Cheese Tarts ♥

Cherry Cream Cheese Tarts ♥

The first time I ever had a cheese tart was when my mom came home from Tagaytay bringing  a bunch of pasalubong -- which means I had a lot to choose from :). There were langka tarts, lengua de gato and a box of cheese tarts. That blueberry topping just caught my attention so I went for the cheese tarts. They were filled with cream cheese and topped with a generous amount of blueberry jam. It was so good and I knew I just had to make them. So this is the recipe I promised to be posted on my blog. I hope you try making them. :)

Crust 

Makes 24 tart shells
Shelf life: up to 3 days (store in a refrigerator) 

1 1/8 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon iced water

Make the crust:

1. Sift together the flour and powdered sugar.

2. Cut in the butter using a fork, a pastry blender, or a food processor until you have coarse crumbs.

3. Make a well in the center of the mixture and mix the egg yolk and vanilla extract (you can use clear or tinted).

4. Mix until well-combined.

5. Drizzle with iced water and mix just until the dough holds together. It is important to use iced or cold water so that the butter doesn't soften too much. Add a little more flour if the dough ends up too moist.

6. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.

*It is VERY important that you use a really good butter and vanilla extract (it's better to use pure vanilla extract than the imitation) otherwise, the flavor would be just so-so.

Filling

Fills up to 30 tart shells
Shelf life: up to 3 days

1 cup / 8-oz / 225 g / 1 bar cream cheese

4 Tablespoons granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon butter (softened)

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

*Topping: Blueberry, Strawberry, Cherry Pie Filling or any fruit of your choice. You can also make your own jam and use as a topping.

Make the filling:

1. Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature or just heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds on high then turn it over and heat for another 10 seconds.

2. Cream the cream cheese until light and fluffy.

3. Add the butter and mix until well-incorporated.

4. Beat in the egg until combined and add in the sugar and vanilla extract.

5. Set aside.

Tarts

Makes 24 cheese tarts

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2. Take the dough out of the fridge and divide into 24 equal portions.

3. Form into round molds, 4-cm in diameter.

4. Poke holes using the tines of a fork and arrange the molds in a wide rectangular pan. Bake for 13 minutes.
*The purpose of this is to let the steam have an escape route so that the tart shells will not puff up. It has the same purpose as blind-baking -- making sure the crust does not puff up.

5. Take them out of the oven and fill with the cream cheese mixture (about 1/2 tbsp. each).

6. Bake again for 10 minutes.

7. Let the tarts cools on a wire rack before topping with your pie filling of choice or your favorite jam.

8. Don't forget to enjoy! :)

*That feeling you instantly get when you bite into a cheese tart... Heavenly. :)*

 

Late Mother's Day Greeting ♥

Supposedly eto yung message ko sau mamey (Thelma Riazon) eh kaso di natransfer sa computer agad kasi wala ung usb cable but anyway, I hope it's not too late for mother's day..

Chocolate Fudge Cake ♥

mi happy mother's day.. thanks kasi nagustuhan mo yung cake kahit di gano masarap at maganda.. yung pag pumikit ka lang saka masarap kasi pangit nga.. sabi mo masarap pero syempre kasi MOMMY kita... (saka may nuts yung cake) biggest fan kita eh.. suportado mo lahat ng ginagawa ko.. kasi nga MOMMY kita.. kaya syempre you should only eat the best. kaya pag feeling ko indi masarap yung ginawa ko, hindi ko ipinapatikim sa inyo ni miko o kaya nahihiya akong ipatikim sa inyo.. kaya nga tina-try ko talaga na laging maging masarap ung niluluto ko. Kasi it would mean much more kung galing sakin yung best na yun.. ayun.. basta i love you..

♥ Aya

Hot n' Cold: Apple Pie à la mode!

"A warm apple pie is good but make it à la mode, it'll be even better. It will be nostalgic."

~Try making it now and I'm sure you'll be getting positive reviews as I did! :)

Apple Pie (à la mode) Recipe

Pie Crust
3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. shortening, cold
3/4 cups unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/4 cup iced water
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
coarse sanding sugar (optional)

Apple Filling
3 large apples, peeled and cored
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice (you can substitute white vinegar if you want)
1 Tbsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
pinch of salt

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Make the Pie Crust:
1.) Combine all the ingredients, except water, using a fork or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2.) Add the iced water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together.

3.) Divide it into two equal parts and flatten into disks. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Make the Apple Filling:
1.) Slice the apples thinly. In a large bowl, mix all of the filling ingredients.

2.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease six to twelve 5-inch-diameter molds.

3.) Roll out the dough to about 1/8" thick and cut out with a round cutter slightly larger than the mold.

4.) Form crust into the prepared molds and brush the rims with egg wash.

5.) Chill for about 15 to 20 minutes or until firm.

6.) Fill each of the chilled crusts with apple filling and bake for 1 hour or until the filling is bubbly and tops are golden brown.

7.) Serve warm. Preferably a la mode. You can drizzle it with caramel sauce or maple syrup if you want. Enjoy! :)

Apple Pie a la Mode drizzled with maple syrup. :)