tartlettes have been on my mind for months. literally months and months. they (for me anyhow) seemed much easier to manage than a 9-inch tart…more sturdy somehow and, of course, so cute. for whatever reason i have put off buying a set of pans. i kept telling myself that tartlette pans would be my next purchase, a christmas gift, next paycheck, the next time i spotted them they would be mine. no such luck. i meant to order them online, but always got distracted. i meant to drive all the way across town to the local williams-sonoma, but didn’t want to drive all the way to the mall just for a set of cute and tiny pans. finally, i went to a local kitchen store and bought some. finally. i have a feeling i may have paid more than i should have, but i won’t be looking into that because now i have them and i’m not about the let anything taint my image of them. i love them, they are lovely.

not only because i can now make the cutest, most perfectly portioned for sharing (if your into that) little tarts. they also have the removable bottom i so desired and allow for more chances to get it right where the crust is concerned…which is a major plus for me since tart doughs always seem to elude me…shrinking and cracking and being a simple, miserable mess.

one tart came out of the oven and when i lifted the foil, it lifted most of the tart off with it…despite the fact that i buttered the heck out of the shiny side as instructed. the remaining three were as close to perfection as i could have hoped, i snipped a hole into the middle of the foil and peeled back from there. that seemed to be the trick. i filled the coconut tart shells with a mixture of mascarpone, amaretto and toasted coconut and topped that with some leftover key-lime and grapefruit curd and some more toasted coconut. they were a wonderful treat–tart, creamy and with a little buttery crunch. next time i think i will lighten the mascarpone mixture by folding in some whipped cream since it was a little thick, especially after being chilled.

tart dough
adapted from dorie greenspan…once again

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (9 tbsps) very cold butter cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk

pulse coconut and sugar in food processor until coconut is finely ground, add flour and salt and pulse to combine. scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas–coarse. stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. when the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change. turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours to roll. or press into pan immediately and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes like i did.

to fully bake the crust: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 F. butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. this can be baked withoutweights since it was frozen. place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes.

carefully remove the foil (remember i snipped the foil in the center of the tart, which worked wonderfully). if the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. bake the crust about 10 minutes longer, or until it is firm and golden brown, do not underbake or it will be bland. transfer to racks and cool to room temp before removing from pan. cool completely before adding fillings.

mascarpone filling (toast extra coconut for the top…maybe a 1/4 cup, meaning you would need 3/4 cup total)

8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
1/2 cup toasted coconut
2 tablespoons amaretto liquer (or any flavor you like, or a teaspoon of vanilla and a bit of cream to loosen it up.)

in a medium bowl combine all ingredients and mix until combined. spoon or pipe into prepared and cooled tart shells.

again, no recipe for the curd because i suck and am not sure exactly how i made it. there are many a recipe for curd out there and maybe one day i will suck it up and do it again…this time following instructions.