Sweetheart Strawberry Tartlets Food

STRAWBERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Put the strawberries on a flat surface and cut them, widthwise, into 1/4-inch thick slices. The slices should be thin enough to bend slightly when you cut them.
• Using a vegetable peeler and, with a light touch, remove the zest from half of the lemon. Try to remove the zest in small pieces and leave the pith (the white part) behind. Juice the lemon and the lime and add them to a bowl along with the zest, sugar and strawberries. Cover the bowl and refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Meanwhile, sift the powdered sugar and flour into a medium bowl. Use your hands to push the sugar and flour through the strainer to make it easier. Stir in the melted butter and the orange juice. Stir to blend.
• Invert a baking sheet and put it on a flat surface. Coat it with a thin layer of nonstick spray as an added precaution against sticking. Spoon a generous teaspoon of the batter near the corner of the sheet and use a small offset spatula to spread it thinly into a small, imperfect oval. Take care to leave space between each oval because they will spread when they are baked. You should be able to fit about 12 on the tray.
• Bake them in the oven until light brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven. Put the tray by the inverted muffin tin. Use the offset spatula to lift the shells, 1 by 1, off the tray. Using your fingers, put a shell over the muffin tin bottom, pressing down to create a tart shell. The sides will overlap or be higher than the muffin hole. Your goal is to make a tart shell to fill with the strawberries. Repeat with the remaining shells. Allow them to cool.
• Strain the liquid from the strawberries and pour it into a small pan. Reduce over medium heat until it becomes syrupy and thick. Pour it back over the strawberries and toss to blend. Return to the refrigerator to chill again. When ready to serve, put a small dollop of sour cream in the bottom of each shell and top with some of the strawberries. Sprinkle with a touch of granulated sugar. Serve immediately.

STRAWBERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Place the flour, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a small bowl, mix together egg yolk and ice water. With machine running, add egg mixture in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube. Process until dough just holds together, about 20 seconds. If dough feels dry, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide the dough evenly among six 4-inch tartlet pans; gently press into pans. Prick bottoms with a fork. Refrigerate shells until firm to the touch, at least 30 minutes.
• Line each shell with foil, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place tart pans on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until the edges just begin to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Continue to bake until bottom of crust is golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Remove shells from pans.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix strawberries with remaining 3 tablespoons sugar. Cover with plastic wrap, and let macerate until juicy, about 1 hour.
• When ready to serve, fill each tart shell with about 1/3 cup creme fraiche; divide strawberries evenly among tarts.

SWEETHEART STRAWBERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Combine cookie crumbs and butter; spoon into 12 paper-lined muffin cups, adding about 2 rounded Tbsp. crumb mixture to each cup. Press crumb mixture onto bottoms and up sides of cups. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Reserve 12 of the smallest strawberries for garnish. Slice remaining strawberries. Mix sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in small bowl until blended; stir in 1/4 cup water. Set aside.
• Bring 1 cup strawberry slices and remaining water to boil in small saucepan on medium-high heat; simmer on medium-low heat 3 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar mixture. Return to boil; cook and stir 1 min. or until sauce is clear and thickened. Cool slightly.
• Pat remaining strawberry slices dry; spoon evenly into pie crusts. Top with cooked strawberries. Refrigerate 1 hour.
• Top tarts with COOL WHIP and reserved whole strawberries just before serving.

SWEET STRAWBERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Mix the strawberries and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a small bowl. Let the strawberries macerate at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange 6 individual tartlet pans with removable bottoms on a baking sheet. Spray the tartlet pans with nonstick cooking spray. Blend the Maria crackers and the piloncillo in a processor until coarse crumbs form. Add the butter and process until the crumbs come together. Press the crumbs into the prepared tartlet pans. Bake until the tartlet shells are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
• Using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese and the sour cream in a small bowl, until fluffy. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and whip until well combined. Add the whipping powdered topping and whip until very fluffy. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the macerating liquid from the strawberries. Fold the strawberries and the reserved 2 tablespoons of liquid into the cream mixture. Spoon the filling over the tartlets, dividing equally. Tarts can be prepared 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated

SWEET STRAWBERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Mix the strawberries and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a small bowl. Let the strawberries macerate at room temperature for 1 hour. (I put mine in the fridge overnight).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange 6 individual tartlet pans with removable bottoms on a baking sheet. (You could also use a 9 inch tart pan.) Spray the tartlet pans with nonstick cooking spray. Blend the Maria crackers and the piloncillo in a processor until coarse crumbs form. Add the butter and process until the crumbs come together (this took a few minutes). Press the crumbs into the prepared tartlet pans. Bake until the tartlet shells are golden brown, about 10 minutes. (They may appear a bit soft, but will set upon cooling.) Cool completely.
• Using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese and the sour cream in a small bowl, until fluffy. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and whip until well combined. Add the whipping powdered topping and whip until very fluffy. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the macerating liquid from the strawberries. Fold the strawberries and the reserved 2 tablespoons of liquid into the cream mixture. Spoon the filling over the tartlets, dividing equally. Tarts can be prepared 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated. (As I mentioned in the introduction, I ate this all week and it was still really good!).
• *Cook's Note: Maria Crackers (Galletas Marias) are a round sweet biscuit with vanilla flavor. They are the Mexican version of the English Marie biscuit and can be used in layered deserts as you would with lady fingers. They can easily be substituted with graham crackers.
• **Cook's Note: Piloncillo is often used in Mexican cuisine to sweeten drinks or deserts. It is unrefined cane sugar, usually found in the shape of small cones and can be substituted with brown sugar.

STRAWBERRY TARTS

Steps:

• Ask a grown-up to turn the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface until it's as thick as £1 coin. Cut round a saucer to make 4 circles. Put each one into the tin.
• Put a square of greaseproof paper and some rice in each. Ask a grown-up to put them in the oven for 25 minutes, then take paper and rice out. Leave to cool.
• Use a whisk to whisk the cream until it starts to get thick, then stir in the lemon curd.
• Pull the green hulls out of the strawberries, and cut each one carefully into slices with a small knife.
• Spoon the cream into 4 pastry cases. Arrange the strawberry slices in a spiral or in rows on top of the lemon cream.
• Mix the jam in a bowl with 1 tbsp hot water, then brush it over the strawberries.

STRAWBERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
• Grease a muffin tin.
• Cut out circles using a cutter or large glass to fit your muffin tin and put one in each cup.
• The rounds should come up nearly to the top edge of the cups.
• Bake, according to the package directions, with a few beans sprinkled in the bottom of each cup to keep the pastry from rising before you have filled it.
• Meanwhile, mix the strawberries with the honey.
• A few minutes before the pastry is done (this is about after 10 minutes at 400 F in my oven), remove the tray from the oven and scoop out the beans.
• Fill each tin with the strawberries and return to the oven for a couple minutes or just until the pastry is golden.
• Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan mix the water and sugar and boil until clear.
• In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch and water.
• Stir the cornstarch mixture into the sugar mixture and boil until thick, stirring constantly.
• You can add a bit of red food colouring here to make a pretty red, if desired.
• When the tarts are cool, pour a little of the liquid over each one and then chill in the fridge.
• Serve with whipped cream.

STRAWBERRY TARTLETS

Steps:

• Brush one side of each wonton wrapper with butter. Place brown sugar in a shallow bowl; press buttered side of wontons into sugar to coat. Press wontons sugared side up into greased muffin cups. Bake at 325° for 7-9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
• In a bowl, combine the cheese, honey and orange juice. Spoon about 1 tablespoon into each wonton cup. Top with strawberries. Garnish with whipped cream and mint if desired.