Cranberry and Baked Brie Tartlets

These tartlets are the round ones with the red in the center. I made my own signature puff pastry dough, cut out small circles from the dough, and baked them. I also made my own simple cranberry chutney for the filling. Then I cut the pastries in half horizontally, filled them with some cranberry chutney, topped with brie cheese and baked them again until the cheese melted and the tarts were warm.

• Puff pastry circles
• cranberry orange chutney
• sliced of double cream brie cheese

Cheddar and Garlic Scape Tartlets

Homemade puff pastry tartlet
Garlic scape pesto
Locally made cheddar cheese
Roasted sweet cherry tomato
Balsamic drizzle
Fresh basil

Slice the tart in half horizontally. Spread the inside with garlic scape pesto.
Top with the cheese, Toast in the oven.
Top with another dollop of pesto.
To roast the tomatoes, toss in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast just until skin is blistered.
Top the tart with a cherry tomato, drizzle with balsamic reduction, and top with a basil leaf.

Trio Of Desserts

Shellfish festival gala dinner dessert plate. That's three desserts per plate times 450 people equals 1350 mini desserts by three amazing pastry chefs.

Top: Lemon macaroon with lemon cream filling
Right: raspberry swirled cheesecake on graham crust with raspberry buttercream and fresh raspberry
Left: blueberry tartlet with white chocolate ganache, chantilly cream, and chocolate garnish
Salted caramel sauce.

Roasted Vegetable Tartlet

Components:
Rosemary and Thyme Pie Crust
Lemongrass Hummus
Roasted Carrots, Parsnip, and Zucchni
Smoked Oyster Mushroom
Grilled Sweet Peppers
Pesto
Vegan Goat Cheese

The tart shell is a basic pie crust recipe baked in a muffin tin, but it is made vegan by using oil in place of butter.
The tart shell is filled with a hummus flavored with lemongrass paste.
The vegetables are simply thinly sliced and roasted in the oven with oil, salt, and pepper.
This is topped with a smoked oyster mushroom. 
The vegan goat cheese is an awesome recipe I came across that uses cashews, and is flavored with lemon juice and herbs.

Mushroom Cheese Tartlets

Here are some appetizers I made for Pi Day on Wednesday. They are Mushroom Cheese Tartlets, which are really just mini pies. I didn't really follow a recipe for them, they are really quite simply. I made some oil-based pie crust dough, which I prefer to the heavier shortening-lad pie dough. Oil-based pastry also has slightly more flavor and a better texture which works well with tartlets like this. I took small balls of dough and pressed them into a miniature muffin tin lined with foil squares. I pricked the bottoms of the shells with a fork and baked them at 400◦F for 10 minutes until they were lightly browned. Then I set the shells aside to cool. This step isn't really necessary, but I prepared the shells earlier in the day then filled them later. Then I finely chopped some mushrooms and divided them among the tartlet shells. I added some small slices of marble cheese. You can easily add a variety of other ingredients here - chopped onion, different cheeses, mustard, spices, etc. At this point I wrapped them up and put them in the fridge, but they can also be baked immediately. All they require is five minutes in a 350◦F oven until they are hot and the cheese is melted.

Dark Chocolate Tartlets

Well, here is the finished product: cream cheese tartlets with dark chocolate filling and vanilla buttercream topping. These were quite easy and quick to make, and look very cute. They are the perfect bite-sized treat. I simply placed a spoonful of some dark chocolate ganache in each tart, and used a star tip to pipe some of my classic buttercream icing on top. Sweet and simple. The flavors of the chocolate filling and vanilla buttercream complement each other perfectly, and the cream cheese shell provides a sturdy holder and nice balance of flavors and textures. You can see some of the chocolate filling peeking out from the buttercream covering in some of the tartlets.

Cream Cheese Tartlet Shells

Here is a super simple, quick, and yummy recipe for easy and versatile tartlet shells. They are a good base for many different tarts, sweet or savory. If you are using them for a slightly sweet but not decadent filling, add a little sugar to the dough. If you are using them for a savory filling, add a little salt. These tartlet shells can be filled before or after baking, depending on your filling. Keep in mind that they puff up a little during baking, so if you fill them before baking, be very modest with your amount of filling. Otherwise, you may end up with a mess on the oven floor. These are easy to make, and miniature muffin cups are the perfect size to bake them in, as long as you don't want them to deep. They are minis - so a lot of filling is not required. I am baking them today to have them ready to fill. I will display the finished product tomorrow.

Cream Cheese Tartlet Shells
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white all-purpose flour
1-3 Tablespoons sugar, if desired
1 teaspoon salt, for savory fillings

Blend the cream cheese and the butter together until smooth. Add the flour and sugar or salt, and blend. Shape dough into a ball and press into a flattened disk. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 325◦F. Shape the dough into 24 1-inch balls, press thinly into ungreased miniature muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. These are very easy to remove within minutes of baking, just when cool enough to handle. Don't try to cool them in the muffin tin.