This recipe was part of the OTGF’s Urban Farm-a-licious Event, a collaboration between On the Ground Floor and Tested Tried and True.
These Blackberry Goat Cheese and Honey Tartlets are AMAZING! Like…AMAZING! With flavors that were destined for each other, this dish combines a nice kick from the goat cheese balanced with the freshness of minced thyme for the savory filling and is baked in a perfectly golden cream cheese crust. Add a touch of sweetness with a blackberry and a drizzle of honey and it is the perfect sweet and savory appetizer.
Malika and I wanted to make my fried goat cheese balls with honey (recipe coming soon), but I thought frying might be too much to do on site. So instead we used this alternative recipe and it was a hit! So good and having successfully tested out this recipe, let me tell you…DO NOT SKIMP ON THE HONEY! And get the good stuff. Malika sourced an organic honey made here in California and I could really taste the difference.
In order to easily fill the crusts, turn a ziploc bag, load it up with the filling, cut off the tip (not too big), and go to town!
One more thing, I looked all over Los Angeles (Target, Sur La Table, Home Goods) for mini tartlet pans. Mini cupcake pans work wonderfully, but if anyone knows where I can get a mini tartlet pan it will feed my culinary heart!
- 5 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
- 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- honey (Remember don't skimp and use high quality honey!)
- 24 blackberries
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- pinch of salt
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- mini cupcake pans or mini tartlet pans
- Combine flour and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade and pulse to combine.
- Cut butter and cream cheese into tablespoon portions. Add butter and cream cheese and pulse about 10 times, until mixture begins to clump together.
- Gather up dough and shape into a thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and easy to handle, about 2 hours.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare the pan of your choice and even if it is nonstick, butter with unsalted butter for good measure.
- Divide dough in 24 equal pieces. Place one piece in each muffin cup. Using fingers, press dough firmly and evenly up sides to make a pastry shell. Don't make it too thin in any one area. Freeze 5 minutes. If you don't have a lot of time, you can skip this freezing step.
- While pastry shells are in the freezer, mash goat cheese and cream cheese together in a medium bowl until smooth. Add egg, yolk, minced thyme, salt and pepper and whisk until combined.
- Place goat cheese and cream cheese mixture into a plastic ziploc bag. Snip off the tip of the bag, make sure to not make the opening too big. Squeeze equal amounts of filling into the chilled pastry shells.
- Bake tartlets until crust is golden brown and filling is puffed, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan.
- Remove tartlets from pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Just before serving, drizzle the top of each tartlets with plenty of honey.
- Arrange berries on top as desired.
