Orange Cream cheese tarts

That was a quarter of an orange peeking out from the background.  This is a picture taken with insufficient lighting.  But it doesn't bother me, for I had finally produced a fruity variation of cream cheese tart after a small hiccup in the form of some ugly tart crusts.

The tart crust for this version came from an earlier recipe, while the cream cheese filling is the recipe I wanted to experiment.  The original recipe used sweetened preserved lime to create the citrusy taste.  I didn't think I would like that flavor.  The substitution was made with the zest of an orange.

I liked the effect.  Just a hint of fresh orange, not overpowering, not stealing the limelight away from the tangy creamy cream cheese.  

After the whole experiment, I would conclude that cream cheese tart is not a difficult bake, as I imagined.  Of course, a state of panic can be well avoided if the tart crust dough is pressed THINLY into the tart mould for blind baking.  

Orange cream cheese tarts

(adapted from "Famous Cuisine, Issue 71, Nov/Dec 2011, with modifications)

Ingredients

Tart crust recipe refer to My first egg tarts

Cream cheese fillings

160g cream cheese

60g caster sugar

40ml whipping cream

2 eggs

2 tsp corn flour

freshly grated zest of an orange

Method

1. Bring cream cheese and eggs to room temperature

2. Beat cream cheese and caster sugar until soft, creamy and smooth. 

3. Add in the eggs, beat until well combined.

4. Add in whipping cream, corn flour and beat until well combined. 

5. Zest in the orange zest and mix well.

Assemble the whole pastry together

1. Preheat oven to 160deg C.

2. Pour orange cream cheese filling into blind-baked tart crust.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

Notes

- When baking these tarts, my cheese fillings swelled into a small dome when 15 minutes was up. I opened the oven door a little and continued baking until the filling wasn't wobbly any more.  This will reduce the swell and at the same time ensure the filling is fully cooked.