Coconut and Cherry Tart

If you like crisp pastry filled with juicy cherries and gooey yet toasty coconut, then this is the tart for you...

 

Ingredients
For the Pastry
200g Plain Flour
100g Hard Butter
25g Caster Sugar
Cold Water

 For the Cherries
250g Cherries
50g Caster Sugar
1 tablespoon Corn Flour
For the Coconut Filling
150g Caster Sugar
150g Soft Butter (spreadable is fine)
2 Large Eggs
100g Desiccated Coconut

• To make the pastry case, thoroughly butter a tart tin (approx. 25cm diameter).
• Tip the flour into a bowl then grate in the hard butter, cut through it with a knife to disperse the butter.  When it is crumbly and the butter is evenly distributed tip in the sugar then lightly mix.
• Pour in cold water, a bit at a time while stirring with a table knife until it comes together into a ball of dough.  Wrap the ball of dough in cling film or greaseproof paper then pop it into the fridge to firm up for about 20 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 200C.
• Roll out the pastry on a floured surface (flour the top of the dough as well), move the pastry after each roll to prevent it from sticking.  Roll as thin as you can, around 2mm thick is perfect, then carefully transfer to the tin (rolling it onto the rolling pin to lift it works well).  Gently coax the pastry into the tin, pushing it into the corners.
• Leave any overhanging pastry as it is (unless there's loads, then trim it a bit).  Line the inside with greaseproof or baking paper then fill this with ceramic baking beans or any dried lentil, pea or bean.  Blind bake the case in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.  After this time remove the paper and beans then put the pastry case back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
• It should now be golden brown, trim the edges and set aside until needed.  Reduce the temperature of the oven to 150C.
• While the pastry is baking make the cherry layer.  Cut each cherry in half to remove the stone and pop the fruit into a small pan with the sugar and the corn flour.  Heat it slowly, stirring to coat all the fruit with corn flour (doing this prevents lumps of corn flour).  When it comes to the boil let it bubble for a few minutes then add a tablespoon or two of water, turn the heat to the lowest then cook for about 5 minutes.  Set aside until needed.
• To make the coconut filling, whisk the sugar and the butter together until pale and fluffy then whisk in the eggs.  Tip in the coconut and whisk slowly to combine.
• Take your pastry case and tip in the gooey cherries, spread them out so they are evenly spaced across the base.  Spoon the coconut mixture over the cherries and smooth it out to the edges, covering the cherries.
• Bake the tart in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes until it is golden brown and has lost most of it's wobble from the centre, it will still give a little if you gently poke the middle.
• Let the tart cool completely before cutting, it is better served cold.  It will last a few days stored in an airtight container.