#244_Very Berry Brownie Fruit Tart

Sometimes called Fruit Pizza, this pie is to die for....
it's a real scrumptious dessert.

Serve a piece of this to each your guests and watch them
lick their forks, lick their fingers, lick their plates, smack their lips
or look at you crossed eyed
insinuating they want another piece.
Yes, it's that delicious....and guests are allowed to break some of
Emily Post's etiquette rules in this yummie situation.

This dessert is not only scrumptious, but it is truly, really easy to make...just open a box of brownie mix, follow the directions and you have a brownie base.

For this dessert I used a box of triple chunks brownie mix, but you can use any fudge brownie variety. One box makes two 10-inch plates with higher rims or you can make the brownie in one rectangular baking pan.

The cream filling is made of 2 boxes (3.3 oz.) of instant white chocolate pudding mix using 2 cups of milk, mixed with one bar of cream cheese in a food processor.... like the cream filling I use for Crema de Fruta, entry #28, only the amount of milk is decreased to 2 cups.

Here's the recipe for the Cream Filling:

2 packages (3.5 oz each) instant pudding mix*

1 package cream cheese, softened

2 cups cold milk

In a bowl beat cream cheese and set aside. In another bowl, beat pudding and milk until thick, ( food processor works best for this part) Add the cream cheese and continue to beat until mixture is smooth. Consistency should be like mayonnaise. Spread over cooled brownie.

*Note: you can use either 1 box instant lemon pudding mix and 1 box of white chocolate pudding mix...excellent combination or just use one kind)

Strawberries are slightly coated with some glaze made of Danish Desserts then arranged on top of the pudding. Put the dessert in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Aside from the strawberries, other fruits I used are
kiwifruit, raspberries, and blackberies.

This fruit combination was an inspiration from a cake
by Jane Embry who is a
PinoyAmericanFavoriteRecipes fan on FaceBook,

Please take a bite!!!

#162_ Blueberry Mango Custard Tart

Blueberry Mango Custard Tart

This is my entry to the Blogger's Blueberry Recipe Contest sponsored by the US Highbush Blueberry Council.

I made this dessert using the Mango Custard Tart, recipe #160,
with a very slight tweak.
Instead of using two mangoes, I just used one,
cubed it and hid it under the cream filling on the crust.
Then arranged the blueberries on top of the filling.

One discovery that amazed me while making this dessert was the marriage between the mango and the blueberries. I didn't think it was possibly good. I was in awe! because it was like made in heaven! they go together really well. Hope you'll try this recipe because it is really worth trying. It is very fantastic! I'm not saying it to pat myself on the back. This is my third time in a row using the cream filling and won't be the last one.
I think I am obsessed with the cream filling.
Beware, it is really very addicting!

For this dessert you'll need:

1 pkg (8oz) Fillo Dough
1 recipe for Custard Cream Filling
2 cups blueberries
1 stick butter, melted
I ripe mango, cubed


Preparing the Fillo Dough:

It is probably best to use one of those tart pans with removable bottom for this kind of crust, but I don't own one, so I just improvised. If you read my previous entry, #160, you'll know that I'm just a newbie with Fillo dough.

So this is how I assembled the Fillo dough sheets. This might not get the approval of Pastry Chefs, but it worked for me.

I thawed out 1 package of Fillo dough for about 30 minutes
then I tore about 5 inches off the dough (left side of photo)
so I have square sheets to work with.
I brushed each sheet with melted butter.

I piled each buttered sheet on a greased baking pan
in a staggering manner then tucked under
the pointy ends to form a rough circle.

I then took some pieces of dough sheets that I tore off and twisted them as I lay them around the edges. Before sliding it in the oven, I partly cut the crust about 3 inches from the edges. This way when you slice the tart before serving, the crust won't break into pieces as the crust is so flaky and crunchy. I learned a lesson from the first one I made. I baked the pastry in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven for about 20 minutes.

I encountered a little problem though while baking the crust.
The dough keeps puffing up, so I kept pricking the bottom with tines of a fork.
Other than that, Fillo doughs are actually easy to work with.

