What is not to love with a light baked cream cheese custard with a delicious short crust pastry topped with homemade caramel? Its a match made in heaven.
I played around with the amount of dry ingredients in the shortcrust pastry because I wanted a pastry that hold its shape well during par-baking, the one that do not shrink overly much but still super crunchy and delicious. There is quite a bit of almond meal required in the recipe for this shortcrust pastry but its worth it since it is packed with flavours.
It is always berry season here in Australia (at least it felt like it) and mixed berries were particularly fresh and cheap at my local supermarket hence why I am using these fruits. You can add any type of seasonal fruits as toppings for this tart and it will still be good. Alternatively, pack the top with chocolate shavings if you are making this on a cold day and want something super rich.
So, here it is! Happy baking! :)
RECIPE
Equipment: 180 mm x 45 mm baseless cake ring
Yield: 1 Tart
Preparation Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
TART PASTRY
275 g Plain flour
100 g Almond meal
70 g Icing/powder sugar
2 g Salt
120g Unsalted butter - cold but but not solid
2 g Vanilla beans Paste
50 g Egg (1 Medium Egg)
CREAM CHEESE FILLING
150 g Philadelphia Cream cheese
100 g Caster Sugar
100 g Eggs
60 g Full Cream Milk
180 g Heavy cream 35% Fat
2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
20 g Lemon Juice
CARAMEL
25 g Water
160 g Heavy cream 35% fat
10 g Glucose
90g Sugar
1 g Gold Gelatine Sheets (1/2 sheet)
Method
For the Tart Pastry
275 g Plain flour
100 g Almond meal
70 g Icing/powder sugar
2 g Salt
120g Unsalted butter - cold but but not solid
2 g Vanilla beans Paste
50 g Egg (1 Medium Egg)
1. Pre heat the oven to 170°C fan forced.
Place all the dry ingredients and the sifted icing sugar into a stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Start mixing over low to medium speed until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs with no big lumps of butter present.
2. Add in the egg and continue to mix until the mixture just come together in to a dough.
Lightly dust the work bench with some plain flour and transfer the pastry on to it. Gently knead the dough to incorporate any dry bits that was at the base of the mixing bowl until you get a smooth dough. Avoid over dusting the dough with flour.
3. Place the smooth dough in between two parchment paper and roll the dough to approximately 50 mm in thickness and wide enough for you to cut a disc and strips that go onto the base and side of the baking ring.
Place the pastry sheets flat in the fridge to slightly harden for an hour.
4. When the pastry has harden slightly, release both side of the pastry from the parchment paper then leaving the base of the parchment paper underneath the rolled pastry sheet, cut out a 180 mm diameter disc and sit it at the base of a lightly greased baking ring. With the rest of the pastry sheet, cut out a strip that is around 50mm width (5 mm higher than the height of the ring) and line it around the border of the ring. Cut 2 strips or more if necessary to have enough to go around the border. Ensure to press and adhere all ends so that they stick together. Press down the edges of the strips meeting the base to ensure that they stick as well.
5. Place a scrunched up baking paper over the pastry ensuring the it sits flat at the base, then fill it with baking rice or beans. Blind bake the pastry shell in a pre heated oven for approximately 20 minutes.
6. Remove the baking tray from the oven and gently remove the parchment paper with the baking rice in it. Allow the pastry to cool slightly then return to the oven to bake for a further 15 minutes or until it turns pale brown in colour.
Note: The pastry will bake further with the cheesecake mix later on.
7. Once baked, let cool at room temperature and proceed to preparing the cheesecake filling.
For the Honey Caramel
25 g Water
80g Heavy cream 35% fat
5 g Honey
1 g Gold Gelatine Sheet (1/2 Sheet)
45g sugar
1. Place the gelatine sheet in cold water and allow to hydrate for at least 2 minutes. (If you are unable to find any gelatine sheets, you can use 1 g of gelatine powder mixed with 6 g of water before adding it to the caramel.)
Place the water, sugar and honey into a heavy base saucepan over medium heat. Gently stir to dissolve the sugar. Once the mixture starts to boil, stop stirring.
Note: If you get granules of sugar on the side of the pot, dip a clean pastry brush in water and brush off the granules to avoid re crystallisation of the sugar.
2. Continue to cook the sugar until it turns to a medium amber colour. Meanwhile, heat the cream in the microwave in a bowl or over the stove in a saucepan.
3. Once the caramel has come to medium amber in colour, turn off the heat and gradually stream in the hot cream while continuously whisking the caramel. Be careful as the hot caramel will spit.
4. Once all the cream are added, continue to cook for another 2 minutes over medium heat or until the mixture reaches 103°C. Squeeze out the excess water from the gelatine and stir into the caramel until fully melted. Transfer the caramel into a clean bowl and allow for it to cool and thicken slightly at room temperature while proceeding to preparing the cream cheese filling.
For the Cheesecake
150 g Cream cheese
40 g Sugar
100 g Eggs
60 g Full Cream Milk
180 g Heavy cream 35% Fat
1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Remove the cream cheese and eggs from the fridge a few hours prior to preparation. Pre heat the oven to 170°C fan forced.
1. Place the cream cheese, lemon juice and vanilla bean paste into a mixing bowl and cream with the spatula until smooth and there are no lumps of cream cheese.
2. Add the sugar to the cream cheese and continue to mix without incorporating too much air until well mixed.
3. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix through the cream cheese mixture until well combined and repeat with the rest of the egg.
4. Place the cream into a saucepan and heat it to just 60°C. Gradually stream the warm cream over the cream cheese and egg mixture while gently stirring until well incorporated.
5. Strain the cheesecake mixture over a fine-mesh strainer then pour in to the par baked tart shell. Gently tap the baking tray to get rid of any large air pockets.
6. Place in the pre heated oven and bake for approximately 40 - 45 minutes or when the surface is firmed to touch and feels thick when jiggled.
7. Remove the tart from the oven and allow to fully cool then proceed to preparing the caramel.
As the filling cools, it will start to collapse slightly leaving enough gap for the caramel at the top.
Assembly
Qs Seasonal fruits - for decorations
Qs Icing Sugar - dusting
Once the cheesecake has cooled, pour the cooled honey caramel on top then place the tart in the fridge to cool before decorating with seasonal fruits and dust with some icing sugar. Serve cold.
