Cakes and pastries come into my mind first whenever I think about baking whereas my small cute book of baking provides me recipes with a range a savoury items as well apart from sweet ones.

In Europe, particularly in Netherlands, you will be flooded with a variety of cheeses among which Gouda and Edam are most popular. The use of cheese in a dish enhances its richness and taste. In fact none of Italian dishes are imaginable without cheese.

The present recipe of savoury tartlets is pretty much interesting for the cheese sauce filling. Here the cheese sauce is made of Cheddar cheese, a particular form of cheese originated from a small town called Cheddar, in Somerset, UK. With a single bite in the tartlets, a miniature form of tarts, one can feel the melted warm cheese with a taste of sourness coming from the tiny cherry tomatoes.

Ingredients to serve 12 :

For pastry :

1. Plain flour – 200 gm.
2. Pinch of salt
3. Cold butter, cut into pieces – 100 gm.
4. Poppy seed – 2 teaspoon
5. Cold water

For filling :

1. Cherry tomato – 24
2. Olive oil – 1 tbspoon
3. Unsalted butter – 2 tbspoon
4. Plain flour – 2 tbspoon
5. Milk – 250 ml.
6. Mature Cheddar cheese – 50 gm.
7. Cream cheese – 100 gm.
8. Salt and pepper
9. Fresh basil leaves to garnish

   

Procedure :

Lightly grease a 7.5 cm/3 inch muffin tin (6 or 12 cups).

Sift the flour and salt into a food processor, add the butter and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. You can also do it by hand without using any food precessor.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl and add the poppy seeds and just enough cold water to bring the dough together.

Now divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll them out, on a floured work surface, into 12 cm./4½ inch diameter circles. [Alternatively cut the dough in half. Roll out the first piece and cut out six 9 cm/3½ inch circles. Roll out each circles to a 12 cm./4½ inch diameter. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.] I follow the first procedure.

Now press these circles into the muffin cups.

Put a piece of baking paper in each cup and fill with dried beans. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Bake blind for 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 200ºC, then remove the paper and beans.

Put the tomatoes in an ovenproof dish, drizzle with the olive oil and roast for 5 minutes.

Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for 5 – 8 minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring, and cook for further 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cheeses until well combined.

Put 2 tomatoes in each tart case and spoon in the cheese sauce, then put back into the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top each tartlet with basil leaf.

Yummy tartlets are reday to be served. 🙂

 Note :

1. If you don’t find Cheddar cheese then use any similar type of cheese which melts fast.