When one pie flavor just won’t do – you combine three! This Triple Citrus Macaroon Mascarpone Tart is the perfect blend of sweet & tart, dense & fluffy, and is nestled in a (surprise!) coconut macaroon shell.
I have wanted to make this pie for years. I just didn’t know it.
The world is filled with plenty of citrus pies. (I would know, as a Pinterest-holic.) You’ve got your lemon meringues and your key limes, which are all delightful and perfect in their own ways. But it’s not until you make your own triple citrus curd and feel obligated to fold it into some mascarpone that you truly understand why this crazy rock needs more tarts like this in it.
Limes, oranges, lemons, and coconut? It’s like I turned my home state into dessert.
Triple Citrus Macaroon Mascarpone Tart.
There’s a whole hell of a lot happening in my world right now.
Many, many little exciting things, and one very BIG exciting thing.
I don’t wanna ruin all the surprises, but I can hint at some of them.
Today would have been my Nana’s 102nd birthday. The woman I credit with everything good that I am and have done in my life, who left this rock going on 12 years ago.
This macaroon mascarpone tart is for her.
And you, but mostly for her.
She was an avid baker, and while she wasn’t afraid of a boxed cake mix, her ratio of that to treats from her typewritten cookbook was on point. She was constantly in the kitchen, whether she was cooking that evening’s dinner, cleaning (I swear she scrubbed the cabinets weekly,) or whipping up some kind of dessert for the week.
Between her and I, most of the time it didn’t last more than a couple of days.
I truly believe she would have loved this tart, although I’m not sure she ever even tried mascarpone cheese.
Everything I do in my (well, her) kitchen, I do for the love of food and all the folks out there like me who just can’t get enough of it. Nana was my major motivation to start this blog, so I could share her favorite recipes with the rest of the world, all the while learning how to make them my own.
Then I swindled The Hubs into letting me share his delish Dominican creations, and it’s slowly gone from being just a “me thing” to being “our thing.”
You should see the damn fine photos he texts me of his recipe creations while I’m away. It’s pretty much the only time he does that…but it’s the cutest and I mean, what better way to let me know how much I’m missed than by teasing me with what I’m not getting to eat?
Originally this blog was just for fun, but it has become so much more than just a creative outlet.
It’s opened doors for me that I’d never even thought about looking for. It was the catalyst to picking up my DSLR and really exploring its capabilities, helping me discover my love of (and to some extent, talent at) photography.
It led me to meet a ton of ridiculously talented and interesting people with the same love of food as me, and many, many, many of them I’m able to call good friends.
My grasp on branding, marketing, and social media is so much stronger, having gone through concept after concept of how I wanted this blog to be presented twice. I wouldn’t own a Twitter account if it hadn’t been for this.
Hell, I’d still be posting my amateur cupcake photos on my old “cupc4k3qu33n” Instagram account.
Most importantly, this blog has made me realize that a career is not defined entirely by structure, and change is good no matter how utterly frightening. Anyone can discover a new talent, no matter their age, that makes them realize they can do more than they’d given themselves credit for.
Anyone can be unhappy at any stage of their life and just take it in stride, living day by day wallowing in the same inescapable misery; waiting for when they’re old and gray to finally take their life back and teach themselves how to enjoy it again.
Or…they can literally be eating a piece of this Triple Citrus Macaroon Mascarpone Tart when that door all the way at the other end of the room opens up and invites them to take another stab at this whole living in the moment thing, instead of the living for the weekend thing.
See? This tart is lucky – get baking. ♥
(If you’re terribly confused by my attempt at allusion…I got a new job!)
More Dessert Recipes to try!
Triple Citrus Macaroon Mascarpone Tart
Ingredients
Coconut Macaroon Crust:
- 7 ounces shredded unsweetened coconut (about 3 cups)
- 3 large egg whites
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
Triple Citrus Curd:
- 2 lemons
- 2 oranges navel, cara cara, blood
- 1 Persian lime or 3 key limes
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 3 large eggs plus 3 egg yolks
Triple Citrus Mascarpone Filling:
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature
- 1 ½ tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 cup citrus curd or store-bought lemon curd
- Assorted citrus slices for garnish
- 2 tablespoons Apricot preserves + 1 teaspoon warm water for garnish
- Whipped cream for garnish
Instructions
Coconut Macaroon Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9" or 10" tart shell with a removable bottom with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine shredded coconut, egg whites, granulated sugar, and salt to a medium bowl. Stir until everything is well combined and the coconut is moist. Spread the coconut mixture on the bottom and sides of the pan, pressing it firmly to the bottom and sides to make a solid layer.
- Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes. 10 minutes into the bake, the top will begin to darken; cover the tart loosely with foil to avoid burning, then continue to bake for remaining time (15-20 mins.) Look for a dark golden color along the top and sides of the tart to judge its doneness - the center will still be mostly white.
- When the tart is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan. Once cool, gently remove the tart from the pan and transfer to a serving plate.
Triple Citrus Curd:
- Zest the lemons, blood oranges, and lime; set the zests aside. Squeeze the citrus juice (it should all yield about 1 cup) and combine it with the sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- While the citrus mixture comes to a boil, whisk the eggs and yolks in a medium heat-proof bowl until combined. When the citrus mixture is boiling, pour the hot citrus-sugar mixture slowly in the eggs while whisking rapidly (to avoid scrambling.) Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula, until slightly thickened, avoiding a boil.
- When the curd coats the back of the spatula, immediately transfer it to a heat-proof bowl to stop the cooking process. Stir the zests into the warm curd for 1 minute, then let cool until room temperature, 45-60 minutes.
Triple Citrus Mascarpone Filling:
- In a medium bowl, beat the cream and cream cheese on high with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer until it's smooth and slightly thickened. Add the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.
- Fold in the curd with a rubber spatula, the spread it into the cooled macaroon crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Decorate with sliced citrus and glaze with apricot preserves mixed with warm water to retain the moist fruit look. Top with whipped cream if desired. Enjoy!
Laura Dembowski says
This is beyond beautiful and congrats on the new job. Also excited to use that coconut crust on the regular.
Marion Myers says
This is a triple citrus threat in a good way! What a gorgeous tart. Almost too pretty to eat, but I think I could get past the beauty to gobble it up haha Thanks for sharing your story about your nana. She sounds she was a truly special lady. Congrats on the new adventure 🙂
cheri says
This has to be one of the prettiest tarts that I have ever seen, love everything about this, a real stunner for sure.
Cheryl says
That tart looks wonderful. Something my mother wouldn’t have been afraid to tackle. Me I’m not sure about. I think I’d rather eat it than create it. Yummy!
Eileen says
Coconut macaroon crust is genius! Congrats on the new job. Hope you love it.
Jersey Girl Cooks says
This tart is absolutely gorgeous! I loved hearing about your nana too!
Wendy Klik says
Congratulations on the new job. This is one of the most beautiful tarts I have ever seen.