Pear and Blue Cheese Tartlets

I´m back of my weekend in Madrid, so short but so intense. I met with old friends and also with food bloggers since it took place the Expotarta festival. Was nice to meet again with the girls of the magazine Ester, Marina, Alicia and Melania and finally meet Esther, Isa and Rebecca, a very nice experience and looking foward to go to another event very soon. 

And after a sweet weekend here I am with these savory tartlets. Few weeks ago I told you about my new book of savory tarts in this recipe and here is an other adapted suggestion which I specially recommend you if you love strong tastes. For the pears I used the recipe of my friend Ester of La Cuinera. You can use any other blue cheese you like the most, I chose a roquefort, but you can use gorgonzola or danish blue. If you don't like blue cheeses try with goat cheese it will taste delicious anyway!

Pear and Blue Cheese Tartlets

Serves 5

For the pastry:

100 g butter cold and cubed
150 g all-purpouse flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
a pinch of black peper
1 large egg

For the filling:
3 poached pears (I used this recipe, for english instructions you can follow this recipe)
100 g blue cheese
100 ml crème fraîche
1 large egg
salt and peper

For the instrucctions of the pastry you can check here.

Preheat the oven to 180º and prepare the molds with the pastry. 

For the filling mix in a bowl the crème fraîche with the beaten egg. Add some salt and peper and the crumbeled cheese. Fill the tarts with the mixture and top with sliced poeached pears. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top and the pastry gets slightly golden brown. 

Have a nice week  ♥

Coconut Custard Pots

Hello!! how was your Easter week? Did you do something special? I stayed in the Netherlands, here was only yesterday Monday a day off, but anyway I enjoyed those 3 days off a lot. Weather was quite good and we had such a big meal on Sunday and we could enjoy the garden and make a barbacue. Yesterday was an other story, rain was back but this is Holland. The good news is I will be in Madrid next weekend, first of all to meet all my old friends and enjoy the big city but also taking advantage that it takes place Expotarta, we will meet there also with some of the collegues of the magazine which I'm collaborating with. I´m really looking forward to go! Next week I will let you know about my experience.

Today I wanted to share with you an other jar recipe, this time with coconut. I specially like the coconut flakes in this recipe, but if you rather like it smooth do not add them, just with the coconut milk will be tasty enough. 

Coconut Pots

Serves 6

200 ml whole milk
400 ml coconut milk
3 egg yolk large
90 g sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
50 g grated coconut

Whisk the egg yolks, the sugar and the cornstarch in a bowl until smooth. 

Put the coconut milk and the whole milk in a saucepan and cook until just before start boiling. 

Remove from the heat and pour the milk into the previous mixture bowl slowly and mixing at the same time.

Put everything back in the saucepan, add the grated coconut and cook over low heat whisking constantly until starts to thinken, remove remove from heat and pour the mixture in the moldes, let them cool completly and refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

You can top before serving with some more grated coconut. 

You can check also this cookie custard pot here or the praline one.

Have a nice week  ♥

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart

This tart is extemly yummy, the combination of the salty caramel with the chocolate is perfect. Please do not use table salt, take salt flakes or fleur de sel, diference is considerably better.

Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart

pastry:

130 g cold butter
80 g white sugar
170 g flour
30 g unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 yellow large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
1/4 teaspoon salt

salty caramel:

60 g butter
2 tablespoons water
50 g light brown sugar
50 g white sugar
100 ml heavy cream
fleur de sel (I used about 1/4 teaspoon)

ganache:

150 g dark chocolate
125 ml heavy cream
20 g butter

pastry: Beat the butter and the sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer on a medium speed about 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add flour, cocoa and salt, continue mixing and finally add the egg yolks and mix until strats sticks together. Shape dough into a disk using your hands, warp in plastic and refigerate 1 hour up to 2 days. Can also be freezed up to 3 months.

salty caramel: for the caramel you can have a look here. 

On a floured surface, roll out dough and fill a loose-bottomed tin of 23 cm. Trim and pierce bottoms with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170º. Cover the tin with baking paper and fill it with dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes remove parchment and weights and continue baking until crust sets, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack in the mold.

Once it has cooled down complety spread the salty caramel all over the cake and place it in the fridge to set while we do the ganache.

ganache: Bring the heavy cream to boil on a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove just when starts boiling and pour in the chopped chocolate the butter and stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Let it cool for a while.

Cover the cake with the chocolate ganache and sprinkle it some salt all over. 

Do you like this kind of tarts? You can have a look to this one here as well.

Have a nice week  ♥

Asparagus Tart

Another savory tart, this time with one of my favorite greens! (well after the spinach). Asparagus are so tasty, healthy and they look really gorgeous on a plate. I've got a new book for my birthday (Hartige Taart) which means Savory Cakes and this is my adapted version of one of the recipes. The filling has no egg, instead has a soft bechamel sauce with the special touch of saffron which gives an extra taste and a wonderful color. 

Asparagus Tart

makes a 20 cm round mold
For the pastry:

100 g butter cold and cubed
150 g all-purpouse flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
a pinch of black peper
1 large egg

For the filling:

100 g green asparagus
50 g butter
50 g flour
500 ml whole milk
5 saffron threads or ground saffron
nutmeg, salt and pepper

For the instrucctions for the pastry you can check here.

Preheat the oven to 180º and prepare a 20 cm tin with the pastry. 

Cook the asparagus very short (2-3 minutes) in boiling water, take them out and put in cold water to make them keep their green color

Make a bechamel sauce by melting the butter, add the the flour and stir, then add the milk little by little while continue stirring on slow heat until thikens.
Flavor the sauce by adding salt, pepper, nutmeg and saffron.

Pour the bechamel into the tin, place the asparagus on the top and bake for 30 minutes until the top and the pastry gets slightly golden brown. Allow to set for 10 minutes before serving. 

If you want to know a little bit more about me you can have a look to this interview.

Have a nice week  ♥