Cheese Tartlets Food

SPINACH AND GOAT CHEESE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon butter. Place 1 phyllo sheet on a clean surface (cover the other sheets with a damp towel), brush with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon parmesan. Cover with another phyllo sheet, brush with more butter and sprinkle with another teaspoon parmesan. Top with the remaining phyllo sheet and brush with butter. Cut the phyllo stack into 24 squares, about 3 inches each. Brush a 24-cup mini muffin tin with oil, then firmly press a phyllo square, buttered-side down, into each cup. Bake until golden, 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until translucent. Stir in the flour, then add the milk and stir until the mixture is smooth, 1 minute. Add the nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in the goat cheese, lemon zest and vinegar until the cheese melts. Remove from the heat and mix in the egg yolks, then the spinach.
• Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the spinach filling. Spoon about 1 tablespoon filling into each phyllo cup and top with the remaining parmesan. Bake until the filling is set, 15 minutes. Cool slightly in the pan; remove and top with the chives.

BLUE CHEESE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Roll out pastry on floured board to form a 12 inch circle.
• Using a 3 inch cutter, cut rounds of dough.
• By reworking dough scraps, there should be 12 rounds.
• Grease the back of a 12-cup muffin pan.
• Fit rounds onto pan and part way up sides of cup – the pastry goes on the OUTSIDE of the cup, not the inside, pressing lightly to seal.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• If pastry has puffed up, press down lightly.
• Set aside to cool Reduce oven temperature to 350F.
• Remove pastry shells from backs of muffins pan and place upright on cookie sheet.
• Place ½ T of blue cheese in bottom of each shell.
• Combine eggs, cream, milk, grated cheese, nutmeg and salt.
• Divide mixture among shells, pouring almost to the top.
• Don’t overfill as cheese mixture will rise during baking.
• There may be a bit of leftover filling.
• Place filled shells in oven and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and firm.
• Serve hot or tepid.

ONION AND GOAT CHEESE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Take a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter and cut out 12 rounds from 2 sheets of puff pastry. Take a 12 hole mini muffin pan and place rounds of dough into each hole, pressing gently to form a cup and giving room for the filling. Cover with plastic wrap and keep the prepared pan in the refrigerator or freezer (depends how long until you need it).
• In a skillet add butter and oil. Throw in the onions and cook gently until softened and caramelized, stirring frequently for about 15 to 20 minutes. Once cooked add the scallions and chives. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a bowl whisk together the egg, cream, and salt. Add the cooked onions to the custard, stirring thoroughly. Pour into the prepared pastry cups with a spoon. Break up the goat cheese and place on top of tarts. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve.

GOAT'S CHEESE & CRANBERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7. Lay pastry on a floured work surface. Using a round 7.5cm round pastry cutter, cut out as many circles as possible.
• Sit them on oiled baking sheets and score a circle about 2.5cm in from the edge of each disc by pressing gently with a 5cm cutter. Pierce the middle of each with a fork, brush with egg and top with a little cranberry sauce or chutney.
• Slice the cheese 5mm thick so you have a slice per disc (discard end rinds). Lay a slice on each tartlet, then top with thyme leaves, a drizzle of oil and a twist of black pepper.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is golden and the pastry crispy. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm, garnished with rocket leaves.

WATERCRESS & CHEESE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Sift flour into a mixing bowl and add salt.
• Rub 1/3 cup of the butter into the flour until mixture resemble bread crumbs.
• Stir in the cold water to make a firm dough.
• Knead the dough lightly, ten roll out on a lightly floured surface.
• Line 4 4-inch tartlet pans with the dough, trimming the dough to fit the pans.
• Prick the bases with a fork and set aside in the refrigerator to chill.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a skillet.
• Discard the stems from the watercress or spinach and add the leaves to the skillet (if using spinach, make sure it's well drained before mixing with the filling ingredients) along with the garlic and shallot.
• Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the watercress is wilted.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cheese, yogurt and paprika.
• Spoon the mixture into the pastry cases and cook in a preheated oven at 350F for 20 minutes or until the filling is firm.
• Turn out the tartlets and serve hot or cold.

CHEESEBOARD & ONION TART

Steps:

• Put the flour, butter and salt into the bowl of a food processor, then pulse until the mix looks like fine crumbs. Splash in 4 tbsp cold water, then pulse to a dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a smooth disc, then wrap and chill for at least 10 mins. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
• Roll pastry out on a floured surface until large enough to line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Line the tin with the pastry, leaving any excess pastry overhanging. Line with baking paper, then fill with baking beans. Bake on a baking sheet for 15 mins. Take out the paper and beans, then bake for 10 mins more until pale golden and cooked. Use a serrated knife to trim the pastry level with the tin - resting the knife flat on the edge of the tin will help achieve an even finish.
• While the pastry cooks, soften the onions in the oil over a medium heat for 10 mins until golden. Beat the eggs and cream together, then season to taste. Crumble up the hard cheeses and chop or pull the creamy cheese into small pieces. Scatter the cheese into the pastry case, add the onions, then pour in the egg mix. Turn the oven down to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 and bake for 40 mins until set and lightly golden.

MAYTAG BLUE CHEESE AND POTATO TARTLETS

Steps:

• Make pastry:
• Blend together flour, salt, and butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 3 tablespoons water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful of dough. If it doesn't hold together, add up to 1 tablespoon more water, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Be careful not to overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough portions together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Fill and bake tartlets:
• Put oven rack in middle position |and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut potatoes into ¼-inch-thick slices and cover with cold water by 2 inches in a 1-quart saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
• Whisk together cream and yolk until combined.
• Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a 5-inch round with a floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, then fit each into a tartlet pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/4-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pans to reinforce edge. Chill shells until pastry is firm, at least 10 minutes.
• Arrange about 4 potato slices, overlapping slightly, in each tart shell and crumble 2 tablespoons cheese into each. Divide cream mixture among tartlets, filling to 1/8 inch from top. Sprinkle each tartlet with 1/4 teaspoon each of thyme and rosemary and season lightly with fleur de sel. (If your sea salt is very coarse, lightly crush before sprinkling.)
• Bake tartlets on a baking sheet until bubbling and golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pans on a rack 10 minutes, then remove from pans and serve warm.