Savory Cheese Tartlets with Honey-Thyme Berries
Servings
24tartlets, 8 to 12 servings
Servings
24tartlets, 8 to 12 servings
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Dough
  • 1cup unbleached all-purpose flour(dip and sweep)
  • pinch of salt
  • 7tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature
  • 3ounces cream cheese, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature
  • softened butter, for the pans (optional)
Filling
  • 3ounces rindless goat cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/4teaspoon salt
  • 1teaspoon minced fresh thyme
  • 1/4teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2tablespoons honey, preferably full-flavored, such as chestnut or thyme, warmed
  • About 1cup mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, and sliced strawberries)
  • Small fresh thyme leaves, removed from their stems, for garnish
Instructions
  1. To make the dough: Combine the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade and pulse to combine. Add the butter and cream cheese and pulse about 10 times, until the mixture begins to clump together. Gather up the dough and shape into a thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and easy to handle, about 2 hours.
  2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Have ready two 12-cup miniature muffin pans (each cup measuring 1 7/8 inches across the top and 7/8 inches deep), preferably nonstick. If the pans are not nonstick, lightly butter them.
  3. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. One at a time, place a piece of dough in a muffin cup, and use your fingers to press it firmly and evenly up the sides to make a pastry shell. (A wooden tart tamper can help the job go quickly.) Freeze for 5 minutes.
  4. To make the filling: Mash the goat cheese and cream cheese until smooth. Add the egg, yolk, minced thyme, salt, and pepper and whisk until combined. Spoon equal amounts of the filling into the chilled pastry shells.
  5. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is puffed, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans. Remove the tartlets from the pans and transfer to a wire cake rack to cool completely. (If you wish, warm the tartlets in a preheated 350F oven for 5 minutes before serving.)
  6. Just before serving, lightly brush the tops of the tartlets with about half of the honey. Arrange the berries on top as desired. Drizzle with the remaining honey. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves and serve.
Recipe Notes

Note: You will need two 12-cup mini-muffin pans, measuring 1 7/8 inches across and 7/8 inches deep.  I also like a wooden tart tamper to press the dough into shape.  Both of these are available at amazon.com and kitchenware stores.