Strawberry Curd Cheese Tartlets

It’s time for that ‘something sweet’ again, & I’m on a strawberry high. The market is quite flooded with strawberries, & I just can’t seem to get enough of this passionate berry. At the risk of flooding my blog with this fruit, I’m here once again with a strawberry something. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, but there’s plenty more strawberries in the pipeline! I’ve even begun freezing a couple of bags to use after the fresh ones disappear. Nic sent me a real yummy bag of Belgian White Chocolate Strawberries, which we really enjoyed eating. They were part of a virtual Indian monsoon cloudburst that I had here a while ago, posted here. There have been intermittent showers after that with some balsamic chilli glaze that got left behind that she felt compelled to mail later…thank you Nic!!I saved a couple of the delicious dried strawberries in white chocolate to show off on a blog post. I felt compelled to. I have never heard of dried strawberries, so obviously tasting them was out of question until just recently. Each bite was luscious, sweet with an endearing tang to them … & gorgeous red colour within. I thought I’d put them atop a tartlet; that tartlet had to be strawberry.

Just the thought of tartlets lead me to Tartlette, where else, where I had seen some stunningly pretty Raspberry Mousse Tartlets & Macaroons that Helen had posted just recently. Macaroons are something I still have to garner the courage to try after a rather frightening first try many months ago, but I bookmarked the basic pastry / sable crust. Was a simple one, though I couldn’t quite manage the sort she had made, so ended up making mine in small tartlet pans.

For the filling, I made a vegetarian strawberry flavoured curd cheese because I am quite eggophobic; & am still trying to get myself to like eggs in a mousse dessert. Since ‘that’ still isn’t ‘happening‘, I made a curd cheese, an Indian version of quark, & flavoured it with a strawberry coulis. The coulis made the house smell like a candle shop, sweet fragrances of strawberry wafting through the whole place. I felt like I was walking in clouds. Oh, it was just a beautiful feeling!!

The tarts tasted lovely. Delicate & pretty, the layer of chocolate on the base springing a nice surprise in every bite.

STRAWBERRY CURD CHEESE TARTLETS
Inspired by Helen @ Tartlette

Sable Crust Tart Bases

Adapted from Helen’s rceipe @ Tartlette recipe here
Makes six 3-inch tartlets.
100gms butter, at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 to 2 tablespoons of cream, optional
50gms dark chocolate at room temperature

Method:

• Whip the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping the bottom and side of the bowl in between each addition.
• Add the flour and salt and beat until the dough just starts to come together. If the dough seems too crumbly, add some cream, one tablespoon at a time.
• Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it a little to a small disk and wrap it well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour before using.
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Flour your work area well and start rolling the dough from the center out, lifting it from the work area every 2-3 times you roll over it. Do not be afraid to flour the work area well as you feel the dough getting warmer and softer.
• Cut out six 4 inch rounds and fit them inside six 3 inch tartlet molds pastry dough inside them, patting the dough in with your fingertips if needed.
• Place a small piece of parchment paper or foil inside the tart shells, fill with beans or pie weights and blind bake for 12-15 minutes.
• Grate chocolate over the warm bases when they come out of the oven. Let cool to room temperature.

Strawberry Coulis

200gms strawberries

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/8 cup waterMethod:

• Chop up the strawberries, reserving a couple for garnishing. Put them in a saucepan with 1/3 cup sugar & 1/8 cup water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes till fragrant & syrupy.
• Cool, blend with an immersion blender, strain & chill (Can be done a day in advance. It will get thicker as it chills).

Strawberry Curd Cheese

1 cup curd ( from 1 kg hung yogurt)

200ml low fat cream (25%)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Dark chocolate scrolls, dried strawberries, pistachios for garnishing

Method:

• Whip the curd cheese well till smooth.
• Add the cream, sugar & 3/4 of the strawberry syrup with cream & whip till smooth. Taste for sweetness, increase if needed. Swirl the remaining syrup through the mixture gently.
• Pipe into tart shells, & garnish with grated chocolate, pistachio nuts & strawberries.
• Chill until ready to serve.

I am one of the 50 bloggers & chefs whose recipes have been included in the free STRAWBERRY mobile app for iPhone and iPod touch.

Watsonville, CA (January 13, 2009) – The California Strawberry Commission today announced the availability of the free “STRAWBERRIES” mobile app for iPhone and iPod Touch users featuring more than 50 mouth-watering strawberry recipes from some of the most popular food bloggers and chefs from around the web. Individually selected for that “wow” factor, these recipes will inspire families, foodies, cooks, the health conscious and strawberry lovers everywhere to get even more creative with strawberries.

iPhone and iPod touch users can now access different strawberry recipes complete with vivid food photography and step-by-step directions to create that special dish for those around you. The free app neatly categorizes recipes under Snacks & Appetizers, Breakfast, Cocktails, Main Courses, Salads and Sweets. Recipes range from traditional favorites, such as shortcakes and pies to more exotic dishes like strawberry dumplings, salsa and ceviche.

Individual recipes can be shared with friends, family and online networks by simply posting the recipe to Facebook or Twitter with the click of a button. Recipes can also be emailed to anyone for viewing or printing.

Availability

The Strawberries app for the iPhone and iPod touch is available immediately as a free download at the Apple iTunes Store. Click here to download: http://bit.ly/8LANJo

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