Express Tartelettes with a light, creamy cheese fill, and a berry middle

We all need a treat from time to time, a little extravagance, to boost us up. Manufacture this on Sunday – it doesn’t matter when, you will need one to two hours including cleaning up, but as a sideline, while doing something else or nothing at all. Enjoy it on Monday morning, with the first cup of coffee, and softly played Chet Baker as a background.

The Pastry

For the pastry, mix the flour, the butter, the water with a pinch of salt. Knead until smooth, let it rest, cool and covered, for 30 minutes. Spread evenly onto six tartelettes forms, pinch the bottoms with a fork, cover with metal foil, then add something as a weight: rice, or dry beans. Bake for approx. 15 minutes in the preheated oven (180 °C) for 15 minutes – or until the pastry doesn’t feel “raw” anymore on the edges. Take it out and remove the rice and the foil.

(If you lack time, use a ready-made pastry for quiche and tarts. Yes, you are allowed.)

The Filling

With a ladle, pour the filling into the forms. It shouldn’t reach farther than 3 mm under the upper edge of the pastry. Bake for another 30 minutes. The fill should have risen and curdled from the edges to the center. It shouldn’t be jittery anymore.

The Topping

In the meantime, batter the egg whites foamy and stiff, add the sugar, and the frozen berry mix. They should still be frozen, but they shouldn’t cling to each other. Carefully, add two heaped tbs of this mixture in the middle of each tartelettes – it should cover approx. one-third of the surface.

Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Closing Up

If a couple of small tartelettes is too much fiddle work, use a bigger form, a 24 cm – or 26 cm (it will get very flat) will do.

If there is any pastry left, cover it with plastic wrap first, then with aluminum wrap and refrigerate. Use it soon: for sweet cookies, salty stripes, another smaller tart, or similar.

If there are any fill and berry mix left, mix together, pour it in a heat-resistant, well-buttered form, and bake for 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

For the pastry: 250 g butter, 250 g flour, 125 ml water, salt.

For the filling: 300 g curd cheese or ricotta, 200 ml liquid cream, 135 g sugar, vanilla sugar, a bit of lemon zest (organic, or at least natural), 2 egg yolks

For the topping: 2 egg whites, 250 g frozen berry mix, 3 tbs sugar