We made a quick day trip over to Palm Springs, CA this week to take care of a few wedding things and holy goodness was it toasty. My car thermometer read 115' at one point! I am just now getting over the shock that is extreme heat, and more than ready for the beach this weekend. So, this weekend you will find me in the ocean, swimming, actually getting my hair wet and then making another batch of these mini tarts.
These make a simple and tasty dessert for a number of reasons. They're small, which means you can justifiably eat a few of them. But maybe that's a selling point for just me? The simplicity lends itself to use any type of fruit you have, they'd be great with peaches, strawberries, maybe even fresh mango and use lime instead of lemon if you like tropical flavors. If you want to complete a few steps in advance, you could cut and score the puff pastry, put it on a baking sheet and leave it in the fridge til dessert time. The cream mix and blueberries can be prepped in advance as well, in under 5 minutes mind you. The ingredient list is short, and the hands on time is limited which means I will be making these frequently.
Sidenote: If you'd rather be cooking outside, we had a post on Etsy yesterday of the Rustic Fig Pizza we made awhile back!
BLUEBERRY & CREAM TARTS // Makes 9
I have not attempted to make my own puff pastry, however, Helene at My Tartlette has both a regular and a gluten version on her site if you feel up to it! Recipe inspired by Real Simple.
1 8-oz. Sheet Frozen Puff Pastry, thawed
1 Egg, beaten
6 oz. Reduced Fat Cream Cheese, room temperature
3 Tbsp. Honey, divided
3 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice, divided
Zest of one Large Lemon
1 Cup Fresh Blueberries
Lemon zest and powdered sugar for garnish, optional
Oven to 375'
1. Unfold the the puff pastry and roll over it with a rolling pin about three time, just to thin it a bit.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie cutter or top of a mason jar, gently cut out circles and put them on the parchment. My cutter was about 2'' diameter, you can use what you have, but use your better judgement to increase or decrease baking time.
3. Using a paring knife, score a 1/4'' thick circle border inside each tart cut out. Brush the outer edge with the beaten egg and sprinkle each with a bit of sugar (1 Tbsp. between all of them). Bake on middle rack until golden and puffed, about 14+/- minutes.
4. In the meantime,mix the cream cheese, lemon zest, 2 Tbsp. of the lemon juice, and 2 tbsp. honey until fully mixed and a bit fluffy. Put it in the fridge.
5. Remove the tarts, rescore the circle and press down gently on the middle part to flatten. Allow them to cool about 5 minutes.
6. Dollop about 1 Tbsp. of the creamy mixture in the middle of each tart (again, this will depend on the size). Put the blueberries in a bowl. Warm the remaining 1 Tbsp. honey in the microwave for 15 seconds to loosen it, pour over the berries along with the last 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice and toss to coat. Pile a hefty spoonful of berries on top of the creamy mixture. Serve at room temperature.
* Garnish with fresh lemon zest and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if you please.