The flavor combinations here—particularly the strawberry and coconut—remind me of some Caribbean cocktail, the kind with an umbrella in it.

　　

Ingredients

serves 12

　　

For the Dough

1/2 recipe Chocolate Salt Butter Shortbread dough (page 203)

　　

To Serve

Strawberry Gelée (page 253)

　　Coconut Cream (page 256)

　　Fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in halves or quarters

　　Chocolate Décor (page 265)

　　Strawberry Sauce (page 272)

　　Coconut milk powder (optional, see Note)

　　

For the Dough

Step 1

Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment until 1/16 inch thick. Slide onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut the dough into twelve 2 1/2-inch squares or 1 x 3-inch rectangles and separate them on the parchment, giving them room to spread. Refrigerate on the pan while you heat the oven.

　　

Step 2

Heat the oven to 375°F or 350°F on convection.

　　

Step 3

Lay a Silpat (top side down) on the squares to weight them down. Bake until just crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet.

　　

To Serve

Step 4

Cut the gelée into squares or rectangles to match the pastry and set onto the pastry.

　　

Step 5

Fill a pastry bag with the coconut cream and pipe two dollops on top of the gelée. Fill the remaining spaces with strawberries. Top with the chocolate décor.

　　

Step 6

Spoon some strawberry sauce onto dessert plates, set the desserts on top, and garnish with strawberries and, if you want, a few pinches of coconut milk powder.

　　

make it simpler

Step 7

Though it will change the dessert a lot, you could replace the pastry with a thin, crumbly shortbread from the store. Or substitute all-natural strawberry preserves for the gelée. Or top the dessert with shaved chocolate instead of the décor.

　　Cooks' Note

　　Coconut milk powder is available online from Terra Spice Company.

　　Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book.Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__