SHF 45: Berry Tartlets

Today was really warm. Scratch that. Today was really hot. Definitely the warmest since moving home. The heat index hit 96. And if you've spent any time in New England in the summertime, heat generally equals humidity. When you walk out your front door and you feel like you just stepped out of the shower. When you stick to patio furniture. And I won't even begin about one's hair practically doubling in size due to frizz. ;)

Dave decided to grill tonight, so I thought I'd surprise my parents with a nice dessert. But I really, really did not want to use the oven. A friend of mine online had linked to a fruit tart recipe over at NPR, and that got the ball rolling. The thought of the mascarpone cream was really what did it for me. But as I still lack the confidence and counterspace to properly work with dough, I went with pre-made tart shells. At least, I went with those mentally. At the grocery store, they didn't have them. So I went with the puff pastry shells, which require 20 minutes of oven-time. *shrug* Well, it could have been worse, right?

Later in the evening, as I was perusing the food blogs, I discovered that this month's Sugar High Friday is being hosted by Susan of Food Blogga, and the theme is berries. Timing actually worked WITH me for a change. :)

These came together like a dream. From the NPR recipe, I went with the mascarpone cream, and then decorated with blueberries and strawberries. As an alternative for my mom, who can't do the seeds, I used peaches, and she was quite pleased. I think the cream part is going to be my go-to for fillings these days. Oh, it was like heaven on a spoon.



Ingredients:
6 puff pastry shells
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup very cold heavy cream
¼ cup sugar
Strawberries, sliced
Bluberries

Directions:
Prepare puff pastry shells as directed.

Once they are fully cooled, beat mascarpone cheese, cream, and sugar until mixture holds stiff peaks. Spoon into shells. Decorate with fruit. Keep chilled until serving.

Vanilla Berry-Swirl Cheesecake Bars

For this MB event, the main ingredient was vanilla. Which leaves a HUGE amount of options. After some talk, I settled on the idea of a vanilla bean cheesecake with some kind of berry swirl.

But of course that changed.

I knew I wanted something cheesecake-y. And I wanted to finally use the vanilla beans that Dave bought for me. Then the berry flavor... I didn't want to use jam or jelly. After some searching, I decided to use the same strawberry puree that I made last week for the Lemon Berry Bars. (I'm all about the swirling lately, aren't I?) Then... "Do I really want to make a whole cheesecake?", to which I started playing around, mentally, with different shapes. Heart-shaped cookie cutter? Nah, didn't have one big enough. Eventually, I combined a few different recipes, and came up with this.

It was my first time using vanilla beans, and I was nervous. But I think I did well. Despite how in some bites, the berry flavor overtakes everything, the vanilla bean flavor is both subtle and smooth. If that makes sense. :) My only complaint is that the strawberry swirl isn't as bold of a color as I was hoping for.



Ingredients:
Strawberry Puree
2 cups strawberries, cut into small pieces
1-2 Tbsp. sugar

Crust:
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1½ cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp. salt

Filling
½ cup sugar
½ cup half & half
2 pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
3 large eggs
½ vanilla bean (or 2 tsp. vanilla)
1 Tbsp. all purpose flour

Directions:
For strawberry puree: Blend the strawberries in a food processor (for a few seconds) or mash with a fork until there are no large chunks. Cook over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes until thickened. Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13x9-inch pan.

For crust: Beat sugar and butter until smooth. Gradually add flour, followed by the salt, until mixture is crumbly in texture. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

For filling: Beat sugar, cream cheese, and half & half until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. Scrape in vanilla (or add extract), then add flour. Pour onto hot crust. Drop spoonfuls of strawberry puree over filling, then swirl through with a knife or spatula.

Bake at 350F for 20-23 minutes, or until filling is set. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

Vanilla Cheesecake with Mixed Berry Sauce

Last week, we acquired about ten pounds of plums. Which made me start thinking, of course, of what I could make with them. I mentioned the idea of cheesecake, and Dave said he could make a sauce to go over it. Alright, sounds like a plan.

But then he didn't feel like cutting them up, so we used a bag of frozen mixed berries that have been needing to get some use. *shrug* Still yummy, but I've still got a ton of plums!

I wanted to do a white cheesecake, but without the white chocolate. Sometimes the white chocolate is just too sweet, and I didn't want to risk not eating any of the cheesecake! As an added surprise, after pressing in the crust, I added some crushed Daim chocolates. (For those who haven't been enlightened yet, Daim is a Swedish chocolate... toffee enrobed in milk chocolate. Very yummy. Ikea sells them) :)

Oh, and I'll give proper credit: Dave took the picture. He also found the 'close up' option on the camera, for use on things less than a certain amount away. Hmm. I never knew that existed. At least that means there's hope for my photography skills! ;)



Ingredients:
Crust:
1½cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
¼ cup granulated sugar

Filling:
1 vanilla bean, split, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1½ cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream

Sauce:
1 bag frozen berries (mixed or of choice)
¼ cup water
3-4 Tbsp. sugar (to taste)
1½ tsp. cornstarch, mixed with 1 Tbsp water


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.

Crust:
Combine graham-cracker crumbs, sugar, almonds and butter in bowl until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until golden brown, 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Wrap bottom and side of pan with heavy-duty foil. Set aside.

Filling:
Reduce oven temperature to 325F. Remove seeds from vanilla bean with tip of small paring knife or spoon; set aside. Beat cream cheese in mixer bowl on medium-high speed, 3 minutes. Scrape side of bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in vanilla seeds. Gradually beat in sugar, scraping sides of mixer bowl with rubber spatula. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended and mixture is completely smooth. Stir in sour cream and vanilla extract, if using. Pour filling into prepared pan.

Bake at 325F for about 1 hour, or until center is nearly set. Let cool on wire rack before transferring to the refrigerator.

Sauce:
In a medium saucepan, combine berries, water and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until most of the berries have popped. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for an addition minute, until the syrup thickens slightly. Turn heat to a low simmer and cover for about 10 minutes.

Chocolate Royal Cheesecake

My first venture into chocolate cheesecakes. It went well. Very well. I altered the original recipe a bit, using chocolate graham crackers instead of the wafers. And for the topping, I melted some of the Queen's Blend Jam from Ikea (a strawberry/blueberry blend) and then cut up some strawberries and raspberries. I wish I had a digital camera then!

Ingredients:
1½ cups crushed chocolate wafers
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. (8 squares) semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted, cooled slightly
4 eggs
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1/3 cup mixed berries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F, if using a silver 9-inch springform pan (300F if using a dark nonstick springform pan). Mix crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run knife along edge of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Top with powdered sugar and berries just before serving.

Triple Berry Cobbler

derived from Goddess in the Kitchen by Margie Lapanja

I think my only complaint with this recipe was the waiting period. Waiting for it to bake (and it creates the yummiest scent, too), then waiting for it to cool (oh, the agony!). Simple, as cobblers often are, and hey, there's health value - there's fruit! ;)

Ingredients:
Filling:
7-8 cups strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup flour
2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Topping:
1½ cups brown sugar
1½ cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
3/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a large (15x10x2½-inch) baking pan.

Toss the filling ingredients together in a large bowl and then spoon into pan.

For the topping, mix sugar, oats, and flour. With a large fork, cut in the butter, then blend in the spices. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit mixture.

Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes to an hour. (Cover the pan with tinfoil if, toward the end of the baking time, the top of the crisp begins to brown too much).

Serve, slightly warmed, with honey and/or ice cream on top.