Ria's Collection: FRESH FRUIT & CREAM CHEESE TARTLETS ...and I give up my throne of 'Substitution Queen'

Thursday, March 11, 2010

FRESH FRUIT & CREAM CHEESE TARTLETS ...and I give up my throne of 'Substitution Queen'

Cream cheese was my dream cheese #1. We rarely got anything other than processed cheese in Kannur, so getting a good cheddar was a blessing! When I joined Daring Bakers last April, we had to bake a cheesecake and I was bent upon not substituting with storebought paneer instead I made it at home.

So in my first interaction with a US supermarket, I was in search for cream cheese. Needless to say, I was surprised & confused! There were SO many varieties! I didn't know which one to pick up. I kept asking Jobin which one is 'that' cream cheese I was dreaming about :) He was as confused as I was! Finally I just picked up one slab! That was the first time I ever touched a cream cheese! :D LOL! I might be sounding very childish...but I just cannot help it! :)

 Then the next day, we went shopping for fruits . That's when I touched fresh peaches in my life for the first time! Aaaannndd I grabbed a big box of them. Then strawberries, plums, mandarin oranges followed suit! :)

My niece's adore fresh fruits! And they were asking  me to make something out of them. So I thought of combining the cream cheese + fruits. And last night I bought a box of frozen pie crust too! I am on a spree to make my life a LOT easier...let me use those 'dream' ingredients without substituting it! I am tired of being a substitution queen! I give up my throne! ;)

Then the recipe hunt started and I finally I decided upon making some fresh fruit tartlets. They were seeing me cook & click at the same time and I must say, it is definately not an easy job handling kids+cream cheese+ cut up fruits+ a crackly crust! Oh yeah! And when it comes to clicking pics... I could see my bouncer falling into the tartlets and whatnot! :)


FRESH FRUIT & CREAM CHEESE TARTLETS

Ingredients:
Puff pastry sheet/Pie crust-1
Cut up fresh fruits - as needed
Cream cheese-6 oz [Hung yoghurt is a good substitute]
Orange rind-1/4 tsp
Powdered sugar-3-4 tbsp or to taste
Vanilla extract-1 tsp

Method:
  • Thaw & roll out the pastry sheet slightly on a cookie sheet and perforate it with the tines of a fork. Bake it for 10-12 mins at 180 deg C.
  •  Thaw the cream cheese for atleast 30 mins on the counter & mix it well with powdered sugar,orange rind and vanilla.
  • Once the pastry has cooled down, spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture and then arrange the fruits on it.
  • Chill well. Slice and serve.
I will be back shortly with another new recipe, mostly with another set of new friends :)


20 Comments:

Chris said...

Simple elegance! Lovely! I am a huge cream cheese fan. :) I love how you used the cutter for the pastry!

Vandana Sarah said...

Awesome Ria .. I am so happy for you .. really ..I could almost imagine the thrill you were experiencing while walking down those aisles in the super market. You must ask Jobin to take you to whole foods sometime .. you will love it too ... :)

This looks lovely .. divine!!!

Also I am cracking up thinking of you juggling the kids and the food .. I guess they are compensating on behalf of your substituted ingredients that you had to make from scratch ..

I can't wait for you to start your own bakery ...

Suma Rowjee said...

Beautifully delicious Ria! So u finally went 'cheese shopping'!!

But, hey, u gotta empathize with us guys here and tell us substitutes and recipes for making from scratch too:-)!! Puff pastry for one!

Divya Kudua said...

Look who's back..:):).The tartlets look oh so pretty..waiting to hear more about your US Supermarket extravaganza..:)

Twinsy Rachel said...

Now that the throne is vacant, I urge the bloggers from India to make a dash for it n help us the poor souls here :)

Ria, nice clicks....

Michelle said...

I knew you'd have a good time at our supermarkets! We do have a nice variety of things to choose from and we are so spoiled.

So happy you're having fun!

Unknown said...

Awesome clicks! Though am not a fruity person, pictures are so tempting :)

Shabs.. said...

Nice pics ria...u made me laugh...i know what u mean by 'confusion' when u went for cheese,I had faced that before...ong back.... yes u will find so many....Try philadelphia cream cheese. Its teh best!...you can use it for ur cheesecake:)...pinney so much of sunlight there as well...eh?...here, as gloomy as ever:(

Shabs.. said...

Nice pics ria...u made me laugh...i know what u mean by 'confusion' when u went for cheese,I had faced that before...ong back.... yes u will find so many....Try philadelphia cream cheese. Its teh best!...you can use it for ur cheesecake:)...pinney so much of sunlight there as well...eh?...here, as gloomy as ever:(

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

very elegant presentation Ria. though am happy that you are giving up your throne but am sad that we wont be learning more substituting options from you. very good recipe. will try it soon.

Meghna said...

Nice post ria. And Your snaps looks real good!! Keep up the good work.. And hope u are having the best time here in US.. :)

Tina said...

What a colourful click yaar? So beautiful...Dear stand mixer kittiyo? Waiting to c that..

Priya dharshini said...

Fruit tart is very fresh..The combo tart is fab..Try Philadelphia cream cheese...

Fresh Local and Best said...

These tarts are stunning! I didn't think about it, but yes, there are many choices for cream cheese!

Suparna said...

hey Ria,
Good to see u full fledged in baking!!! it's so much fun to read abt ur market trips ...do keep sharing :)
The tartlets look bright beautiful and exciting as u sound!!

Unknown said...

Oh you lucky lucky girl. Philly cream cheese at your fingertips :) And soo much more. I'm waiting for the day I'll get to give up the throne too! The tarts look great, stop making us jealous with the store-bought puff pastry!! :P

Swapna said...

Beautiful Fruit Tartlets Ria and great clicks too:)

Dori said...

Those are some really nice pic's! Looks awesome :)

Nachiketa said...

Hi!

Your blog is so wonderful....
Couldn't help but draw parallels... my sister went to the US and her only interest is sports and while you're living out my fantasy of buying awesome stuff there for baking...
Have finally figured out Akshita's sort of Apple Crumble

Guess a holiday would be good for me.... married in living abroad may not be my cup of tea...

Would love to see and read all your other foodie trips :)

Cheers,
The Variable, Crazy Over Desserts - Nachiketa
Catch me on facebook @ Crazy Over Desserts

Justbeanme said...

Really loved reading this post a loads!!LOL me visualized ur reactions Wht a presentation gal and just unbelievable pictures.Ria u have spoiled me!oh i all in praise praise for u and u compel me thru you writing n pictures and of course the 3Ts.Will try this some day,i have that cookie cutter :)
Dont leave the Substitution queen throne thou.

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