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Lemony Cheese Tart with Blueberry Toppings

I love cheese cake; I love the creamy filling that goes so perfectly with the crust; I love the taste; I love the smell. It is so good to be true. Yes, one piece probably costs you  300 – 500 calories depending on the size and ingredient. Although I have a sweet tooth, I will still eat it because I love it.  If we buy a cheesecake, I would be the one who is eating up the whole cake. So after a while I am not buying anymore and nor making anymore because no one in the house will eat more than one piece.  It will just sit there. Can’t even remember when the last time was but it was long enough.

I once saw these ready made bottom crust in the grocery store and gosh, they are the mini tarts in a pack of six! I was so excited when I found them. This is great because it is small portion perfect for individual size.  So during one lovely Saturday afternoon about two weeks ago, I made these Mini Cheese Tarts as an after dinner dessert for my dear girlfriends. They loved it.

I made the cheese tarts into two different flavors, 3 of them were Chocolate Swirl with Chocolate Nut Spread Crust for chocolate sweets lover, the other 3 of them were Lemony Cheese Tart with Blueberries Topping for a refreshing summer flavor. I just did it for fun because they looked so cute. Either way you can always double the ingredients to make all 6 cheese tarts in one flavor.

Ingredient:
3/4 of the 8 oz  package cream cheese
2 tbsp sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg

For Lemony cheese tart with blueberries topping
2-3 drips of lemon juice
some blueberries

For Chocolate Swirl cheese tart
2 semi-sweet chocolate
1 tbsp Walnuts or Pecans (chopped)

Preparation:

1. Beat egg and sugar till pale yellow, add thawed cream cheese and sour cream, combine well till smooth. Do not overbeat.
2. Separate cream cheese mixture into two bowls.
3. For Lemony cheese tart, add in few drips lemon juice into one of the cream cheese mixture and combine. Scoop 1-2 tbsp mixture to fill in 3 mini crusts. Set aside. (Place the blueberries on top only when the cream cheese is set before serving)
4. For chocolate cheese tart, microwave chocolate pieces till half melt then stir till smooth. Spread some chocolate on the bottom of the remaining 3 mini crusts, add some chopped nuts on the chocolate spread. Use the other cream cheese mixture spoon 1-2 tbsp  and fill in the crust (option: you can add some chocolate to this cream cheese mixture for extra taste). To do the chocolate swirl, spoon a small chocolate drop on to the middle of cheese tart, use a tooth pick to swirl the pattern from the chocolate center.
5. Refrigerate about 1 hour till set. If not completely set you can freeze it, then thaw for 5 minutes before serving.

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If you are planning to add an extra vegetable dish to your Thanksgiving dinner, you can either make a simple salad or you can try making the Green Bean Casserole. Green Bean Casserole is another classic side dish to serve with the Turkey.

I actually made a simple version of Green Bean Casserole because I didn’t have so much time preparing so many dishes at the same time. The main thing for the Green Bean Casserole preparation is the green beans, cream of mushroom, french fried onions and cheese. You can easily make them ahead of time. See step-by-step guide as attached images and recipe as below.

Don’t forget to check out our complete Thanksgiving recipes such as the Rosemary Roasted Turkey with Stuffing and Gravy, Potatoes Au Gratin and Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue.

Ingredients:

1 lb green beans (rinsed, trimmed, halved)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped onions
1 package white mushrooms (trimmed, quartered)
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 cup milk or water
pepper to taste
1 can of french’s fried onions
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Cooking Method:

1. Boil a pot of water, add the green beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, pour out the hot water and cool the beans under running cold tap water. Drain and set aside.
2. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
3. Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium, add in chopped garlic and onions stir fry until golden brown. Add in mushrooms and stir fry until tender.
4. Add in the cream of mushroom and milk or water, add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring ocassionally.  Remove from heat.
5. Butter a casserole dish. Place 1/2 of the french’s  fried onions on the bottom of the dish follow by the green beans. Add in all the cream of mushroom. Bake for 25 minutes.
6. Remove dish from oven, top with remaining onions and grated cheddar cheese. Bake for another 10-15  minutes until cheese melted.

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Our Thanksgiving Turkey dinner wouldn’t be completed without a delicious potato side dish, just like a hamburger combo without french fries, it just doesn’t feel right. However there are tons of potato dish, I couldn’t really decide which kind should I go for. Finally I’ve decided to do something different than just a simple mashed potato, so I’ve made the Potatoes Au Gratin with Bacon Bits. Check out the step-by-step guide in the attached images.

Just to let you know, the word Gratin originates from French, usually referred to dish that is baked or broiled to create golden brown top crust by using ingredients such as cheese and crumbs. Au Gratin is actually a  popular food technique which can be used widely in preparing other foods such as vegetable, meat and others. Once you have learned to prepare au gratin technique, you can use it in other dishes as well.

I’ve prepared my special Potatoes Au Gratin with extra bacon bites for additional taste and crunchiness to the creamy potatoes. It turned out really good except I’ve overbaked them slightly because I wasn’t of aware of the time as they are cooked simultaneously with the turkey in the oven. :p But, the dish is finished in no time when it was served.

Get the recipe below to try it out for the coming Thanksgiving celebration. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! :)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes (scrubbed and washed skin, cut into 1/8″ slices)
Butter (for brushing the baking dish)
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 onion (chopped)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
3 slices bacon (baked, chopped)
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat cream in a saucepan over medium, add in parsley, chopped garlic and onions, simmer and stir frequently for about 5 minutes.
3. Butter a 9″ x 9″ casserole dish. Place a layer of sliced potato in an overlapping pattern, season with salt and pepper.
4. Pour 1/3 cream over potatoes. Top with bacon bits, grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
5. Repeat with 2 more layers of potatoes, cream and toppings.
6. Cover with foil and baked for 40 minutes.
7. Remove foil, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs on top. Broil for about 5 minutes until top turn golden brown.

Our Ultimate Thanksgiving Feast. Don’t forget to check out other Thanksgiving receipes such as the Rosemary Roasted Turkey with Stuffing and Mushroom Gravy,  Sweet Potato Pie with Marhsmallow Meringue and Green Bean Casserole.