Strawberry Rhubarb White Chocolate Cheese Tart + 5 Summer Tart Links

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Tomorrow marks the start of  a much needed vacation to Martha’s Vineyard, so I will keep it short.  More stories to come, but for now enjoy this recipe: a sweet press-in, no-fail tart shell filled with white chocolate, cream cheese and Greek yogurt; topped with a sweet and gelatinous strawberry/rhubarb bite of summer.  I hope you enjoy it.  Thanks for reading and happy 4th!

Strawberry Rhubarb White Chocolate Cheese Tart

Serves 8

Recipe adapted from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

Tart recipe by Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients for (1) 9-inch tart shell:

1 + 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick + 1 tablespoon super cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg

Directions for tart shell:

Using a food processor with a blade attachment, pulse the flour, sugar and salt together.  Add the butter pieces and pulse until the butter is the size of peas.  Add the egg and combine in long pulses- about 10 seconds each time, until the dough forms clumps.  Remove the dough and kneed once or twice to make sure all of the flour is incorporated.

Dump the dough into your tart pan (with a removable bottom) and press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides.*See note.*  Pierce crust all over with a fork.  Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, the longer the better, before baking.

*If you find the dough sticks to your fingers too much, spray the bottom of a measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray and use the bottom of the cup instead of your fingers.*

When ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 375F.  Place the frozen tart on a baking sheet and place it on the middle rack of your pre-heated oven.  Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

If the crust puffs up, press it down gently.  Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.  Set aside.

Ingredients for fruit topping:

2 cups of rhubarb, sliced

2 cups of strawberries, hulled and quartered

2 ounces of water

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in a small amount of water to make a paste

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions: 

Combine sugar, water and vanilla in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Add strawberries and rhubarb.  Add cornstarch paste to mixture and bring to a boil, again.  Stir in the lemon zest and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Set aside and cool completely.

Ingredients for white chocolate cheese filling:

12 ounces of white chocolate, cut into small pieces

12 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (2% or full fat)

pinch of kosher salt

1 teaspoon lemon zest

white chocolate shavings- optional

Directions:

Melt white chocolate either using a double boiler or in the microwave until completely melted and smooth.  Allow to cool.

Using a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until light and smooth, about 5 minutes.  Pour in the white chocolate and beat for another minute.  Next, add the Greek yogurt, salt and lemon zest.  Beat until well combined.

Assembly:

Pour the white chocolate cheese filling into the cool tart shell and smooth with a spatula.  Spread the strawberry/rhubarb evenly over the filling.  Optional: garnish with white chocolate shavings or melted white chocolate drizzles.  Serve at room temperature.  Store the remaining tart in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.  This tart looks best the day it is made, but tastes great for a couple of days.  Enjoy!

5 Summer Tart Links You Can’t Miss!

Savory Sweet Life’s granola crusted yogurt fruit tarts are on my must make list, three of my favorite things to eat in one delicious bite.

Fan of panna cotta?  Head to Hummingbird High for a rhubarb panna cotta tart recipe that looks divine.

Do not let plum season pass without making Not Without Salt’s plum tart.

Summer = campfires=s’mores, right?  How about individual s’mores tarts?  Pastry Affair has the recipe for you.

Looking for a savory summer tart topped with zucchini and cherry tomatoes?  Proud Italian Cook has the recipe.  My mouth is watering!

 

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie + 5 Unique Pie Links!

pcp1675She wore bright blue eye shadow and velour track suits.  She sprayed so much Aqua Net on her silver-white hair that she more than likely contributed to the hole in the ozone layer.  Quick with a joke that would make a priest blush, as frugal as an old Yankee, though hailing from the mid-west, Gram was…loved.

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I don’t remember much about her cooking.  Many miles kept us from seeing her much.  However, I do remember her introducing us to pumpkin chiffon pie despite our initial protests.  Sitting at the dinning room table stuffed with my mother’s delicious Thanksgiving feast, we sampled her pie.  Bite after bite quickly dissolved in my mouth leaving me wanting more.  I’m sure I ate too much.  My sweet tooth is usually more than my gut can handle. But, I was hooked.

 

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

Serves 8

Crust recipe adapted from Yankee Magazine Nov/Dec 2015

Filling recipe barely adapted from, Gourmet Nov 1995

**This pie requires 24 hours of chilling time.**

Ingredients for Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 packed light-brown sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

pinch of kosher salt

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350F.  Using a food processor grind 16 graham-crackers (full cracker) into crumbs.  Add sugar and pulse a few more times.  Pour in melted butter and pulse again.  Dump the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and press evenly on the bottom and up the sides.

Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes.  Cool and set aside.

Ingredients for Filling:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons of rum

1 cup of milk

3/4 cup of packed light brown sugar

4 large egg yolks

1- 15 ounce can of pure pumpkin

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup heavy cream

Optional but delicious- fresh whipped cream

Directions:

Grab a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of rum.  Sprinkle gelatin over the rum and let stand.

Using a heavy saucepan whisk together milk, brown sugar, yolks, pumpkin, spices and salt.  Cook over low heat, whisking constantly until a candy thermometer registers 160F.  Remove from heat and immediately add gelatin mixture.  Whisk until gelatin is completely dissolved.

Transfer filling to bowl set inside a larger bowl of ice water.  Cool and stir for a few minutes.  Remove from ice water.

Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or an electric mixer) beat cream until it forms stiff peaks.  Whisk one fourth of the whipped cream into the filling.  Gently fold in remaining whipped cream until it is completely incorporated.  Pour filling into prepared crust and refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour.  After an hour, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 24 hours.

Slice and serve with fresh whipped cream.  Enjoy!

5 Unique Pie Links

Gotta have pumpkin pie on the dessert table? Switch up this year and try David Lebovitz pumpkin pie with toasted marshmallow topping.

Your aunt  wants to bring her famous apple pie, again, this year.  You can’t stomach another apple pie. What to do? Kindly suggest she branch out and make Fix Feast Flair’s pear and nutmeg pie.  Better yet, make it yourself!

Go rogue and bring Adventure in Cooking’s butterscotch pie to your host this Thanksgiving.

Need a bright and slightly tangy pie to cut through all that heavy food? Food 52 has a recipe for a lemon chess pie that looks delicious.

My favorite pie might just be ricotta pie.  I don’t usually have it on Thanksgiving, but that may change this year.  If your on same page head to Buttercream Bakehouse for their chocolate chip ricotta pie recipe.