cold pot. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until milk thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
• Whisk egg yolks into the cooled milk. Add the sugar syrup and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Strain custard into a glass measuring cup.
• Unwrap the dough and trim any uneven bits on the ends. Score log into 12 even pieces using a knife; cut through.
• Place a piece of dough in each muffin cup. Dip your thumb lightly in some cold water. Press thumb into the center of the swirl; push dough against the bottom and up the sides of the cup until it reaches least 1/8 inch past the top. Fill each cup 3/4 of the way with custard.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the pastry is browned and bubbly, and the tops start to blister and caramelize, about 12 minutes. Cool tarts briefly and serve warm.

TRES LECHES PINA COLADA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch cake pan.
• Stir yellow cake mix, eggs, water, and vegetable oil in a bowl until moistened; beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in crushed pineapple. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with moist crumbs, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove cake from oven.
• Whisk cream of coconut with milk in a bowl until smooth; pour mixture over hot cake. Allow cake to cool thoroughly.
• Whip cream in a mixing bowl with sugar, using an electric mixer, until whipped cream holds soft peaks. Frost top of cake with whipped cream and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

PIñA COLADA TART

Steps:

• To make the pastry, mix the flour and icing sugar together in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fresh breadcrumbs then mix in the egg yolks. If the pastry feels too dry to form a dough, add 2 tbsp water. Roll into a ball then flatten it out into a disc and wrap the dough in cling film, then chill for at least 30 mins.
• While the pastry is chilling, make the filling by simply mixing all of the ingredients together in a large jug or bowl. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a £1 coin, then lift into a 23cm tart tin. Press down gently on the bottom and sides, then trim off any excess around the edges with a sharp knife. Prick the base of the pastry case with a fork and put it back in the fridge for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Line the tart with baking parchment that you've crumpled and re-smoothed, then put baking beans or rice on top to hold the paper down. Bake for 10 mins, then remove the tart tin from the oven. Lift out the baking beans and paper, and bake for another 20 mins until golden and crisp.
• When the pastry is cooked, remove it from the oven, pour in the pineapple mixture almost all the way to the top but leaving a small gap and bake again for 25 mins or until just set.
• Leave to cool, then remove the tart from the tin and put it in the fridge to chill for 30 mins.
• While the tart cools pour the double cream and coconut rum into a large bowl and whisk until thick and billowy. Dollop the boozy cream on top of the tart and decorate with maraschino cherries and cocktail umbrellas if you like.