Mango Mini Cheesecakes

I like that these are individual.  It makes it so much more fun.  A simple recipe and the fruit toppings can be switched up according to your preference.  Try strawberries, raspberries, pineapple or manderin oranges! You can change the crust to a regular graham crust, but why would you?  The ginger crust makes this different and delicious.  From Food and Drink 2005.

2 cups crumbled gingersnaps
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup plain cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp grated lime rind

TOPPING
1 large mango, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp apricot jam (I left this out - I prefer just putting on the fresh fruit)

1. Place gingersnaps and almonds in food processor (or blender) and process together until almonds are finely chopped.  Add butter and process briefly.
2. Grease 6 wells of a muffin tin, and line each with plastic wrap.  Divide crumbs amongst wells; press into bottom and up sides to make 6 mini crusts.  Chill for 30 minutes
3. Use a hand mixer to beat together mascarpone, cream cheese, sour cream, honey and lime rind.  Divide into 6 and spoon into chilled shells.  Chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
4. Place mango on top of cheesecakes.  Melt jam until just liquid, strain and brush over mango.  Let set for 30 minutes.  Then remove cheesecake from muffin cups.  Serve with extra fruit if desired.

Serves 6.

Mini Apple Pies

These are fussy but fun!

3 cups apple, peeled, cored, finely chopped - about 3 - use a tart apple like a MacIntosh
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pastry dough for two single pie crusts

• Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease 16 disposable aluminum tart tins, or muffin cups
• In a bowl, stir together the chopped apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon.  Mix well and set aside.
• Working with half of the pastry dough at a time, roll it out quite thinly - thinner than for a full sized pie, making sure you don't get holes or that it is difficult to handle.  With a round cookie cutter, cut out 16 circles of dough.  Repeat with the other half of the dough so you have 32 circles. 
• Gently press the 16 bottom crusts into the prepared tins.  Spoon the apple mixture into the pastry lined tins, heaping the apples up in the middle and keeping the edges clear.
• Place one top crust at a time over the apples in the tin.  Press down firmly around the edges to seal.  With a tiny cookie cutter or wide plastic straw, cut a vent in the middle of each of the top crusts.  
• Arrange filled tins on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the apples are tender when you poke a toothpick into the middle of the pie.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of each tin and remove pies to a rack to cool a few more minutes before serving.

Mini Chocolate Souffles with Caramel Hazelnut Sauce

These are fantastic and decadent!  I used a dark rum for the sauce that worked really well.  A rich elegant desert.

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
4 eggs
1 egg white
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1-8oz pkg cream cheese, cubed

Caramel-Hazelnut Sauce


Melt semisweet chocolate pieces and cool.  In a blender container combine eggs, egg white, milk, and sugar.  Cover; blend till smooth.  With the blender running, add the cream cheese cubes through the opening in the blender lid or with the lid slightly  ajar; blend till smooth.  Add the melted chocolate; cover and blend just till combined.   Pour the chocolate mixture into four ungreased 1 cup souffle dishes.  Bake in a 375 oven about 35 minutes or till set.  Serve at once with the warm Caramel Hazelnut sauce.  Makes 4 servings.

Caramel Hazelnut Sauce


In a small saucepan combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch.  Stir in 1/3 cup milk and 1 tbsp light corn syrup.  Cook and stir till the mixture is thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  (the mixture may appear curdled during cooking.) Stir in a handful of whole Hazelnuts, 1 tbsp butter and 2 tsp rum or brandy.  Remove the sauce from heat; cover surface with clear plastic wrap.  Cool slightly.

Mini Blueberry Lemon Layer Cakes

These are a delicious, light desert.  Make sure you use fresh blueberries, or if they are not available the best fruit you can find.  Do not use purchased lemon juice for this - you will taste the difference if you use fresh squeezed. From the Food and Drink Summer 2011 magazine

Lemon Curd
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4 egg yolks
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cake
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
Mint leaves

1. For the lemon curd, whisk together sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolks, eggs and salt in a large, heatproof bowl.  Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water so the bottom of the bowl is about 1 inch above the surface of the water.  Cook, whisking constantly, for about 10 minutes or until curd is thick and pudding like.  Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla until blended.  Immediately transfer to a cool bowl, place plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until chilled, or for up to 3 days.
2. For the cake, preheat oven to 350 F.  
3. Grease the sides of a 9 x 13 inch metal baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Beat in eggs, 1 at a time.  Beat in lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla.  Stir in flour mixture alternately with milk, making 3 additions of flour and 2 of milk.  Spread into prepared pan, smoothing top.
5. Bake for about 35 minutes or until tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Let cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes.
6. To assemble cakes, cut cake into 24 squares, then cut each square in half horizontally.  Spread cut side of bottom and cut side of top layers with about 1 tsp lemon curd. Arrange blueberries on bottom layers and replace top layers (cut side down) to sandwich.
7. Just before serving, place cakes on a platter, spread remaining curd on top of cakes and arrange remaining blueberries on top.

Makes 24 mini cakes