Blueberry Cheese Tart 蓝莓起司塔

I always love my mother's recipe, because I know I will never fail if I follow. When I was in high school, she always bakes some treats for me and my sisters. If not mistaken, she used to attend the baking class every weeks. This recipe is one of her collection from the baking course, but she always likes to modify the recipes to match with her homemade taste, and she never fail to surprise me. =)

I'm glad she share her recipes with me all the time, and give me some tips how to improve the recipes. And now, I would like to share with you guys how I bring the cheese tart to a higher level.

First, I use cold butter to make the crust instead of softened butter. Use a pastry cutter, fork, or 2 knives (I use food processor), combine the cold butter with flour. This technique is called rubbed-dough or cutting-dough method. With this method, your crust will be very flaky.

Second, I use a very good quality cream cheese. The higher quality the creamier texture will be presented. Some of the parity price cream cheese consists a lot of liquid, so the consistency of the cream cheese batter will be quite liquidity.

Third, I use my homemade blueberry sauce for the topping. Of course you may use the store bought jam, but I prefer homemade. The colour and the fragrance of homemade sauce is way better than the manufactured one. 

提示：
第一，我用冷却牛油来做面皮。用酥皮切刀，叉子，或两个小刀子（我用食物处理机），将面粉和冷却牛油快速混合在一起。这种技术称为摩擦面团或切割面团法。用这个方法饼皮会烤得比较酥。

第二，我使用品质比较好的奶油起司。品质约好的奶油起司，质感呈现约好。一些平价的奶油起司包含较多的液体，所以打出来的奶油起司糊会比较稀薄。

第三，我用自制的蓝莓酱。当然可以使用商店卖的果酱，但是我更喜欢自制的。自制的果酱所呈现出来的颜色及香气会比包装的好很多。

So, I hope you enjoy your baking time with my recipe and tips, and don't be hesitate to ask me if you have any questions. Happy baking and enjoy~

Blueberry Cheese Tart video on YouTube (I can't insert the video here now, will update once I fix!)

Ingredients:

Crust 

125g      Unsalted Butter, cold

60g      Icing Sugar

1      Egg Yolk

250g      All Purpose Flour (Plain Flour)

1 tbsp      Cold Water

Filling

250g      Cream Cheese, softened in room temperature

20g      Unsalted Butter, softened in room temperature

60g      Icing Sugar

1      Egg

Amount of Homemade Blueberry Sauce

Methods:

1. Preheat the oven in 180˚C / 350˚F.

2. Cut the butter into cubes and place in freezer about 10 minutes before use.

3. Place the flour into a food processor (if you don't have food processor, you can process it in a large bowl with a fork or pastry cutter), and then place the cold butter into it. Pulse the food processor about 20 times, until the mixture become a bread crumb texture. 

4. Add in the icing sugar and continue to process until combined.

5. Add in the egg yolk and cold water, continue to process until form a dough.

6. Divide the dough into 24 pieces evenly. Place each dough in the mini tart moulds.

7. Press the dough to the side of the mould until the desire thickness, and then cut out the excess dough.

8. Use a folk to poke some holes to the bottom of the crust. (this will let it cook evenly and prevent it puffs too much)

9. Bake them about 10-12 minutes, or until lightly brown.

10. Meanwhile, beat the softened cream cheese and butter in a large bowl, beat until very smooth and creamy.

11. Add in the egg and continue beat to combine.

12. After that, add in the icing sugar, stir it until the batter has covered the sugar. Beat it in medium speed until totally combined and become very smooth.

13. Spoon the cream cheese filling into the tart shells.

14. Drop some blueberry sauce on the centre, and then use a skewer gently draw a marble pattern on the surface.

15. Bake them in the preheated oven about 8-10 minutes, or until it set.

16. Let them cool in the mould about 5 minutes, and then remove from the mould and leave it cool completely on a wire rack.

17. Store in the refrigerator before serve.

材料：

面皮

125克      无盐牛油，冷却

60克      糖粉

1颗      蛋黄

250克      普通面粉

1大匙      冷水

馅料

250克      奶油奶酪／奶油起司，室温软化

20克      无盐牛油，室温软化

60克      糖粉

1颗      全蛋

适量      自制蓝莓酱

做法：

1. 预热烤箱180˚C / 350˚F。

2. 将牛油切块后放入冷冻室大约10分钟。

3. 把面粉倒入食物处理机里 （如果你没有处理机，你可以用叉子或酥皮切刀来处理），然后放入冷却牛油。盖上盖子后，停顿处理机大约20次，将混合物处理至面包屑的质感。