Custard Cream Filling:

(from recipe #160)

3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup fresh milk
1 cup coconut cream
6 egg yolks, slightly beaten

Mix the flour and sugar together in a sauce pan

Pour in the milk and the coconut cream and stir until the flour is totally dissolved. Turn stove on. Over medium heat cook the mixture until it becomes bubbly, stirring constantly, then turn the heat down to medium low and continue to stir. (I didn't have to cook this in a double boiler). Actually this is the only hard part of making this dessert.... constantly stirring the mixture. In a way, this makes a good work out for the arm!

Take the pan off the stove and pour in the egg yolks little by little, continuosly stirring the mixture. Make sure not to get impatient and pour in the yolks more than a tablespoon at a time, otherwise you'll end up with scrambled eggs.

When all the yolk is added in to the mixture, return the pan to the stove and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens but spreadable like the consistency of mayonnaise.

Assembling the tart is as easy as 1-2-3

I sliced the mango into cubes,

filled the baked pastry with the cubed mangoes then spooned the Custard Cream Filling over the mangoes. I then arranged the blueberries on the top of the cream filling, but they can also be mixed in with the cream filling, if you prefer so.
The purple in the middle is a dollop of blueberry yogurt.

Hope you give this a try.
ENJOY!

Update: 7-31-09

I shared some of the Blueberry Custard Tart to a sweet neighbor and friend after I took pictures of it for this post...

the other day she brought me back the plate with a lovely thank-you card.
She is such a sweet lady.
Thank you, Kristy. I'm glad you liked it!

#161_Irresistible Mango Custard Pizza Pie

Doesn't this look like pizza?
At first glance, it looks like pineapple pizza.
I didn't realize it until I was uploading these photos.

The crust is the Puff Pastry that I was going to use for the
Mango Custard Filling for the recipe #160,
after I had that disaster trying to make Brazo de Mercedez.

Here's how I did it:

After thawing the Puff Pastry,
I rolled it out on a floured surface to form a circle.
It didn't need to be a perfect circle.

I don't have any experience working with Puff Pastry
other than using it to make pot pies.
So, this is how I formed the edges.
It might not be a professional way, but it worked:
I transferred the dough onto a greased baking pan
and folded over the edges making twisted pleats.

Brushed the dough with egg wash and with tines of a fork,
I then pricked the bottom of the dough.

I baked the dough in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven
for about 20-25 minutes.
When the center of dough overly puffed up while baking,
I gave it more pricks.

I filled the baked crust with the
Mango Custard Cream Filling.
(recipe here)

Now you can choose whether you want to use
the Puff Pastry or the Fillo Dough.
The choice is yours,
they are both fantastic!!

Update: 8-6-09

By all means use this variety of mangoes. The peels are all yellow, no specks of green on them. Here in North America they are called Manila mangoes, click here. You can find them at most Oriental stores and at Costco.

#98_Sweet Potato Cream Tarts

No-bake, Bite-size Dessert.

My dear husband had a bad experience with
sweet potatoes when he was a kid and never liked them anymore after that.
So I had to persuade him to test taste these tarts.
After I handed him one to try, it took him awhile before he put it in his mouth.
When he finally did,I was anticipating a cringed or pulled face, but to
my amazement he bit and swallowed it like he was eating his
favorite cheese cake.
This recipe won him over!

The taste is comparable to that of cheesecake or cream pie
and has several interesting textures going on in just one bite such as the following:
Flakiness from the shells, crunchiness from the nuts, and smoothness from the sweet potatoes.
The cream cheese and the marshmallow creme give it an incredibly good taste.
An addition of sugar is unnecessary as the sweet potatoes have natural sweetness already in them. Although the butterscotch caramel added an extra sweetness to the filling,
it did not result in a cloyingly sweet dessert.

This recipe is my second entry to the
North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission,
a recipe contest for bloggers where I was invited to join by manang.
Thank you manang!

