Vanilla Cheesecake Tartlets With Vanilla Vodka Berries Food

CREAM CHEESE TARTS (PAULA DEEN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup (12 total) of muffin pan.
• Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
• Place a vanilla wafer FLAT side down, in each muffin cup. Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers filling each to about 1/4 inch from top of paper.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Allow tarts to cool completely before filling. When you remove the tarts from the oven, they will be puffed up, but as they cool, the center will sink, creating the perfect well to fill with a couple of spoonfuls of your favorite filling.
• Chill thoroughly before serving.

CHEESECAKE TART WITH BERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Make the crust: Pulse the flour, pecans, sugar and salt in a food processor until the pecans are finely ground. Pulse in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice-cold water and pulse until the dough just comes together.
• Turn out the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, form into a disk, wrap and refrigerate until slightly firm, about 15 minutes. Put the dough in a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press into an even layer over the bottom and up the sides. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges of the crust begin turning golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and pie weights and continue baking until the crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 more minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
• Make the filling: Whisk 1 cup milk, the egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch in a medium bowl. Heat the remaining 2/3 cup milk and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. While whisking, slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Return to the saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to bubble and is very thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the cream cheese, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth. Pour into the cooled crust and refrigerate until set, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Make the topping: Toss the berries, sugar and sherry in a bowl and let sit at room temperature, 20 minutes. Top the tart with the berries.

NO-BAKE VANILLA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Butter and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tin with baking parchment. Put the digestive biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin - or blitz in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl, then pour over the melted butter. Mix thoroughly until the crumbs are completely coated. Tip them into the prepared tin and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer. Chill in the fridge for 1 hr to set firmly.
• To remove the vanilla seeds from their pod, slice the pod in half lengthways, leaving the tip intact, so that the two halves are still joined. Holding onto the tip of the pod, scrape out the seeds using the back of a kitchen knife.
• To make the filling, place the soft cheese, icing sugar and vanilla seeds in a bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Tip in the double cream and continue beating until the mixture is completely combined. Now spoon it onto the biscuit base, working from the edges inwards and making sure that there are no air bubbles. Smooth the top of the cheesecake down with the back of a dessert spoon or spatula. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
• Bring the cheesecake to room temperature about 30 mins before serving. To un-mould, place the base on top of a can, then gradually pull the sides of the tin down. Slip the cake onto a serving plate, removing the lining paper and base. Slice and serve with a fruit compote of your choice.

VANILLA CHEESECAKE TARTLETS WITH VANILLA-VODKA BERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix first 3 ingredients in large bowl until evenly moistened. Divide mixture among eight 4 1/2 x 3/4-inch tartlet pans with removable bottoms; press over bottoms and up sides. Bake until light brown, about 12 minutes. Cool crusts completely in pans on racks.
• Mix 8 teaspoons vodka and 4 teaspoons vanilla extract in small saucepan; sprinkle gelatin over. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir ober very low heat just until dissolved. Cool to barely lukewarm.
• Combine cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla beans. Beat in cream, then gelatine mixture. Divide filling among crusts. Press bottoms of pans up releasing tartlets. Arrange tartlets on baking sheet. Chill 3 hours or overnight.
• Gently stir berries, 4 teaspoons vodka, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/4 cup sugar in bowl. Let stand 15 minutes.
• Top tartlets with berry mixture.

VANILLA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring a kettle of water to boil for the water bath.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for an additional 30 seconds. Add in eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after adding the second and fourth egg. After adding the final egg and scraping the sides of the bowl, mix again for 30 seconds. The mixture should be smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla and heavy cream and mix for an additional 30 seconds.
• Pour the cheesecake filling over the prepared crust.
• Place pan into a larger pan (I use a roasting pan) and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Gently lay a piece of foil over the pan - do not tighten the foil as we want to allow the air to still circulate.
• Bake 55-65 minutes, the edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have some jiggle to it. At this point, turn off the oven, and leave the oven door cracked. Allow the cheesecake to rest in the cooling oven for one hour.
• After one hour has passed, carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cooled, place it into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
• Just before serving, top the cheesecake with homemade blueberry sauce.