Coconut Custard Tart

I made this tart for Thanksgiving and let me tell you I can't stop thinking about it!!  It was so delicious, light, and non-dairy!!  It's a multi-step process but it's not difficult!  You need to use a tart pan for this recipe.  I mixed up a few recipes and created a really great one, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did!!

Coconut Custard Tart
(makes 1, 9-11 inch tart)
For the Tart Shell:
1 1/2 stick unsalted margarine, room temperature (I use Fleischmann's or Earth Balance Vegetable Shortening, the green box)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste OR good vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the tart pan with non-stick spray. Cream margarine and sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla to margarine mixture, mix until well combined.  Add flour slowly to mix, and mix just until combined.  Use hands to form dough into a ball. Use fingers to press dough into the greased tart pan making sure to have the dough along the sides of the pan as well.  Use a fork to poke holes into the dough and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until light golden brown around the edges.  Let tart shell cool completely.  Put aside.


For the Pastry Cream:
4 Large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 cups vanilla soymilk  or milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted margarine/butter or vegetable shortening (Earth Balance)
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut


In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of sugar, all of the cornstarch, and the milk. In a saucepan, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, the vanilla, and the salt. Bring to a simmer. Whisking constantly, pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, gradually at first to temper it, and then more quickly. Set a strainer over the saucepan. Strain the custard mixture back into the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium meat, whisking constantly. Boil for 10 seconds, whisking. (Make sure the custard boils for 10 seconds in the center of the pan, not just around the sides.) The mixture should thicken to a pudding-like consistency.

Transfer the pastry cream to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, to cool slightly. With the mixer running, beat in the butter a little at a time, until incorporated. Beat in the coconut. Transfer to a bowl, press plastic wrap directly over the cream to prevent a crust from forming, and chill until firm, about 1 to 2 hours.  Once the pastry cream is chilled pour into cooled tart shell and prepare the coconut whipped cream, recipe follows.

For the whipped cream topping:
8 oz. of non-dairy whipping cream, very cold
1 teaspoon of coconut extract
2 tablespoons of confectioner's sugar

In a large bowl whip the cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Add sugar and coconut extract and whip until stiff peaks form. Do not over-beat.  Pour whipped cream over the custard and spread around the tart.  You can also pipe the whipped cream if you'd like.  Sprinkle the tart with toasted or untoasted coconut and chill until ready to serve.

To toast the coconut: Place shredded coconut in a dry pan and place over medium heat.  The coconut will turn light brown when it is done.  Keep a very close eye on the pan or the coconut may burn. 

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving is around the corner and pumpkins are in season now, what better to make than pumpkin pie???  It's my all time favorite pie, and I make a damn good one!  And for all you kosher people, this recipe is dairy free, made with pareve margarine and pareve vanilla soy milk.  Westsoy makes a great one!  I made this dessert for my 100th post celebration because I am scheduled to do a cooking demo in November and I'm planning to show some Thanksgiving recipes and needed to try it out beforehand.  So here you go...

Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Sugar Crust
(makes crust for 2 pies)
1 1/2 stick unsalted pareve margarine, room temperature (I use Fleischmann's)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste OR good vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour

Cream margarine and sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla to margarine mixture, mix until well combined.  Add flour slowly to mix, and mix just until combined.  Use hands to form dough into 2 balls, cover both with saran wrap and place in fridge for 2 hours.

NOTE: I think this recipe works best using a tart pan rather than a pie dish, if you choose to use a pie dish, cooking time will be longer and dough might get more browned, but it should still be fine!

Non-Dairy Pumpkin Pie Filling
(makes enough for 1 tart)
3 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1/4 cup sugar
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger (optional)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup vanilla soy milk (non-dairy)

In a large bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, spices, and pumpkin puree.  Mix until well combined, using a hand mixer. Add soy milk.  Mix to combine. Set aside.

Remove 1 dough ball from fridge and flour your work surface.  Roll the dough out into a large circle. Place dough over a greased tart pan and use fingers to pinch it in around the edges and bottom of the pan. Place tart shell on a baking sheet and pour pumpkin filling into tart shell almost to the top.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. The pie is ready when the middle is set and not jiggly.

If you have leftover pie filling and dough make mini pumpkin pies.  If you don't have leftover dough but have the filling, you can make a pumpkin bread pudding.  Pour batter over challah or bread chunks in a greased baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes.  Or you can pour pumpkin filling into greased ramekins and make pumpkin pudding by baking them for about 30-40 minutes or until firm in center.

Happy 100th Post!!

It's finally here!!  My 100th post!!  I celebrated this past weekend with a bunch of friends and now it's time to write all about it.  Sorry it took me so long to get it up!  Anyways, I can't believe it's been nearly 8 months of blogging!  I've had one giveaway and a couple of shout outs on Mile-Posts, a blog written by my runner friend Dorothy, and I'm scheduled to do a Thanksgiving-themed cooking demo in November!

