The weather can have an effect on baking. I guess that is why some of the best and tastiest recipes are made in the wintertime. The only damage I can think of that the cold will do is maybe cause something to seize up more quickly than needed, such as when you are making fudge or candy. The heat and humidity, however, are more difficult opponents in the kitchen. These evil offspring of nature's seasons, unfortunately, sometimes make their home in Texas.
So when they come to stay in the summer, I have to start crossing things off my baking list. The first thing to eliminate is meringue. Now, this particular tart recipe calls for a topping of meringue, so I opted to do the stabilized whipped cream for the topping. Also, like all recipes you find on the net, this one had suggestions and comments. The one I took note of was that the passion fruit flavor was very subtle, so I increased the amount used in the recipe. Even though the end result was very tangy, the whipped cream topping worked to tone it down. The toasted bits of coconut on top was another suggestion that I implemented, that added some more texture to the dessert.
I used a standard shortcrust pastry recipe to make this 9-9 1/2 inch tart. The filling has to chill for at least 8 hours, so plan on this time if you decide to make this tart. The recipe below only represents the filling and topping with some tweaks. I have included a link back to the original recipe if you are looking for the additional instructions and ingredients for a pastry shell as well as meringue topping.
Passion Fruit Tart
adapted from Epicurious
Ingredients
1 fully baked 9- 9 1/2 tart shell
1 cup thawed passion fruit puree
1 tbs cornstarch
3/4 cup plus 2 tbs sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup or 1 stick of unsalted butter (cubed)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (toasted)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tbs whipped cream stabilizer
Fill the bowl of a stand mixer (with the whisk attachment) with the eggs and sugar and whisk until blended. Then sift the cornstarch into the mixture, add salt, and whisk again. Set aside.
Place a saucepan over medium heat and fill with the passion fruit. Remove from heat once it reaches a simmer stage and prior to boiling. Set aside and then go back to the egg mixture and turn the mixer up to medium. As the egg mixture is whisked, pour a slow, small stream of the hot passion fruit into egg batter. Continue whisking and slowly pouring until saucepan is empty.
Then take the bowl out of the mixer stand and pour liquid back into the saucepan. Place over medium heat and let cook, whisking constantly. As it cooks, add a few butter cubes and continue to whisk. Once cubes are melted and blended, repeat the process until all butter cubes are melted and incorporated into the mixture. The batter will need to be cooked and whisked until it reaches the consistency of pudding. This should take about 6-8 minutes. Watch the heat, filling is to come to a boil but is to be removed from heat at that time.
Once the filling is the right consistency, pour into a sieve placed over a heat proof bowl. Push filling through sieve. Once sieve is empty and bowl is full, cover the surface of the filling with waxed paper. Chill the mixture for at least 8 hours. You also can chill it overnight.
After chilling time is up, beat whipped cream until soft peaks form and then add the stabilizer and beat until thick and fluffy. Remove passion fruit curd from the refrigerator and fill the tart with the curd. Spread out with a spatula until tart shell is evenly filled. Smooth out the top. Then top with the stabilized whipped cream and sprinkle the toasted coconut over the surface.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
**LAST YEAR: Chocolate Babka**
