cherry macaroon tart

For the past two months I have been hunting for cookbooks. Good cookbooks. Not too terribly expensive cookbooks (sorry Julia). Knowing my husband was not about to add a cookbook section to our growing budget (that is unless we came to some sort of compromise about golf, golf clubs, golf lessons, and golf club memberships alike)  I was going to have to re-think my strategy in growing my current cookbook population of 10. Ten lonely books sitting on top of a book case in my large, but unfinished, and unshelved (hence the bookcase) pantry — they need friends.

Well folks, I’ve said it before, my brain is awesome. It comes up with solutions like: getting them for free at the library. GASP! I’m totally a cheater. A cookbook owning cheater, more like wanna-be-cookbook-owning cheater. Thing is, there are hundreds of books, on all different topics from butchering, to berry bibles to thai food all within an arm’s reach and all non-threatening to your husband’s wallet.

I can “rent” a book, see if there is anything good, make it or return it if I don’t find anything. Hush, it’s brilliant. Plus, when you come across a really good cookbook, and you’ve gone through it and loved every single page, including the preface and the topical index, then you know you can buy it, and it won’t be collecting dust. It’s like seeing if you like it before you actually get it. Or for me, it’s the way to make a ton of cool recipes, without having to pay 30 bucks a pop every time I see something shiny with big glossy pictures.

And thus my approach to Heidi Swanson’s cookbook, Super Natural Every Day. I’ve heard nothing but high praises sung over this cook book. I’ve heard friends discuss it, twitter people brag about it, and blogs rave on its simple healthy approach. So, I waited until it was at the library, and have renewed it 3 times since hauling it home because, people, you really don’t know how great this is until it’s in your hands and you’re thumbing through an easy recipe after easy recipe after easy recipe — all of which are healthy, not overly buttered or sugared, or heavy and dense — normally things I don’t even go for, but this book, I will buy. It will be my population 11.

One Year Ago: Arugula, Potato and Green Bean Salad

Cherry Macaroon Tart
Adapted from Super Natural Every Day

Crust:
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
3/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted*

Filling:
2 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar, sifted
4 large egg whites
8 ounces fresh cherries, pitted and halved (or any berry of your preference)

*Next time I will brown the butter, as everything with brown butter is better.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350-degrees. Butter a 8 by 11-inch tart pan (I have a 9-inch pan and had to use a few tartlet pans since not quite all of the filling would fit. If using a 9-inch pan, cooking times should still be about the same, maybe a few minutes shorter.) Line the bottom of the pan with parchment.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, coconut, sugar and salt and mix together. Add the melted butter and mix until dough is crumbly but no longer dusty. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan until it becomes a solid flat layer. (Since I used a smaller pan, I added the crust to the sides of the pan as well. My crust was thick, so it baked for the same amount of time as the large pan Heidi used. Next time I would make the crust a bit thinner, and use the left over dough for a few more tartlets, as I thought the crust was just slightly too thick for the topping.) Bake for 15 minutes (might need to check sooner if using a smaller pan) or until lightly golden. Remove and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the macaroon topping by combining the coconut, sugar and egg whites. Mix until well combined. Evenly distribute the halved cherries across the tart base. Dollop bits of the filling on top, pressing the topping around into the spaces behind and in between the cherries.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until the peaks of the macaroon filling are deeply golden. Let the tart cool, then slice and serve.