Blueberry Mascarpone Tart Food

BLUEBERRY MASCARPONE TART

Steps:

• Place the flour, butter, and sugar in a food processor and process in short bursts until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. While the motor is running, add the egg yolks and vanilla. Add the ice water and process until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, bring the dough together and flatten into a disc shape. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Roll the pastry out between a couple sheets of parchment paper until its 1/8-inch thick. Place the pastry into a lightly buttered 13-by-3-inch (33-by-9-cm) loose-bottomed rectangular tart tin. Trim the edges and prick the base with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Line the pastry with parchment paper, fill with baking weights or uncooked rice, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and the weights and bake for 10 minutes more or until golden. Let cool to room temperature.
• While the crust is baking, make the filling by placing the mascarpone, lemon zest, and sugar in a bowl and mix well.
• Spread the filling onto the cooled tart shell, strew the blueberries over the top, and dust with confectioners' sugar. Behold!

BLUEBERRY MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the middle. Butter a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan and dust with sugar, tilting the pan to coat and discarding any excess.
• In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the mascarpone, cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Turn the mixer to low and add the flour, scraping the bowl to make sure it is incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the pan. Bake until the top of the cake is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let the cake cool in its pan on a rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cheesecake. If using a cake pan, invert a serving plate over the pan and reinvert the cheesecake on the plate. If using a springform pan, remove the sides and set the bottom on a serving plate. Let cool completely.
• In a medium bowl, mix the blueberries with the 2 tablespoons sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon lemon zest. If using fresh berries, crush a few with the back of a spoon to encourage juices to form. (Taste the fruit; if it's too tart, add another teaspoon of sugar.)
• When ready to serve, dust the cheesecake with confectioners' sugar, if using, and spoon the blueberries over the cheesecake. Cut and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or creme fraiche, if you like.

LITTLE BLUEBERRY CREAM TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 160C/ conventional 180C/gas 4. Lightly butter two 12-hole bun tins (no need if using non-stick). Beat the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon for a minute or two until soft and creamy. Mix in the hazelnuts.
• Put a heaped teaspoon of the mixture into each tart tin. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden and risen slightly up the sides of each tin. Leave to cool in the tins for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is firm enough to remove, then ease each tart from the tins with a small knife and put on to a sheet of kitchen paper as the bases are quite buttery. (The tart cases can be made up to 1 day ahead to this stage and stored in an airtight tin in a cool place.)
• For the blueberries, put the sugar in a small pan with 1 tbsp water. Put over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then turn up the heat a bit and bubble gently until syrupy, about 30 seconds only. Take off the heat and tip in the blueberries. Stir gently just to coat the berries in the syrup - you want to keep them whole - then leave to cool.
• Beat the mascarpone with enough milk to make a soft creamy mixture, a bit like whipped cream. Lightly stir in the lemon curd so it ripples - it looks nice if it's not fully stirred in. You now have a choice. For a teatime treat: Spoon a little of the mascarpone mixture into each tart case, then spoon over a few of the syrupy blueberries. For a pretty dessert: Spoon half of the syrupy blueberries into a bowl and set aside. Cook the ones left in the pan gently for a few minutes just to burst and soften the berries - you will get lots of juices. Using a wooden spoon, press them through a sieve into a bowl to make a sauce. Cool. Ripple a spoonful of the sauce into the mascarpone mixture, then spoon a little into each tart case. Pile the whole syrupy blueberries on top. Do this no more than an hour ahead - less on a warm day, as they soften. For each serving, put 3 of the tarts in the middle of a plate and spoon over a little sauce. Serve the rest of the sauce separately.