Bon Appetit Desserts (72 page)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake crust until golden, about 20 minutes. Cool completely.

FILLING:
Whisk cream of coconut, yogurt, lime juice, and lime peel to blend in 4-cup measuring cup or large bowl.

Pour 3 tablespoons cold water into small metal bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Set bowl in small skillet of barely simmering water; whisk until gelatin dissolves, about 1 minute. Whisk into coconut mixture and pour into crust (filling will reach top of crust). Chill pie until filling is set, about 4 hours.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

TOPPING:
Beat cream and 2 tablespoons powdered sugar in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe whipped cream around edge of pie. Dip lime rounds into additional powdered sugar, if desired, and arrange around top edge or in center of pie.

Apricot and Cherry Crostata

Folding the crust around the filling gives this tart a beautifully rustic look. Serve with scoops of ice cream or frozen yogurt, or with a little slightly sweetened whipped cream.
6 servings

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

⅛ teaspoon sugar Pinch of salt

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

2 tablespoons (or more) ice water

2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons plus tablespoons sugar, divided

8 large apricots, halved, pitted

1 cup pitted fresh cherries (about 6 ounces) or frozen, thawed

2 tablespoons (¼ stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled

Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

CRUST:
Stir flour, sugar, and salt in bowl to blend. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until coarse meal forms. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and stir until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes to soften slightly before rolling out.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out dough disk on floured surface to 11-inch round. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.

FILLING:
Mix flour and 2 teaspoons sugar in bowl. Sprinkle over crust, leaving 1½-inch plain border. Place apricots cut side down on crust, placing close together and leaving 1½-inch plain border at outer edge. Scatter cherries over apricots [1]. Top with 4 tablespoons sugar. Fold pastry edges up around apricots, pressing against apricots to form scalloped border [2]. Brush crust with butter; sprinkle with remaining ½ tablespoon sugar.

Bake until crust is golden and fruit is tender (some juices from fruit will leak onto parchment), about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Using pastry brush, brush tart with juices on parchment. Gently slide parchment with tart onto rack. Carefully run long knife under tart to loosen (crust is fragile). Cool on parchment until lukewarm. Slide 9-inch-diameter tart pan bottom under tart; use as aid to transfer tart to platter. Serve with ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Apricot and Raspberry Croustade with Sour Cream Crust and Topping

Sour cream enriches the pastry while also giving it elasticity. Scattering additional fresh raspberries over the top of the baked croustade makes for a stunning presentation.
8 servings

1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

⅓ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

¼ cup chilled sour cream

1 pound ripe apricots (6 to 8), halved, pitted

⅓ cup apricot preserves

1 rounded teaspoon unbleached all purpose flour

8 ounces raspberries

Whole milk

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

CRUST:
Blend flour, powdered sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add sour cream; using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes to soften slightly before rolling out.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough disk between 2 sheets of lightly floured parchment paper, lifting parchment and replacing it occasionally if paper wrinkles, forming 13-inch round. Remove top sheet of parchment. Slide bottom sheet of parchment with dough onto heavy rimless cookie sheet.

FILLING:
Gently stir apricots, preserves, and flour in large bowl until apricots are lightly coated. Carefully fold in raspberries. Spoon filling onto center of dough. Arrange apricots, alternating cut side up and cut side down, leaving ½- to 2-inch plain border at outer edge. Using parchment as aid, fold pastry edges up around filling, pressing gently to seal. Brush crust lightly with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until crust is golden brown, fruit is tender, and juices bubble thickly in center (some juices from fruit will leak onto parchment paper), about 55 minutes. Cool until warm.

TOPPING:
Stir sour cream and sugar in small bowl to blend. Carefully run long knife under tart to loosen (crust is fragile). Using tart pan bottom of 9-inch-diameter tart pan as aid, carefully transfer tart to platter. Serve with sweetened sour cream.

Apple-Cranberry Croustade

This version of the French free-form tart combines the flavors of fall. Raw sugar, also called turbinado or demerara sugar, has large golden granules that make for an attractive, sparkling-sweet crust. Dried cherries or raisins can be substituted for the dried cranberries in the topping. Serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream.
8 servings

1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour

⅓ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

¼ cup chilled sour cream

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 small Granny Smith apples (about 3 pounds), peeled, cored, each cut into 12 wedges

⅓ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup dried cranberries

Whole milk

2 tablespoons raw sugar

CRUST:
Combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt in food processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add sour cream; using on/off turns, process until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 30 minutes.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes to soften slightly before rolling out.

FILLING:
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and sprinkle with ⅓ cup sugar. Cook until apples are tender and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle with cardamom and cinnamon; mix in cranberries. Set aside to cool.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out dough disk between 2 sheets of lightly floured parchment paper, lifting parchment and replacing it occasionally if paper wrinkles, to form 13-inch round. Remove top sheet of parchment. Slide bottom sheet of parchment with dough onto heavy rimless cookie sheet. Spoon filling onto center of dough, spreading toward edges and leaving 1½- to 2-inch plain border. Using parchment as aid, fold border over filling. Brush crust border with milk. Sprinkle crust border and apples with raw sugar.

Bake until crust begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F Continue baking until crust is golden brown and filling is heated through, about 20 minutes longer. Cool until warm. Run thin knife under tart to loosen from parchment paper. Slide 10-inch-diameter bottom of tart pan with removable sides under tart and use as aid to transfer tart to plate.