cherry macaroon tart
). 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.
Conversions & Equivalents
Volume | Baking | Metric | Pan Size | Temperature | Oven | Other
1/2 teaspoon
=
30 drops
1 teaspoon
=
1/3 tablespoon OR 60 drops
3 teaspoon
=
1 tablespoon or 1/2 fluid ounce
1/2 tablespoon
=
1 1/2 teaspoons
1 tablespoon
=
3 teaspoons or 1/2 fluid ounce
2 tablespoons
=
1/8 cup or 1 fluid ounce
3 tablespoons
=
1 1/2 fluid ounces
4 tablespoons
=
1 1/4 cup or 2 fluid ounces
5 1/3 tablespoons
=
1/3 cup or 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
8 tablespoons
=
1/2 cup or 4 fluid ounces
10 2/3 tablespoons
=
2/3 cup or 10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
12 tablespoons
=
3/4 cup or 6 fluid ounces
16 tablespoons
=
1 cup or 8 fluid ounces or 1/2 pint
1/8 cup
=
2 tablespoons or 1 fluid ounce
1/4 cup
=
4 tablespoons or 2 fluid ounces
1/3 cup
=
5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
3/8 cup
=
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup
=
8 tablespoons or 4 fluid ounces
2/3 cup
=
10 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
5/8 cup
=
1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons
3/4 cup
=
12 tablespoons or 6 fluid ounces
7/8 cup
=
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
1 cup
=
16 tablespoons or 1/2 pint or 8 fluid ounces
2 cups
=
1 pint or 16 fluid ounces
1 pint
=
2 cups or 16 fluid ounces
1 quart
=
2 pints or 4 cups or 32 fluid ounces
1 gallon
=
4 quarts or 8 pints or 16 cups or 128 fluid ounces
FLOUR
1 cup all-purpose flour
=
5 ounces or 142 grams
1 cup cake flour
=
4 ounces or 113 grams
1 cup whole wheat flour
=
5 1/2 ounces or 156 grams
SUGAR
1 cup granulated white sugar
=
7 ounces or 198 grams
1 cup packed brown sugar
=
7 ounces or 198 grams
1 cup confectioners sugar
=
4 ounces or 113 grams
COCOA POWDER
1 cup cocoa powder
=
3 ounces or 85 grams
BUTTER
4 tablespoons
=
1/2 stick or 1/4 cup or 2 ounces
8 tablespoons
=
1 stick or 1/2 cup or 4 ounces
16 tablespoons
=
2 sticks or 1 cup or 8 ounces
32 tablespoons
=
4 sticks or 2 cups or 1 pound
1/4 teaspoon
=
1.23 milliliters
1/2 teaspoon
=
2.46 milliliters
3/4 teaspoon
=
3.7 milliliters
1 teaspoon
=
4.93 milliliters
1 1/4 teaspoon
=
6.16 milliliters
1 1/2 teaspoon
=
7.39 milliliters
1 3/4 teaspoon
=
8.63 milliliters
2 teaspoon
=
9.86 milliliters
1 tablespoon
=
14.79 milliliters
2 tablespoons
=
29.57 milliliters
1/4 cup
=
59.15 milliliters
1/2 cup
=
118.3 milliliters
1 cup
=
236.59 milliliters
2 cups or 1 pint
=
473.18 milliliters
3 cups
=
709.77 milliliters
4 cups or 1 quart
=
946.36 milliliters
1/4 teaspoon
=
1.23 milliliters
4 quarts or 1 gallon
=
3.785 liters
PAN SIZE
VOLUME
CAN SUBSTITUTE WITH
1 8-inch round cake pan
4 cups
1 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 9-inch round cake pan
1 9-inch pie plate
2 8-inch round cake pans
8 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
1 10-inch springform pan
1 9-inch round cake pan
6 cups
1 8-inch round cake pan
1 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
2 9-inch round cake pans
12 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 8-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 11x7-inch baking dish
1 10-inch springform pan
1 10-inch round cake pan
11 cups
2 8-inch round cake pan
1 9-inch tube pan
1 10-inch springform pan
2 10-inch round cake pans
22 cups
5 8-inch round cake pans
3 or 4 9-inch round cake pans
2 10-inch spring form pan
9-inch tube pan
12 cups
2 8-inch round cake pans
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
10-inch tube pans
16 cups
3 9-inch round cake pans
2 10-inch pie plates
4 8-inch pie plates
2 9x5-inch loaf pans
2 8-inch square baking dishes
2 9-inch square baking dishes
10-inch bundt pan
12 cups
1 9x13-inch baking dish
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 9-inch tube pan
2 11x7-inch baking dishes
1 10-inch springform pan
11x7x2-inch baking dish
6 cups
1 8-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch round cake pan
9x13x2-inch baking dish
15 cups
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
3 8-inch round cake pans
1 10x15-inch jellyroll pan
10x15x1-inch jellyroll pan
15 cups
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
2 8-inch round cake pan
1 9x13-inch baking dish
9x5-inch loaf pan
8 cups
1 10-inch pie plate pan
1 8-inch square baking dish
1 9-inch square baking dish
8x4-inch loaf pan
6 cups
1 8-inch round cake pan
1 11x7-inch baking dish
9-inch springform pan
10 cups
1 10-inch round cake pan
1 10-inch spring form pan
2 8-inch round cake pans
2 9-inch round cake pans
10-inch springform pan
12 cups
2 8x4-inch loaf pan
1 9-inch tube pan
2 9-inch round cake pans
1 10-inch bundt pan
2 11x7-inch baking dishes
2 8-inch round cake pans
8-inch square baking dish
8 cups
1 9x5-inch loaf pan
2 8-inch pie plates
9-inch square baking dish
8 cups
1 11x7-inch baking dish
1 9x5-inch loaf pan
2 8-inch pie plate
Water Freezes
32°F
0°C
40°F
4.4°C
50°F
10°C
60°F
15.6°C
70°F
21.1°C
80°F
26.7°C
90°F
32.2°C
100°F
37.8°C
110°F
43.3°C
120°F
48.9°C
130°F
54.4°C
140°F
60°C
150°F
65.6°C
160°F
71.1°C
170°F
76.7°C
180°F
82.2°C
190°F
87.8°C
200°F
93.3°C
Water Boils
212°F
100°C
250°F
121°C
300°F
149°C
350°F
177°C
400°F
205°C
450°F
233°C
500°F
260°C
275°F
=
140°C or Gas Mark 1
300°F
=
150°C or Gas Mark 2
325°F
=
165°C or Gas Mark 3
350°F
=
180°C or Gas Mark 4
375°F
=
190°C or Gas Mark 5
400°F
=
200°C or Gas Mark 6
425°F
=
220°C or Gas Mark 7
450°F
=
230°C or Gas Mark 9
475°F
=
240°C or Gas Mark 10
And for conversions that are not listed I found a great conversion calculator here!
