I ♥ Eu: 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.