The boyfriend claims he isn't a big fan of desserts.
And I believe him.... for the most part.
Unless it's ice cream or a traditional Thai dessert, I know I shouldn't even bother trying to tempt him. I know because I've tried. I've made cakes which were deemed to be too rich, brownies which were too chocolatey, and cobblers and pies that were just too sweet for his tastes.
However, in all of my attempts at sweets, I did come across a dessert which is neither ice cream nor Thai that he loves - the fruit tart. The fruit tart crust, although it's called pate sucree or sweet pastry crust, is really more buttery than it is sweet. And the filling, while creamy and delightfully vanilla-y, is not too rich or too heavy for his tastes.
The boyfriend likes my homemade fruit tarts so much that he's actually suggested we open a little dessert shop featuring them. He certainly knows how to flatter this home cook...
So with his preferences in mind, I set out to make a variation on the traditional fruit tart, this one inspired by the flavors of mango sticky rice. I kept the same buttery pastry crust that the boyfriend likes, but filled it with a wonderfully coconut-y cream and topped it with deliciously sweet, ripe mangos.
There's no sticky rice in this fruit tart, no, but one bite and I was reminded of the flavors of this famous Thai dessert. And these few variations were enough to create a wonderful new Thai-inspired twist on the fruit tart that the boyfriend loves.
Recipe
Ingredients
Pastry Crust Ingredients:
- 1 and ½ cups flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
Coconut Cream Ingredients:
- 1 and ¼ cups coconut milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
To Make Pastry Crust:
- Cream the butter and sugar together until they are light and fluffy.
- Add the beaten egg and mix until just incorporated.
- Add the flour and salt and mix until a soft dough is formed.
- Form the dough into a ball and place in saran wrap in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Once chilled, press the dough into your tart pan and place in freezer for another 10-15 minutes.
- Use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust and place into a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
To Make Coconut Cream:
- Mix the sugar and egg yolks together in a heat-proof bowl.
- Then add the flour and cornstarch and mix until incorporated.
- In a separate saucepan, heat the coconut milk to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and pour slowly into the egg yolk mixture while stirring constantly.
- Once everything is mixed well, pour back into the saucepan. Heat again until its boiling and then continue stirring for another minute or two until it becomes thick. Remove from heat and save until ready to assemble the tart.
To Assemble Tart:
- Spread the cooled coconut cream into the pastry crust.
- Peel and cut ripe mangos as you would if you were making mango sticky rice (i.e., diagonal slices on each side of the mango). Then add a few more diagonal slices in between to achieve thin slices.
- Arrange the thin mango slices on top of the cream-filled crust in a flower pattern, working from the outside in. Enjoy immediately!
Soo
Beautiful dessert. I have been eating a ton of mangos since they are in season. Would love to try this. One question though... how in the world do you cut your mangos so perfectly? Everytime I try to cut mangos, they are a gigantic slaughtered mess!!
Rachel
Hehe, mine sometimes turn out that way too 🙂 The secret is to cut the mango as if you were making mango sticky rice -- ie., cut it into two halves, avoiding the seed, then make 1/2 inch thick diagonal slices along each piece. Once you have the thick diagonal pieces, it's easier to go in and make 2 or 3 additional cuts to achieve perfectly thin slices. Good luck!!
Cath
Hi Rachel,
I used your recipe (made one and posted it) and of course I properly acknowledged you. I just wanted to drop a personal message here on your site as well. Thank you.
P.S. The mango coconut cream fruit tart recipe was a major success.
Rachel
Glad to hear it, Cath! And happy birthday 🙂
Jen's Favorite Cookies
This looks beautiful! I've never had anything like it, but it sounds fantastic!
jennifer barnaby
Gorgeous! I think it would make a great dessert after with Albesi all'uovo with white truffle.
tisa jacob
This tart looks so good and it's beautifully plated. I want to take a bite out of it, right NOW :))
Rachel
Haha, thanks Jennita! It was so good to meet you this weekend!
Jennita @ SugarPlumFoodie
Gorgeous-ness!!!! 🙂
The Prudent Homemaker
Very original! It looks delicious!
Rachel
Totally agree, Sarah! I'll have to try it with sticky rice one of these days 🙂
myfudo
A real tropical dessert...Irresistible! Love the presentation.
Rowena Dumlao-Giardina (Apron and Sneakers)
That is so beautiful and it seems so delicious too. I had been hoping to bake a mango cake but I cannot find the right kind of mangoes. I ended up doing a mango rice pudding instead. I'll save your recipe until I find the right mangoes. Thank you!
Sarah
This looks amazing, it would also probably be good with stick rice in it...everything's better with sticky rice. 555
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