Cheddar Cheese Tartlets

[jgm]

Cheddar Cheese Tartlets

Serves 30 as Hors d'oeuvre.

This recipe is originally from a Bon Appetit holiday cookbook. Tartlets can be made up to a week ahead, frozen, and rewarmed in a 350 degree oven until heated through. Good warm and at room temperature.

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Cheddar Cheese Pastry

• 1-1/4 c all purpose flour
  
• 1/4 tsp salt
  
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  
• 1-1/4 c loosely packed grated sharp cheddar cheese
  
• 1/2 c chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  
• 5 tsp (approx) ice water
  

Filling:

• 1 c cottage cheese
  
• 1/2 c heavy cream
  
• 1 c loosely packed grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1/4 tsp salt
  
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  
• 1/3 c finely chopped green onions (scallions)
  

For pastry: Blend dry ingredients in food processor. Add cheese and butter, and blend until crumbs are coarse and somewhat uniform. Add water and blend until dough forms clumps. (I have actually added quite a bit more water than the recipe calls for.)Remove dough from processor, form into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate an hour, or up to 3 days. If refrigerating longer than an hour, allow to stand at room temp a few minutes.

For filling:

Blend cottage cheese and cream well, until smooth. Add 1 cup of shredded cheese (reserve 1/4 cup), rest of ingredients and process until well blended.

Roll out pastry very thin - about 1/8 inch, and cut with a 2 1/2 inch cookie or biscuit cutter. Ease dough into wells of a mini-muffin tin. If necessary, gather dough and re-roll and cut. Spoon about a tablespoon of filling into each cup. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese on tartlets. Bake until cheese is melted and filling is set, about 10 minutes. Allow tartlets to cool in tins a few minutes, then use a table knife to assist in popping them out of cups.

Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Vegetarian, Intermediate, Cheese

( RG1452 )