Recipe with a Twist: Strawberry & Coconut Cheesecake Tarts

Try this delicious recipe for a twist on the traditional lemon meringue pie that makes individual strawberry and coconut meringue cheesecake tarts!

Lemon meringue pie is a dessert favourite all over the world. Try this recipe that takes a twist on an old-fashioned favourite. Made as individual tarts, this recipe replaces lemon with strawberry flavour and makes a cheesecake filling. The tarts are finished with a baked coconut meringue.

Recipe:

Strawberry & Coconut Cheesecake Tarts

Ingredients:

Pastry

1 ½ cups (225g) plain flour

¼ cup (40g) icing sugar

125g cold butter, chopped

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon iced water

Filling

375g cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon strawberry puree

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon strawberry essence

1 tablespoon plain flour

½ cup strawberry-flavoured jam (jelly)

Meringue

2 egg whites

½ cup (110g) caster sugar

1 cup dessicated coconut

Method:

1. Grease six deep 10cm fluted loose-base flan or cheesecake tins.
2. Process the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until crumbly. Add the egg yolks and and the water and pulse until the ingredients come together. Knead the pastry on a floured surface until smooth. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Divide the pastry into six equal portions; roll each between sheets of baking paper until large enough to line the tins. Gently ease the dough into the tins, press into the sides and trim the edges. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (180 degrees Celsius fan-forced).
5. Cover the pastry cases with baking paper, fill with dried beans or rice and place on an oven tray. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and the beans; bake about 10 minutes or until the pastry is browned lightly. Cool.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 160 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Celsius fan-forced).
7. Make the filling by beating the cream cheese, strawberry puree and essence, egg and egg yolk in a small bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the flour and jam.
8. Divide the filling among the pastry cases. Bake for about 25 minutes; cool in the oven with the door ajar. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
9. Preheat the oven to 240 degrees Celsius (220 degrees Celsius fan-forced).
10. Make the meringue.
11. Place cheesecakes on an oven tray. Rough the surface of the cheesecake with a fork; pipe or spoon the meringue over the filling. Bake about 3 minutes or until browned lightly. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
12. Gently ease each cheesecake out of the tin and place on a plate. Place a scoop of strawberry ice cream next to each tart, garnish with a fresh strawberry and pour over some strawberry topping, if desired. Serve.

Meringue

Beat egg whites in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; gradually add the sugar, beating until the sugar dissolves between additions. Fold in the coconut.

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