I've cooked and baked more than ever before and have fed a lot of friends and family, and of course sisters (and brothers).  I've thoroughly enjoyed all your comments, suggestions, and ideas on the blog and on my Facebook fan page!  Please keep up all the good work and continue.  Also, if you make any of my recipes I'd love it if you could upload pictures to the FYS Facebook page.

I am currently at 192 Facebook fans.  My goal is to get many more fans and to do that I need your help!!  Please visit the page, you can access it by clicking here.  Once you are there under the profile picture (Which is a picture my new apron that I got as a gift from my friend Sarah at my 100th post celebration.) there's a link that says Suggest to Friends.  When you click on that you can invite friends to join Feed Your Sister on Facebook!  Let's see how many fans we can get together!

Now onto the menu for the 100th post celebration.  I decided on going back to my Israeli roots and making a Meditteranean/Israeli themed meal.  On the menu was potato and feta bourekas, shakshuka, and a carrot and cucumber salad.  For dessert I made a non-dairy pumpkin pie (I chose this dessert because it's one of the recipes I had to try out for the cooking demo). Here's a few pictures of some friends enjoying my good eats!

Potato and Feta Bourekas

(makes 18 bourekas)

1 box Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry, thawed

8 medium yukon gold potatoes (or any potato you like)

1 pound Israeli Feta, crumbled (or any feta you like)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1 egg + 1 tablespoon water, scrambled (for egg wash)

1 cup sesame seeds (for topping the bourekas)

all purpose flour for dusting

NOTE: You can either peel the potatoes before boiling or after.  If you choose to peel before boiling, peel and then cut into large chunks to speed up boiling process.  If you choose to peel them after, boil the potatoes whole and once cooked peel skins off.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Once the water is boiling, place potatoes in the pot and let cook until fork tender, about 30 minutes (or sooner if they were cut in chunks). Drain and let potatoes cool slightly and peel the skins off.  Place peeled potatoes back into the hot pot along with the olive oil, salt, and crumbled feta.  Mash together until smooth.  (If you want to make a smoother consistency you can add more olive oil or butter or cream, if you like that.)  

Set potato mixture aside.  Sprinkle flour on a marble surface or piece of parchment paper.  Roll the dough to make a large rectangle and cut pastry into 9 squares. 

Place about 2-3 tablespoons of the potato mixture in the center of each pastry square.  

Fold square corner to corner, to make a triangle shape, and seal with the prongs of a fork around the edges.

 Use a pastry brush to brush on egg wash over each bourekas and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.

Repeat all steps using the second sheet of puff pastry from the box. 

Bake bourekas on a greased baking sheet for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.  

To Freeze: Do not bake!  Freeze them on a baking sheet for about 2 hours and then transfer frozen bourekas into ziploc bags.  To cook, thaw out and bake as directed above.

Enjoy!

Stay tuned for the other recipes coming this week!

PB&J Mini Pies

I've been eating a lot of peanut butter. I eat it with celery, on waffles, on my oatmeal pancakes, on caramel and chocolate rice cakes, and then of course on bread as a PB&J sandwich. Either way it's delicious and good for you, so here's another way to have it, by the bite full!

I got this idea from Picky Palate

PB&J Mini Pies (Makes 12 mini pies)

1 roll Pillsbury pie dough

1/2 Cup creamy peanut butter or almond butter (if you have allergies use your favorite soy butter)

1/2 Cup Strawberry Preserves

1 Tablespoon sugar for sprinkling

1 egg white whisked with 1 teaspoon water for egg wash

2 Tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll pie crust onto a lightly floured surface. Use a 2 1/2 inch round cutter to cut out circles in dough (or small cup). Lightly press dough rounds into greased mini muffin tin.

2. Roll remaining scraps of dough to an even thickness then use a sharp knife to cut thin 1/8 inch strips to create the lattice topping. Set aside.

3. With a small cookie scoop or teaspoon (I used my new spring handle ice cream scoop), drop a heaping teaspoon into each of the pie crusts. Do the same with the jam.

4. Using the pie strips, form the lattice top. (THIS IS WHERE IT GOT TRICKY!! I ENDED UP, AS YOU'LL NOTICE THE LATTICE TOP WAS NOT AN EASY TASK. I ENDED UP JUST PUTTING ANOTHER CIRCLE OF DOUGH ON TOP AND CUTTING A VENT SLIT.)

5. Cut excess dough from edges and brush tops lightly with the egg wash, sprinkle with sugar crystals (optional) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until nice and golden brown.

6. Remove and with the tip of a knife, loosen edges from muffin pan. Carefully remove from pan after 5 minutes with the help of the knife and let cool. Dust with powdered sugar and ENJOY!

If you don't fancy peanut butter why not try it with chocolate...after all who doesn't like chocolate!?!?

Try this recipe...Just substitute Nutella for the jelly.

P.S. I figured out the calorie count per mini pie and it's not that bad. About 125 calories for the peanut butter ones, and 140 calories for the Nutella ones.