Comment Guidelines
Most of the comments and emails I receive are positive, conversational, and very welcome as part of the dialogue that I love about the food blogging community. Unfortunately, there is still a minority of comments that are offensive, irrelevant, and sometimes simply rude. Of course, the misfortune about creating comment guidelines is that the people leaving the former kind of comments are already following the guidelines, and the people leaving the latter kind of comments probably won't bother to read the guidelines or will simply ignore them. Still, please follow the guidelines. It will make the online world a better place for all of us.
The Good Kind of Comments:
- Conversational. If you're starting or continuing a conversation about your life, your experiences in the kitchen, or stories about your family, then I love and welcome your comments. The ability to genuinely connect with other people with similar interests whom I may never otherwise meet is one of the things I most love about the food blogging community, and I encourage people to participate as much as they'd like in these sometimes spontaneous conversations.
- Feedback. If you tried a recipe that you found on The Red Spoon, I would love to hear about it. Whether it was a success or a flop, whether you added ingredients or adjusted cooking times, whatever you did, I am always interested in hearing how things went in another kitchen with the same recipe.
- Questions. If something in a recipe is confusing or obviously wrong, please feel free to ask a question. Or, if you're just really curious about where we bought the cutest outfit on the latest Henry cameo, don't be shy at all about asking.
The Bad Kind of Comments:
- Irrelevant. I'm pretty open minded about the kinds of conversations that might happen in the comments section, but the ones I'm referring to here are things like permission requests, recipe requests, advertising requests, etc. that would be more appropriate in an email. A good rule of thumb is that if the comment will alienate everyone else reading the post, try putting in an email directly to me instead.
- Linking. As part of the comment in-take form, there is a field where you can enter your website or blog and it will appear as a hyperlink embedded in your name in the text of the comment. This kind of linking is perfectly acceptable. When linking is not acceptable is if the corresponding comment is completely irrelevant, i.e. an excuse to market your website on my website, in which case your comment will be deleted for irrelevance, or if you leave a link in the body of the comment. The rule of thumb is don't try to market your website on my website. I know all the tricks and I will delete your comment if I think this is what you're doing.
- Nastygrams. Every once in a while I find one of these in my inbox or in a comment on a post. People sending me nastygrams: don't do it. You're wasting your time. I really don't care if you think my blog "looks like" another blog, of if you think talking about my kid and putting pictures of him in posts is "copying" another blog. Seriously. The blog you're rushing to defend probably didn't come up with that one either, and even if they did there is nothing illegal, unethical, or unfair about doing the same thing. If you're genuinely concerned that plagiarism has taken place on The Red Spoon, just send me a polite email asking if I forgot to credit someone somewhere. But when you leave an anonymous comment saying that my website is ugly, you have become that annoying kid on the playground that wants to correct everyone but that no one else likes, except you're not a kid so what's your excuse? Your comment will be deleted, your email won't be responded to, and thank you for the page views and corresponding advertising revenue.
- Parenting Advice. Josh and I love being parents, and we definitely need all the help we can get, but from the people that are actually involved in our daily lives and know what help we need. Please don't leave parenting advice in the comments sections. Such comments will be deleted.
Libraries are great “try out” sources for books — especially cookbooks, (No apologies necessary…) Your cherry-pitter-thingy looks cool!
Sorry for the grammatical errors above… LONG DAY!!!
See look awesome. I have been eying that cookbook for some time! Here’s my secret to a huge cookbook collection: I have a barnes and noble credit card. We earn gift cards at barnes for all the money we spend! I use almost all of the for cookbooks. (plus every once in a a while I Le my kids or hubby get something! :) )
I don’t like cookbooks. I can never remember which one my recipe is in! So my solution is to make my own.
I get recipes from family members, books, magazines, blogs, recipe websites, anywhere… and I just type them up in word. Then I print them, insert them in a binder and keep the index at the front updated.
It saves a ton of money, I don’t have to flip past recipes I don’t like, and I don’t have to obsess over getting my books dirty. If a page gets stained I just print it off again.
I love cookbooks and add to my collection and take away often. I currently look for good cookbooks on the bargain shelves at the local bookstores. I always find at least one! Great pictures. Wonderful looking recipe.
Your pictures are beautiful! What kind of camera/techniques do you use?
One can never have too many books…err…cookbooks. :-)
The tart was (emphasis on was) fabulous. This recipe is a keeper. Can I request a couple more for your dad?
Elizabeth — I am currently using a Nikon D3000 and primarily use a 50mm lens.