Pomegranate-Lemon-Mascarpone Tart w/Coconut-Macadamia Nut Crust




*I wrote this post for Sauce Magazine's online blog a short while back.*
Sauce Magazine is a free Saint Louis-based magazine that focuses on the culinary scene in the area!
It's a great way to discover the city... there's always something new to read and the online blog posts many new recipes so check it out!

I know the title is a mouthful, but which part would you have me leave out?

While I rarely toot my horn about my own dessert creations, I have to admit: This one is pretty fantastic.

I’ve enjoyed eating pomegranates my entire life. Shamefully, however, I still don’t know how to skillfully extract the seeds from the fruit; the little ruby jewels were always handed to me in a bowl as a child, ready to eat. So I did sort of cheat and skipped using an actual pomegranate, but if you find one and want to try, go for it!
Luckily, much to my delight, I recently discovered pomegranate jam: It’s wonderful and tartly sweet. I made macaron filling with the jam a while back and remembered that I still had half the bottle left over. So into the tart it went.




The crust was quite the happy accident. In December, I made a tart with a coconut-macadamia nut crust and froze the leftover dough. I definitely need to start labeling more diligently, because when I pulled this dough from the freezer, I was almost certain it was regular tart dough. Either way, the hint of coconut and the nutty texture went perfectly with the rest of the components.


For the filling, I decided to keep it simple by whipping mascarpone with lemon curd and adding a ¼ teaspoon of ginger for a slight kick, although I’m not sure you can ultimately taste it. I grated lemon zest over the top and splurged on some fresh pomegranate seeds for photography (as well as snacking) purposes. The tart went over very well with my friends – although my finicky seed-averse boyfriend insisted on flicking off the pomegranate seeds. Though we completely disagreed on that, this tart was undoubtedly a hit, and oh-so easy to put together for any special occasion.


Pomegranate-Lemon-Mascarpone Tart with Coconut-Macadamia Nut Crust
Makes 1 11-inch tart

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup finely ground coconut
1 cup roasted salted macadamia nuts, ground
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1¼ sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. ice water, plus additional as needed
½ tsp. coconut extract (optional)
1 cup mascarpone cheese*
½ cup lemon curd (store bought* or homemade)
¼ tsp. ginger (add more to taste, if you prefer)
½ jar of pomegranate jam or jelly**
1 lemon for grating as garnish
¼ cup pomegranate seeds*, for garnish

First make the crust: Blend the first 5 ingredients in a food processor until fine. Next, add the butter and pulse lightly to combine.
Add the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of water (and coconut extract, if desired) and pulse until moist clumps form. If the dough is too dry, add more water, ½ teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
Turn the dough out of the food processor onto a clean, floured work surface. Gather into a ball and then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until it is larger than an 11-inch tart pan. Invert the crust into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim the edges, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Cover the pan with foil and fill with baking beads (or dry beans) and bake for 5 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and remove the tart from the oven. Remove foil and weights.
Prick the crust all over with a fork (5 or 6 times) and put back in the oven.
Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 to 18 minutes, and let cool completely before filling.
Next make the filling: Beat together the mascarpone, lemon curd and ginger until smooth. Set aside.
Smear the jam/jelly inside the cooled tart. Spread the mascarpone filling on top of the jelly, smoothing it out with a spatula.
Grate the zest of 1 lemon over the top and/or sprinkle with fresh pomegranate seeds. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.



Comments

  1. That looks absolutely irresistable. Where is the order form?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your tart looks simply stunning. I love the idea of the nut crust and will definitely be trying that in my baking very soon :-)

    ReplyDelete

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