Lemon coconut mini tarts with passion fruit frosting —and the Saint Valentines

Natacha Sanz Caballero Desserts and Sweets beautiful dessert, Día de los Enamorados, pastries, postre, repostería, san valentín, tartitas

Valentine’s Day or, as it is called in Spain, el Día de los Enamorados or Día de San Valentín, is fast approaching, and as the feast demands, I like to make a beautiful dessert that will entice any sweet tooth. These lemon coconut mini tarts with passion fruit frosting spell love, even if they stray away from the customary red and pink. 

German XV century Saint Valentine

Valentine’s Day is the first excuse for gift giving since Christmas. But in this case, and in most countries that celebrate the day, the gifts are different, maybe a bit more simple but very meaningful, and include items like flowers, candy, chocolates and even jewelry, always accompanied by a card called a Valentines.

History or legend?

Saint Valentine’s Day wasn’t always the lovey-dovey holiday we know it to be today. Its origins, in fact, are more somber, and can be retraced to ancient Christian and Roman roots. The cultural and religious connotations of the feast have  since evolved into a commercial celebration of romance and love in the countries where it is celebrated.

There are two saints named Valentine who can be linked to the origins of the festivity, and both of them died martyred, in the Catholic Church tradition. The first one, Saint Valentine of Rome, was a priest who served in Rome during the third century. In those times, marriage was outlawed for young men, who were thought to be of better use as soldiers. Legend has it that Saint Valentine defied the law imposed by emperor Claudius II and continued to marry young lovers in secret. When he was found out, in 269, he was put to death, making him the original martyr associated with love. 

Mosaic of St. Valentine in the Church of the Dormition, Jerusalem.

There’s another Saint Valentine, who was Bishop of Terni, and who also died martyred, decapitated during the persecution under emperor Aurelian in 273. It is believed that, before his death, Saint Valentine of Terni wrote a note to the blind child he healed while in prison, the daughter of his jailer Aurelius. The note ended with a “your Valentine”. 

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there’s even a third Saint Valentine, who was mentioned in early martyrologies on the date of February 14. He was martyred in Africa with a number of companions, but nothing else is known about him. 

Whether legend or truth, the running theme is that the various Saint Valentines died in the name of love. 

St Valentine overseeing the construction of the church at Terni, XIV century manuscript

How is Saint Valentine celebrated?

The feast is celebrated much the same way in the different cultures and countries that celebrate it. In the western world, including the United States, romantic partners celebrate their love for one another by exchanging gifts, cards, and spending quality time together. 

Speaking of valentines cards, history suggests the first greeting cards date back to the Middle Ages, with the first written valentine appearing in the 15th century. But if legend has it, the first Valentine was written by Saint Valentine himself, to the child he healed of blindness while in prison. 

To me, a sign of love is to care for the people you love, and one of the ways I like to show it is through my cooking. When I cook or bake something special, outside of the regular daily meals, something I took the time to prepare, that spells love. These lemon coconut mini tarts with passion fruit frosting are one example. And as most everything I post on the blog, they are uncomplicated to make, but they will be a show stopper when you bring them to the table. Just don’t forget to accompany dessert with a Valentines card!

OTHER VALENTINE’S IDEAS:

• If you’re looking for something less fruity, then mocha cake with espresso cream cheese frosting is another decadent option
• Find the more traditional Valentines colors in other cakes in this blog like strawberry sponge layer cake with strawberry cream frosting or lemon tart with strawberry cream frosting

H A P P Y   V A L E N T I N E S !!!

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LEMON AND COCONUT TARTS WITH PASSION FRUIT FROSTING

Tartaletas de limón y coco con crema de maracuyá

Servings: 6

Author: Natacha Sanz Caballero, Mama Ía blog

Equipment

• 6 mini spring forms, 4 inch diameter
• food processor
• Mixing bowls of various sizes

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2/3 cups butter (or 1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 egg yolk
• 4 Tbs chilled water

For the filling:

• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 Tbs finely grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded coconut

For the frosting:

• 4 oz mascarpone cheese at room temperature
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 2/3 cups passion fruit pulp divided
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

For the crust:

• In a food processor, pulse the flour with the icing sugar and the salt. Add the chilled butter and pulse again until the mixture becomes coarse. Then, in a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the ice water. With the machine on, slowly incorporate the egg yolk mixture and process until the dough comes together.
• Bring it to a work surface and knead it three or four times. Divide the dough in half and pat it into two discs. Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the pans: butter the mini spring forms and cut out discs out of parchment paper, with a diameter 2 inches larger than the diameter of the spring forms. Ease the discs into the spring forms (I like to cut 1 inch long slits pointing at the center to make this work easier). If you’d rather not use parchment paper, simply butter the mini pans.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Let the dough stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Then, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disc of dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut out six disks the diameter of the mini spring forms (you can use the base of the mini spring form to mark them on the dough). Ease the discs onto the base of the springform.
• Roll out the second disc of dough and cut strips with a width the height of the spring forms. Ease them into the side wall of the spring forms.
• Out of wax paper or parchment paper (I used wax paper) cut out six disks the diameter of the springform pan. Place them on top of the dough and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake the shells for about 20 minutes, checking at the 15 minute mark. The shells should be just set and slightly dry. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

For the filling:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar and lemon zest until combined. Add the lemon juice and heavy cream and stir until combined. Incorporate the shredded coconut.
• When the tart shells are completely cold, divide the filling into the tarts. Place in the oven and bake them for about 35 minutes, or until the filling is set and the tops are slightly golden around the edges. Transfer to a rack to cool down.

For the passion fruit frosting:

• Combine the mascarpone cheese with the cream and the icing sugar. Beat at medium speed until the frosting begins to thicken. Add 1/3 cup passion fruit pulp and beat again. Refrigerate for about one hour.
• When the tarts are completely cooled down, or just before serving, top the tarts with a generous dollop of the frosting. Use the back of a spoon to make a well in the center and fill it with 1 tablespoon of the passion fruit pulp

Notes

• The shells can be made one day in advance and stored at room temperature
• The tarts can be kept at room temperature for about two days, but make sure the frosting stays refrigerated.
• Instead of passion fruit I used passion fruit puree found at Costco