Caramel Almond Tart & Mini Cheese Cakes

Hello......ok I was on assignment, the brief was to make a couple of dessert type things for a lovely lady called "Mrs R". So I had a few ideas in mind that were easy as Mrs R was doing a couple also. I remember when I was alot younger,  this tart that my Mum used to make when we lived in Perth and it was a hit with all her friends so I decided I'd make it and some mini heart shaped cheese cakes with some lemon curd on top.

My day started fantastic.....I had the kitchen cleaned up ready for me to start my cooking but I was still in my PJ's. I suppose this is where the subject of cooking changes!! I step into the shower...no soap!! (well the smallest bit of soap you have ever seen!) next the gas bottle decides to be empty just as I put the shampoo in my hair....."Mr M" long gone!! Ok I feel so much better getting that off my chest....back to cooking!!

I found the folded up piece of paper that my mum had written the recipe of the tart on tucked safely away in the junk draw! I've been told the recipe comes from one of her Australian Women's Weekly books. It's called "Caramel Almond Tart" I didn't get to take many pictures either as my camera battery decided to go flat also.
Pastry
90g butter softened
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of milk
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup self-raising flour
1/3 ground almonds
I used a tart tin with a removeable base, measuring approx 22cm diameter
Filling
400g can condensed milk
125g butter
1/4 teaspoon almond essence (I don't even use it as with the almond meal I think it has enough almond flavour)
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup flaked or slivered almonds
Icing
1/2 cup icing sugar
lemon juice

Cream butter and sugar in small bowl, beat in egg yolk and milk. Stir in sifted flours and almonds in 2 batches. Refrigerate (in shape of a ball) if you like (I just push it into base with my fingers) Bake in hot oven until golden brown (about 15min)

Put condensed milk in a saucepan and stir briskly (medium heat) for about 10 minutes until it turns a slight caramel colour, making sure you don't take your eyes off the saucepan as the condensed milk burns very quickly .

Cool for 10 min and spread over base.

For the filling
Cream butter, essence and sugar, beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour and ground almonds. Spread over top of the caramel base and sprinkle with almonds. Bake in moderate oven for 30 minutes or until golden on top.
For the icing
In a bowl add enough lemon juice to the icing just so it comes together. I then put the icing in a glad sandwich bag and cut the tip off (like a little piping bag) and just made a pattern.

Mini Cheese Cakes

This cheese cake recipe is actually for patty cake cases, so you could use patty cup cake papers or even small muffin trays but you would need to put the cases inside the muffin tray if it didn't have a removeable base. I have this cute heart shaped tin with removable bases so I used it. The actual recipe I found on a website years ago, but it's just a basic baked cheese cake one.

Base
150g Nice Biscuits
70g butter
Filling
250g cream cheese
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 egg
20ml lemon juice
100ml thickened cream

For your base, crush the biscuits either with the end of your rolling pin or in your food processor. Melt your butter then mix it with your crushed biscuits in a small bowl.

Push about a tablespoon of base mixture into the bottom of your tins, pushing firmly as you go.
For the filling, beat cream cheese and caster sugar with an electric mixer until soft and well mixed, add egg.
Then add your lemon juice and cream until well combined.

Spoon your filling on top of the bases and bake in a 180 degree oven for 20 minutes or until set. Leave to cool in tins or patty cases for 30 minutes.

Now you can just decorate the tops of these cheese cakes with some raspberries or strawberries. I made some lemon curd for mine.

I hope Mrs R enjoys them as much as I enjoyed making them!

M x