4. 加入糖粉继续混合一起。

5. 加入蛋黄和冷水，继续混合直至形成一个面团。

6. 将面团均匀分成24块，放入小塔模中。

7. 用拇指将面皮推向塔模边，直到满 意的厚度，然后切出多余的面皮。

8. 在面皮底部，用叉子搓几个洞。（这会让它烤得比较均匀，并防止鼓起太多）

9. 放入预热烤箱，大约烤10至12分钟。

10. 同时，将软化于室温的奶油起司和牛油一起打发至非常顺滑。

11. 加入鸡蛋继续打至均匀。

12. 然后加入糖粉，搅拌至面糊覆盖着糖粉。然后用中速打发至完全结合及非常顺滑。

13. 用汤匙将奶油起司馅放入塔壳中。

14. 滴一些蓝莓酱在中央，然后用牙签或串支在表面上轻轻划出大理石花纹。

15. 送进预热烤箱，大约烤8至10分钟至熟透。

16. 从烤箱拿出后待凉约5分钟，然后将起司塔从模具中取出，放在烤架网上让它完全凉透。

17. 凉透后存放在冰箱里，味道会更佳。

No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake (Glutin Free)

I had tried so many times to make a no-bake cheesecake, and I also failed so many times.
My cheesecake doesn't set, the texture is just like a thick cream.
I keep searching for the demonstration of making it, and I finally found on Allrecipes channel.
I substituted the cream cracker base to the Oreo base.
In this recipe, I mix the Oreo cookies with some cream crackers.
It is because I don't like it too sweet.
And then for the topping, I just simply put some Oreo cookies on top.
It is totally up to you and what you like.

Here is the ingredients you need, and just follow the methods......

Ingredients:
For the base:
35g Oreo Cookies (whole cookie with cream filling)
30g Cream Crackers
30g Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
50g Butter, melted
For the filling:
250g (1 package) Cream Cheese (I'm using Philadelphia)
5ml Lemon Juice / 1tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)
235ml (1 cup) Heavy Whipping Cream, room temperature
30g Castor Sugar
30g Oreo Cookies (whole cookie with cream filling), crash
For the topping:
4 pieces of Oreo Cookies (separated and remove the cream filling)

Methods:
For the base:
1. Put the cookies and crackers inside a ziploc bag, punch it with a rolling pin until its becomes crumb. If you have a food processor, you may just work with it.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon.Add melted butter and mix well. It will become like a wet sand.
3. Press the wet crumbs into the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan evenly with hands, to make it more pack, you may use a glass to help. Chill in refrigerator until firm, around 30 minutes.
For the filling:
1. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and lemon juice/vanilla extract together until soft.
2. Add whipping cream and beat with an electric mixer until the batter becomes thick.
3. Add the sugar and continue to beat until STIFF.
4. Finally add the Oreo crumbs, combine with spatula or wooden spoon slowly.
5. Pour the mixture into the chilled base, and top with the Oreo cookies.
6. Chill it at least 4 hours. For best result, chill it overnight.

Review - Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I have some remaining cream cheese in my fridge since last time I made a cream cheese frosting for my cupcakes. 

So today I'm doing a review of the Cream Cheese Pound Cake from Joy Of Baking.

This is my very first time to make baked cheese cake.

Normally I just gonna use cream cheese for cold desserts, like no-bake cheese cake or cream cheese frosting.

And this time, although it is not 100% cheese cake, but you can say it is a half cheese half butter cake.

The texture of this pound cake is soft and the taste is so rich. 

The original recipe is about for 12-14 people serves, it is a very large cake. So I had cut off the recipe component to 1/3, and I didn't use lemon zest because it is optional. If you want the original one, you can refer to cream cheese pound cake (Joy Of Baking).

Ingredients:

130g  All Purpose Flour

1/3 tsp  Baking Powder

1/4 tsp  Salt

113g  Unsalted Butter, room temperature

75g  Cream Cheese, room temperature

183g Castor Sugar 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 2 Large Eggs, room temperature Methods: 1. Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. 2. Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together, set aside. 3. Beat the softened butter and cream cheese together, until its very light and fluffy. 4. Add sugar into the cream cheese mixture, add gradually, little by little. Beat about 2 minutes, until very well combined. 5. Add in eggs, one at a time. Beat about 3 minutes until creamy. 6. Add vanilla extract and beat to combined. 7. Add the flour mixture into the battle, divide 3 times to fold it. Beat it until well combined. 8. Pour the battle into a 22x12cm rectangle pan, put it in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until it set.