It has been raining for over a week. So much rain! Don’t get me wrong – I love a good storm. And we’ve had a few great ones this week! I love the sound of rain. It can be so relaxing. But I am starting to get a bit tired of the gloomy skies and chilly weather. It has been nice spending time inside, reading and catching up on chores around the condo. However, I’m antsy to get outside and enjoy some sunshine! My sister and I want to get a start on our vegetable garden soon and enjoy some cocktails on her new deck too.
In an effort to reduce some of the gloominess of this past rainy weekend, I made a cheesecake tart with tropical flavours – pineapple, coconut, and lime. I brought the tart over to my parents’ place yesterday as a treat for after Sunday dinner. Everyone welcomed the fresh flavours. As my mom said “it was like sunshine in your mouth. So light + bright.” *hehe* My mom is adorable.
It is supposed to rain for two more days and then it’s supposed to be sunny and hot for Friday and the rest of the weekend. Cannot wait! If all works out, Jesse and I will have a picnic next weekend. Our first one of the summer!
Wishing you all a fantastic week. I’ll be back in a a few days with a new delicious salad recipe + a post about my experience in the Foodie Pen Pal exchange which was sponsored by The Lean Green Bean.
Sable Tart Shell Ingredients
- 1/3 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup icing sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons of milk
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup of cake + pastry flour
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Tropical Cheesecake Filing Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of finely grated lime zest
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons of rum or 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- 1 (14 ounce) can of crushed pineapple, well drained
- 2/3 cup of sweetened flaked coconut
- toasted coconut for garnish
Sable Tart Shell Method
1. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until fluffy. Stir in the egg, then add the milk and vanilla. Stir in the flour and salt until the dough comes together. Note: the dough will be quite sticky. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours until firm.
2. Preheat the oven to 350’F. Knead the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to soften it just slightly. Dust the pastry flour with a little flour, and then roll it out to about 11 inches in diameter. Line a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom with the dough. Press the dough down into the tart pan and then trim the dough that hangs over the edges. Chill the pastry for 20 minutes in the fridge or 10 minutes in the freezer.
3. Place the chilled tart pan on a baking tray. Dock the bottom of the pastry shell with a fork. Bake shell for 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the centre of the shell looks dry. Cool completely before filling the tart shell.
Tropical Cheesecake Filling Method
1. Beat the cream cheese to soften and side aside.
2. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, rum (or pineapple juice), and vanilla in a metal bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water and whisk the mixture by hand until it leaves a “ribbon” when the whisk is lifted (about 5 minutes).
3. Add half of the warm egg mixture to the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Fold the remaining egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture by hand. Fold in the crushed pineapple and the coconut. Spoon the filling into the cooled tart shell (still in the tart pan) and spread evenly. Chill the tart for at least 3 hours in the pan before removing the outer ring of the pan to serve. Sprinkle with toasted coconut before serving. Note: to toast the coconut, place the shredded coconut in a small sauce pan without oil. Toast coconut about 3 minutes over medium heat. Turn coconut often to prevent burning.
The tart will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Note: Tinned pineapple is best for this recipe once well drained. Fresh pineapple will release juice as the tart sits and cause it to become runny. You can also reserve 2 tablespoons of the pineapple juice while draining the pineapple to use in this recipe in lieu of the rum.
Source: Anna Olson’s Back to Baking
Holy cow that looks incredible! and the filing sounds magnificent! thanks for sharing! great photos too!
It’s really a beautiful tart..perfect for summer, and a little sunshine ;)
Yum, so pretty with all the shaved coconut on top!
YUM! That looks delicious! A perfect fix for gloomy days. I’m a foodie pen pal too! I’ll have to check back on Thursday to see what you received!
Mmm, I could use some of those tropical flavors right now! We’ve had some storms off and on here, but mostly it’s been hot hot hot. Yesterday got up to 97f., and after 11am we locked ourselves inside for the day! Looking forward to it cooling off a little, now. :P
Ooh yum, I bet this was amazing! It sounds similar to the pina colada cake I made for my birthday, especially with the rum….could you taste the rum? I wish I could see more pictures of this cheesecake, although it’s probably a good thing that there’s only one photo because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to tear myself away from my screen!
This looks so yummy, I’m sure it will encourage the sun to shine!
We’ve had the opposite weather here – it’s been sunny and beautiful lately but is going to get cold and rainy for the rest of the week. Hope your weather brightens up! This tart looks amazing, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cheesecake like it before!
such a big difference in weathers in other parts of the world. we have a hot hot sun blazing here all the time. it is just sipping water, juices, lemonades. it is soooo hot.
i liked the fruits you have added to the filling. pineapple, coconut and lemon must have blended beautifully and given the tart a lovely tropical feel.
this is a killer cheesecake! love it!
I love rain, but if it’s more than a few days in a row, it gets a wee bit depressing! But at least you had this cheesecake to cheer you up! I love fruity cheesecakes–much less filling than the chocolatey ones. :)