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Recipe Detail Page
Savoury Stilton Tarts
Holiday 2018
Always looking for easy ways to add Stilton, the king of blues, to your holiday party menus? Well look no further! These easy tarts are sublime, whether baked in our buttery pastry shells or in store-bought shells if you’re pressed for time.
Makes 18 tarts
BUTTER PASTRY
1¾ cups (425 mL) cake & pastry flour
1 tbsp (15 mL) granulated sugar
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
½ cup (125 mL) cold unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
1 tsp (5 mL) white vinegar
FILLING
4 oz (115 g) Stilton or blue cheese such as Gorgonzola
½ cup (125 mL) whipping cream
2 eggs
3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh thyme leaves
18 walnut halves (optional).
Fresh thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)
1. Whirl flour, sugar and salt in a food processor until blended. Cut cold butter into small cubes and scatter over flour mixture. Pulse just until butter is pea-size. In a 1-cup (250 mL) measure, whisk egg yolk and vinegar together. Add enough cold water to bring it up to ⅓ cup (80 mL). Whisk again. With processor running, slowly pour through the feed tube. Whirl just until dough starts to come together.
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Form into 2 balls. Pat each into a thick disc and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to a week.
3. To bake tarts, preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
4. Remove dough from refrigerator and leave at room temperature until soft enough to roll out, about 20 minutes. Place 1 piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough to about ¼-inch (5-mm) thickness. Use a 3-inch (8-cm) round cookie cutter to cut out rounds. Dough may need to be re-rolled. Ease into the cups of a tart pan, preferably a ribbed tart pan with 2½-inch-wide (6-cm) cups. Refrigerate until cold. Meanwhile make filling.
5. Crumble Stilton into a food processor. Add cream and whirl until fairly smooth. Add eggs and whirl until smooth, scraping down sides of processor often. Pour into a bowl and stir in thyme leaves. Spoon into tart shells, filling to about ¼ inch (5 mm) from the top. Stir mixture often while spooning out, to make sure thyme leaves do not sink to the bottom.
6. Place tart pan on bottom rack of oven, then lower temperature to 325°F (160°C). Bake until filling is set, 15 to 18 minutes. To top with walnuts, place a half in the middle of each tart after it has baked 15 minutes, then continue baking until filling is set. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove tarts from pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Serve warm or at room temperature sprinkled with sprigs of fresh thyme if you wish. They’re best the day they are made, but after cooling to room temperature they can be covered and refrigerated overnight.
Makes 18 tarts
