It's party time !

Strawberry and Blueberry Tartlets

Back in full baking mode ! I was asked to bring some finger food for a ceramics show tonight at the Spanish Village in Balboa Park. So I was thinking something small, something elegant, something sweet. That's right ! The Tartlets are baaaaack !!!

Tarlets are so much fun to make. The dough is made in 10 minutes, you can use a muffin pan, and prebake the mini crusts. Then you've got to decide on the filling. Lots to choose from, fruits, chocolate, nuts...Tarlets are a great way to let your imagination run free, even mixing and matching the flavors.

A personal favorite are fresh fruits and cream, especially when we get in full Spring and Summer. Local fruits are ripe and full of flavors. A good thick cream will add some sweetness without overpowering the fruits. Here I use a cream called "creme patissiere". It is a custard typically used as filling for cakes or cream puffs.

The night before, I prepared both the crusts and the custard, which I kept in the fridge. The next day, it was a simply a matter of adding the custard in the crust, cutting fresh fruits and decorating the top. Voila ! A multitude of small tarts, full of colors, full of flavors, and certain to make an impression !

Creme Patissiere:

Mix 2 eggs+4 egg yolks+4 oz sugar in a bowl until the mixture whitens a bit, then add 4 oz flour and the flavoring (here I used 2 tsp vanilla and 3 tsp rum). Boil 2 cups of whole milk and add it little by little to the above mixture while stirring. You want to avoid cooking the eggs, so go slow. Once all the milk has been added, cook the resulting cream on slow until it boils again (about 15-20 minutes), and don't stop stirring! The cream should thicken. Take it off the stove and let it cool. Add 1/3 stick of butter to the warm cream to avoid a thick layer of hardened cream to form on top.

Keep the cream in the fridge if you plan on using it the following day.

For the crust, see my lemon tart post.

Rinse and cut the strawberries. Add a tablespoon of sugar to the wet fruits, it will create a light sirup that will coat the fruits and make them shiny as well as sweeter.

Rinse the blueberries.

Arrange to your liking.