{the recipe redux} time to celebrate - blueberry tartlets
Thursday, June 21, 2012 at 10:00AM It's been a year.
Seriously... an entire year since we first launched The Recipe ReDux. What started out as a fun little idea to get some like-minded bloggers together has grown into one of the projects I'm most proud to ever have launched. Nearly every week we add new members to the blogroll, and I continue to be amazed at the talent of the bloggers I meet through ReDux. To each and every one of you who is blogging along each month, I sincerely thank you and am so glad we met!
Now... onto the food!
This month's topic, fitting of a 1 year anniversary, is Small Bites for Big Celebrations. The ReDux has and always will be about celebrating good food - good food not only in terms of nutrition, but taste as well. So when the idea surfaced to celebrate with dessert, my partners and I had to pause to consider "what" type of desserts did we want to celebrate with?
The choices are plentiful... we could have opted to limit to the obligatory cake or cupcakes. But ReDux is about exploring new/tasty ways to enjoy food, in a healthier way. So we decided to let people choose whatever festive dessert they liked, just pairing down the serving size.
The message: not every dish has to be naturally low in calories to be worthy of a healthy indulgence. Sometimes, you just opt for a smaller serving size.
And so I offer you a Blueberry Tartlet.
Inspired by our family's annual blueberry harvest (one of my FAVORITE times of year)...
...and my recent induction into the school of "I Can Make Puff Pastry" (thanks to my new friends at King Arthur Flour), these little tartlets are simple to make, but look impressive to guests.
Just say the words "Homemade Puff Pastry" and even the most skilled of bakers will swoon at your accomplishment. The secret? I learned from King Arthur Flour that you could replicate the roll, butter, layer process (a time-consuming process at best) of a traditional puff pastry by cutting in your butter in large, flat pieces. Then you simply knead together, roll out and fold twice.
Seriously... that's the trick. And it works! The flat, large layers of butter in a dough that's not overworked help replicate those pockets of fat and moisture that give puff pastry it's puff and rise.
And while we're talking puff pastry.... let's don't be afraid of the judicious use of a little puff pastry (especially homemade) in a dish like this. Yes, it's mostly butter and a little flour. But you're not using it in large amounts and the flavor, look & mouth feel it gives to a dish isn't easily replicated. These tartlets are small, so don't get caught up in the ratio of butter, etc. Just enjoy. I know I did!
Again, thank you to everyone who has participated in The ReDux and to all of you who have followed along this year! Happy Anniversiary!
Blueberry Tartlets
Ingredients (10 tartlets)
Puff Pastry
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) all-purpose flour (I used 4 ounces King Arthur Flour all-purpose + 2 ounces whole wheat pastry flour)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled well and cut into large chunks (I used Cabot Creamery butter)
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) sour cream
Filling
- 2 tabelspoons heavy cream
- Fresh blueberries
- Turbinado sugar
Instructions
For Puff Pastry
Blend flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in chilled butter, leaving large pieces intact and flattened. Mix in sour cream (dough will not be formed at this point).
Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and pull it together with a few quick kneads. Pat dough into a square and roll into a 8- x 10-inch rectangle, using plenty of flour to keep from sticking.
Dust excess flour off surface of dough, and fold in three (like a business letter).
Flip dough over, turn 90 degrees and repeat rolling and folding process. Chill dough 30 minutes before using.
For tartlets
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Divide puff pastry dough in half (reserve remaining dough for another use). Roll dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Using tartlets pans, press out dough and fit into pans. (I re-roll scraps, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake).
Brush crusts evenly with cream. Spoon about 1 tablespoon fresh blueberries into each tartlet and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned.
As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians, The Recipe ReDux aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover. Thank you for visiting. We hope you enjoy!
(Please note that this is a closed link-up for Recipe ReDux posts only. Any links added to this collection for non-ReDux posts will be deleted.)
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