Eggless Custard Fruit Tart

A recipe...long due to be written. Finally, here it is!! I never had a 'tart' pan before. The other day at Target...I found this colorful cool looking one! It has a removable bottom...which is perfect!!

So, this tart was going to be a 'dessert' for a friends birthday party...and many of them happen to be 'vegetarian'...and so I was hunting for 'Eggless' Tart recipes.Where else do you find a good baking recipe???....My favorite 'go to' site: www.joyofbaking.com

Shortbread crust:
I baked the crust, just like how they tell to...there is even a video for it. It comes out so buttery and flaky..it will just melt in your mouth!!
The only think I changed was the baking temperature: I baked the crust at 350F for 20-22 mins (The pan had those instructions)
http://www.joyofbaking.com/EasyFruitTartRecipe.html

Custard filling:
This one..I made up.Just like the custard made with 'custard powder', in the 'fruit salad with custard recipe....it is similar ...just needs to be 'thicker'.
 Ingredients:
2 Cups whole milk
4tbsp Custard powder
4tbsp sugar
1/2tsp vanilla extract
4tbsp cream cheese(optional- if you want a little 'tart' flavor)

Method:
1)Mix the custard powdered with 1/2 cup milk and mix till smooth and all lumps are gone.
2) Heat the remaining milk. When it is warm, slowly add the custard powder mixed with milk.Stir continuously on medium-low flame till it thicken up.
3) Add the sugar and mix.Boil more for couple mins.Stir constantly till thick.Add vanilla extract and mix. Take off the flame. Let it cool completely. Stir after every few mins, when it is cooling.It will thicken more.
4) Meanwhile bring the cream cheese to room temperature.Whisk it into smooth paste.Add to the cooled custard and whisk till well incorporated.
5) Pour the cooled custard into the baked cooled tart. Smoothen it with a spoon. Chill in the refrigerator covered till ready to decorate with fruits.

Fruits: (of your choice. More colorful the better!)
Strawberries
Blueberries
Kiwis
grapes
mandarin oranges
You can decorate the tart in any pattern. Fill the tart with fruits.Do this few hours before ready to serve.Chill in the refrigerator,covered with plastic wrap.

You can glaze the cut up fruit with 'sugar syrup' or apricot/ or any other fruit preserves.This will prevent the fruits from drying up and they will appear fresh for longer!

Eggless Fruit Tartlets

I am in charge of making dessert for the next weeks 'Potluck' party for couple of my vegetarian friends. Now that means, I could turn to the traditional Indian sweets(usually made without any eggs) or try out something new!! Since I am shying away slightly, from the really 'sweet' sweets....I thought this mildly sweet, creamy, yet colorful and crunchy 'Fruit Tartlets' might just be the thing to do!!
The shells and the filling both are eggless.

Tartlet Shells/Shortbread crust:

Ingredients:
Tartlet shell/Shortbread crust: (Makes 22 tartlets)
1 Cup All purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter(cold)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/8tsp salt
few drops of water

Custard cream filling:
1 Cup whole milk
2tbsp vanilla custard powder
2.5 tbsp sugar
3tbsp cream cheese
1/2tsp lemon zest

Fruits:
Cut up Strawberries or other berries and kiwis


 Method:
1) Cut the butter into small pieces. Sieve together flour,sugar,salt.Add the butter.With your hands rub the butter on the flour, till the mixture looks crumbly. Form into a dough , by adding few drops of water if needed. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 20-30 mins.

 2) Preheat the oven to 350F.Spray a mini muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.Roll out the dough, into about 3 mm thickness. Cut out rounds with a cookie cutter.I used a small tartlet mold for the flowery borders!

3) Place the cut out dough in the mini muffin pan.Prick 2-3 times with a fork.Bake at 350F for 18-22 mins, till golden brown. Remove from the pan and let them cool.These can be stored for few days in air tight container.

 4) Cream filling:
 Bring the cream cheese to room temperature.
Mix together custard powder and 4tbsp milk,till no lumps are seen.Mix this with the rest of the milk and sugar. Boil on low-medium flame while stirring continuously till it thickens and forms a thick creamy filling. Let it cool completely.Stir every few mins even while cooling to avoid lumps from forming.
Beat the cream cheese till soft and smooth.Fold into the custard.Add lemon zest.Mix

5) Before serving the tartlets-Fill the custard-cream cheese mixture in a ziplock bag. Cut out a small end. Squeeze the filling in the tartlets.

6) Decorate with cut up fruit! Chill for 20 mins. Enjoy!!

"Sweet Treats"- Fruit Custard in Filo cups

For last weeks Potluck, I was in charge of making the dessert.Potlucks are a lot of fun, especially since, you get to meet everyone and also taste variety of good food. Needless to say, it adds 'happy pounds' on you!!!
So the menu for this weeks potluck was...2 types of pastas, a soup, a salad and then a dessert.Everything tasted good and we had a satisfying meal at 'V''s new house.