This recipe only calls for a few ingredients. The main ingredient, of course,
is the sweet potato.
I used the store-bought shells so that is one less preparation to do.
Maybe next time when I get a little ambitious,
I will make the shells out of phyllo dough sheets,
but for now I am using "fill and serve" shells.

Here's the ingredients:

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 small jar of marshmallow creme
1/2 cup chopped nuts for filling
2 packs (15 counts each) Fill-and-Serve pastry shells

chopped nuts for garnish

Chopped pecans can be added in the filling or used for garnish, or both.

For the filling:
1) Boil and mash about 2 medium size sweet potatoes.
2) Mix in the softened cream cheese.
4) Fold in the marshmallow creme.
5) Add in the chopped nuts.

Your friends would think you worked all day to make this dessert,
but after you boil the sweet potatoes,little would they know, you can actually put this together in just a few minutes.

The finale:

1) Fill tart shells with the filling.
2) Top them with chopped nuts.
3) Drizzle with butterscotch caramel.
4) Chill for about 2 hours before serving.

That's it! very simple and yet incredibly good!!

#57_FRUIT TARTS

Bite-size Fruit Tarts topped with fresh kiwi and raspsberry fruits and canned pineapple tidbits.

This is one of the desserts I made over the holidays (see NOCHE BUENA entry) unfortunately, I did not have time to post the recipe then, afterall, this dessert is good for any occasion. In fact, the lady I got the recipe from had made these tarts for summer weddings.

The tart shells are made from butter cookie recipe. After mixing all the ingredients, form dough into a log or ball and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for several hours in the fridge. The reason I form the dough this way is because it is easier to cut them into pieces by just using a knife.

TART PRESS
is a very indispensable tool when making these tart shells.

Baked tart shells ready to be filled with cream cheese fillings and fruit toppings.

a) recipe for TART SHELLS : (BUTTER COOKIES)

1 lb. butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

1 egg

4 cups all purpose flour

PROCEDURE:

1) cream together sugar and butter

2) stir in the egg

3) add flour and mix well

4) knead mixture by hand until smooth

5) form dough into 2 logs or balls,

6) wrap doughs with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

7) when ready to make cookies, grease tart moulds with shortening

8) cut doughs into about 200 pieces and form each piece into 1 inch balls

9) press each dough balls into the tart shells with a tart press

10) arrange tart shells onto a cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated 325 degrees oven for 10 minutes or until the edges of cookies turn light brown.

11) fill with cream cheese fillings and top with your favorite fruits

b) CREAM CHEESE FILLINGS:

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 (12oz) cool whip

1 cup powdered sugar

PROCEDURE:

1) cream the cream cheese until light

2) add sugar, beat until well blended

3) fold in the cool whip

NOTES:

1) Flour the TART PRESS before pressing it onto the dough
2) You can substitute sliced fresh strawberries when available..they look elegant.
3) Tart shells can be made few days ahead. Store them in airtight container.

Updated: 9-22-10

Fruit tarts topped with raspberries, strawberries, pineapple tidbits(not pictured)

Filled with baked cheesecakes (New York style)

These shells are made of Chocolate Cookie dough sans the chocolate chips and are molded and baked in mini muffin pans for about 8-10 on 325 degrees oven. After taking them out of the oven while still very hot, press each tart shell down with the tart press before unmolding. Let them cool on wire rack.

*NOCHE BUENA

My husband and I went to a Filipino Christmas Eve dinner (noche buena) at a friend's house yesterday and although I knew they would be serving plenty of food, I asked my friend what she would like me to bring, she suggested that I make some pasta and whatever else I wanted to bring, so I made some PORK JAMBALAYA, FRUIT TARTS, AND BIBINGKA.

I don't have time to post the recipes right now, but I will as soon as I can.

PORK JAMBALAYA WITH MOSTACCIOLI PASTA

FRUIT TARTS

MOCHICO BIBINGKA

My friends, Lisa and Fidel, always serve plenty of food whenever they have parties. For the noche buena dinner, there was fried bangus and tilapia, chicken adobo, crispy pata, pancit, huge shrimps with veggies, and plenty more!