Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Blueberry Cream Cheese Tarts with Graham Cracker Crust


When I first bought the book this was the one recipe that I knew I needed to try. Others had already raved about it and my good friend L even picked it out and said, "This looks damn good. You have to make it for me." It took me longer than I liked to finally get down to it simply because the whole wheat pastry flour that the recipe calls for isn't available in regular supermarkets here. I couldn't even find it in my baking supplies store (which doesn't say very much for it, come to think of it).

I finally found it in a humble little supermarket somewhere in Bangkok where I spent the weekend some time ago visiting a friend who was doing a baking course there. Of course when I came home and did a post about it, several lovely people left messages to tell me where I could find the pastry flour in Singapore (thanks guys!). Apparently I just hadn't looked hard enough.

Anyway, these are the results of my long-awaited tarts. They aren't the prettiest tarts in the world, but they sure were tasty. As the recipe suggested, I tried rolling the pastry to 1/8-inch thick, but it kept falling apart on me and refused to form a neat sheet that could be laid over my tart tin. I ended up pressing the pastry (like you would a biscuit crust on a cheesecake) into the tin and baked them blind. On a larger tart tin (I used 12cm-diameter ones), the pastry turned out thicker than I liked and the tart was a bit of a mess to eat—cream cheese custard oozing all over the plate and blueberries tumbling willy nilly. Indeed, not a disaster, but it could definitely be better. Plus as a dessert portion for one, a 12cm tart was kinda huge.

I then remembered these little boat-shape moulds that were part of a collection of baking tins my recently passed uncle left to me. These are quite wee (10cm long and 5cm at its widest), but they turned out tarts that could downed in just two bites. As you can see from the picture, I still haven't gotten the hang of the pastry, though it was easier to press in a thinner layer. But, as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. And since the tarts were fabulous taste-wise, there certainly is an impetus to try and try again.

16 Comments:

Blogger Krithika said...

They look gorgeous!

9:14 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yums! I made these for the dinner we catered on Friday night too. I found that refrigerating the dough after you've rolled it out helps. But even then, you do have to work quickly in a hot kitchen. Then I freeze them before baking them blind. But you didn't make the blueberry sauce? I love it's jammy flavours. Love the shape of your little tarts.

9:44 am  
Blogger Annette Tan said...

Thanks Krithika.

S, I did refrigerate the dough and freeze it before baking it blind. I made the sauce too, but used very very little for these pictures cos they tended to run. You're right. The sauce was so good, I saved some and slather it on butter cake for a quick snack :-)

8:05 pm  
Blogger Annette Tan said...

Thanks Krithika.

S, I did refrigerate the dough and freeze it before baking it blind. I made the sauce too, but used very very little for these pictures cos they tended to run. You're right. The sauce was so good, I saved some and slather it on butter cake for a quick snack :-)

8:05 pm  
Blogger Joycelyn said...

finally! looks awesome, and lovely use of barquette molds too...i see you are slowly but surely working your way through the book ;)

9:35 pm  
Blogger artkiddo said...

hi eggy,recently i placed an order for this book also! I also heard lots of raving reviews about this book and, esp this recipe! i can't wait for my book to arrive! so, where can i find wholewheat flour in singapore?

9:40 pm  
Blogger Edith said...

wow this looks so delicious. I don't have the book and wondering whether possible to share the recipe.

10:11 am  
Blogger Jen said...

these are so cute!
Just wondering what exactly are graham crackers? I see them used as bases for many pastries but Im not sure if I have ever seen them in the supermarket.

1:34 pm  
Blogger Annette Tan said...

Hi PM, it's a LONG recipe, so I'll email you when I get some free time.

Jen Jen, I'm not so sure myself, but it's kinda like Digestives.

9:47 pm  
Blogger boo_licious said...

eggy - u're so inspiring, first the brownies and this. I also bought the bk and wanted to make these but thought it shld not be a good idea since I could not source for whole wheat flour too.

3:42 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can't see why you think they're not pretty... they look incredibly sexy to me! :-)

I wish i could get hold of the moulds you've used. What are they called? I'd like to see if i can find a couple of them here in Jersey. I just love the shape.

7:03 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wonderful looking tarts! Well done eggy. The tart shelves look really crispy....yummy I am really hungry for some tarts now! Keep up the good work.
P.S: thanks for tips on Almond flour (previous post on blueberry corncakes)cheers.

3:38 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi eggy, i've been a silent reader and fan of yours for awhile now. i really love your blog, plus all the wonderful pics you've taken. they're all so breath-taking and beautifully composed =) wish i could take better pics but i guess, i can only practice and dream on at the moment :p i'm an avid foodie myself, loves to bake & cook and experiment with different dishes. do visit my humble blog if u hv a little time to spare. and keep the eye candy coming! take care~

7:50 pm  
Blogger Annette Tan said...

Boolicious, thanks! Now you know where to get whole wheat pastry flour, you have an excuse to buy the book, which is simply excellent.

Thanks Mae. You're too kind. According to J, the moulds are called barquette moulds. Hope you manage to find them.

Kimmy, my pleasure :)

Evan, I'm flattered. Thank you. I just visited your blog and I'm so impressed by your recipes. I'm going to try them out soon.

10:23 pm  
Blogger Jen said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

2:27 am  
Blogger Jen said...

Thanks Eggy- We do have something like digestives here in Aus

2:29 am  

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