Ingredients:
For Fruit Custard

Milk
Custard powder of your favorite brand and flavor
Fruits cut into bite size pieces: Apples,peeled oranges,Pineapple, grapes, bananas
Handful of chocolate chips
Vanilla essence
Sprinkles for decoration

1) Make the custard according to directions on the custard powder can.Let it cool
2) Add the Vanilla essence,chopped fruits,chocolate chips and chill in refrigerator.

Phyllo/Filo Dough Cups:
6 Phyllo sheets
2tbsp melted butter
muffin pans
1) Thaw the filo dough as per packet directions
2) Place 1 rectangular sheet of filo on cutting board. Apply melted butter gently with a brush.Apply through the whole sheet. Be gentle, otherwise the sheets will tear.

3) Place next sheet on top of this buttered sheet.Apply butter.Repeat the same and stack all sheets on top of one another.Cut into 6 squares and place them in muffin pans.

 4) Bake at 350F for 8-10 mins till golden brown.Check packet for exact baking time for that brand of filo dough.

5) Let the filo cups cool before filling with fruits custard.

6) Just before serving, fill the cups with cold Fruit custard till the top and garnish with sprinkles.

The crisp buttery filo along with chilled creamy fruit custard gives a wonderful explosion of textures in every bite!

"Sweet Treats"- Shrikhand/ Fruit and Nut Shrikhand

HAPPY GUDHI PADWA 2011!!!

'Shrikhand' is one of the favorite sweets at home.Back home in India, it was surely on the menu for 'Padwa'. Last night I had all forgotten about 'Padwa' being today. This morning when I remembered,I checked the refrigerator and found 1 can of yogurt and some fruits. There I had the sweet for the occasion!
Earlier ...Shrikhand mostly came in 2 flavors- Elaichi and Mango (Amrakhand)...but now they make various different varieties...Fruit Shrikhand, Nuts Shrikhand, Dry Fruits Shrikhand etc etc...
I decided to sort of combine all of that and make my 'Fruit and Nut Shrikhand'

 Ingredients:

1- 32 Oz can of Plain yogurt(Will make about 1+ cup of Shrikhand)
1/4-1/3rd cup sugar (depends on how sweet you want it)
1/2 tsp Elaichi powder(Cardamon)
1/4tsp Nutmeg powder
1 pinch Saffron
1tsp warm milk

Fruits and Nuts cut up in small pieces:
Mango
Apples
Raisins
Almonds
Pistachios
Cashews

Method:
1) On a cheesecloth, drain the yogurt.Tie the cheesecloth and hang for atleast 4 hrs.

2) All the water in the yogurt should drip away to give thick 'Chakka'. You can do this overnight.But 4-5 hrs will yield sufficient thick chakka.
3) Squeeze the cheesecloth occasionally to help water drain.

4) To the Chakka, add  sugar, cardamon, saffron in warm milk,nutmeg and mix well.Garnish with saffron and nuts.

5) For' fruit and nut' Shrikhand add the fruits and nuts.

"Sweet Treats"- Phyllo cups with Yogurt and Fruits

The long weekend was very much relaxing.We did not travel anywhere....but.....met friends, ate, watched movies, slept.Sometimes.... that is all what you are looking forward too!
So, we were going to have 'P-V-K' over for lunch yesterday.I planned a simple menu and a simple dessert.
It's fun to keep it 'casual' when you have friends over. That way everyone is comfortable and relaxed.
Sometimes 'simple' foods are the ones which are comforting and give pleasure.Infact as kids.....even a small 'M and M' or 'Bread and Jam' sandwich is all you need to get a smile on that face! It is so easy to make kids happy.I have seen 'E' enjoy the 'simplicity' of life! Happinesss comes to him in 'simplest' things!
And that's true.....as they say: Life's Greatest pleasures can often be the 'Simplest' ones!
So....
I put together this 'simple' dessert to end  the meal. It is very easy, quick, 'not too sweet' and looks very pretty! Love the crunch of the phyllo cups and contrast it gives to the smooth creamy texture of the yogurt!

Ingredients:(For making 6 cups)
6 sheets of Phyllo dough ( thawed to room temp)
1tbsp melted butter
2 cups flavored yogurt of your choice (I used 'Raspberry' and 'Vanilla' flavors)
1/2cup Pineapple cut into small pieces( I used 'Dole' canned pineapple)
1/4cup Pomogranate

Method:
1) Carefully unfold phyllo sheets.They are paper thin, so be gentle.
2) Place 1 sheet on a big flat surface.Brush lightly wth melted butter.Place 2nd phyllo sheet on top.Smooth out.Brush with butter and place the next sheet.Repeat for the remaining sheets.
3) Cut out 6 squares from sheet and place them in 'muffin' pans, to create 'cups'.

4) Bake at 350F for 15 mins till the cups are golden brown in color.Let them cool.

5) Just before serving: Place 2-3 spoonfulls of yogurt in the cups, top with fruits.

6) Dig in the crisp phyllo cup and enjoy the  'crunch' along with 'smooth creamy cold sweet ' yogurt and fruits!