Maytag Blue Cheese And Potato Tartlets Recipes

Steps:

• Make pastry:
• Blend together flour, salt, and butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 3 tablespoons water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful of dough. If it doesn't hold together, add up to 1 tablespoon more water, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Be careful not to overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough portions together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Fill and bake tartlets:
• Put oven rack in middle position |and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut potatoes into ¼-inch-thick slices and cover with cold water by 2 inches in a 1-quart saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
• Whisk together cream and yolk until combined.
• Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a 5-inch round with a floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, then fit each into a tartlet pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/4-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pans to reinforce edge. Chill shells until pastry is firm, at least 10 minutes.
• Arrange about 4 potato slices, overlapping slightly, in each tart shell and crumble 2 tablespoons cheese into each. Divide cream mixture among tartlets, filling to 1/8 inch from top. Sprinkle each tartlet with 1/4 teaspoon each of thyme and rosemary and season lightly with fleur de sel. (If your sea salt is very coarse, lightly crush before sprinkling.)
• Bake tartlets on a baking sheet until bubbling and golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pans on a rack 10 minutes, then remove from pans and serve warm.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Roll out pastry on floured board to form a 12 inch circle.
• Using a 3 inch cutter, cut rounds of dough.
• By reworking dough scraps, there should be 12 rounds.
• Grease the back of a 12-cup muffin pan.
• Fit rounds onto pan and part way up sides of cup – the pastry goes on the OUTSIDE of the cup, not the inside, pressing lightly to seal.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• If pastry has puffed up, press down lightly.
• Set aside to cool Reduce oven temperature to 350F.
• Remove pastry shells from backs of muffins pan and place upright on cookie sheet.
• Place ½ T of blue cheese in bottom of each shell.
• Combine eggs, cream, milk, grated cheese, nutmeg and salt.
• Divide mixture among shells, pouring almost to the top.
• Don’t overfill as cheese mixture will rise during baking.
• There may be a bit of leftover filling.
• Place filled shells in oven and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned and firm.
• Serve hot or tepid.