Sometimes you have to improvise. Or, better yet, you’re given the opportunity to. Like when you make mini cinnamon roll pavlovas and have a MASSIVE amount of cream cheese custard (aka pretty much the same as cheesecake filling) leftover and some extra time in the day. So, with waning light for a photoshoot, I set to work adding a few extra things to the giant bowl of custard, and tossing together a quick, nut-based crust. I really had to get creative with the toppings for these, seeing as I hadn’t been to the store in a week and the fruit I had left in the fridge was…a bit sad. Thankfully, slicing even just the last three remaining strawberries, handful of blueberries, and a few figs, made for a perfect finish to these mini cheesecake tart things!
I’ll definitely be using the crust idea again – toasted pecans ground up with butter is 100% a mood, especially heading into fall, and makes for a fantastic counterpart to a creamy, rich filling and fresh fruit top. One thing with this clean-out-the-fridge recipe that I want to continue experimenting with is the addition of a little balsamic vinegar to the cheesecake filling. This was inspired by one of the best softserve/milkshakes I’ve ever had. If you’ve ever driven up I5 from San Francisco to Oregon and stopped in Corning to swing by The Olive Pit (a mainstay of the middle-of-no-where town that boasts hundreds of varieties of olives, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and other canned goods, pastas, wines, etc – HIGHLY recommend). And if you grab food to go from their counter to the right of the store, you’ll notice that they do balsamic vinegar milkshakes! You heard that right. It’s the softest of vanilla soft serve (or other flavors) topped with various flavors of thick, aged balsamic. The 18 year aged balsamic with the vanilla is ABSOLUTELY amazing. I still think about it to this day. So, I’ll be coming up with something hopefully as incredible in the next few months, but these are a first stab!
If you’re into cheesecake and want to do the full deal, here’s our take on a true vanilla bean cheesecake topped with balsamic cherries, or if you just like the cream cheese hint, try our guava cheesecake cupcakes, or our red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese buttercream, or these carrot cake cupcakes with (you guessed it) more cream cheese buttercream!
Mini Gluten Free Fruit-Topped Cheesecakes
Equipment
- Four 4-inch tart shells
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
For the pecan crust:
- 1 Cup finely ground roasted pecans instructions below
- 1 Cup blanched almond flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp white sugar
- 8 Tbsp melted salted butter
For the cheesecake filling:
- 1/4 Cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup milk
- 1/2 Cup cream
- 1/4 Cup corn starch
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 1 8 oz pack cream cheese room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 tsp lemon zest
For the topping:
- sliced fruit (figs, strawberries, oranges, blueberries, raspberries, etc)
Instructions
To make the crust:
- First, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spread raw pecans on sheet and roast for 10-12 minutes or until nutty-smelling and slightly darker. Let cool completely before grinding for the crust. Once cool, blitz up nuts until they're a fine flour.
- Lower oven temp to 325° F and lightly spray your four 4-inch tart pans with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine all of your crust ingredients and stir to combine – it should look like wet sand. Press crust dough into your four tart pans, making sure to press firmly along the sides to ensure a thick enough crust to hold the filling. Bake tart shells for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown, then remove and let cool completely before filling.
To make the cheesecake filling:
- While crusts are cooling, make the filling. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, egg, milk, cream, salt, and corn starch and simmer, stirring constantly, until smooth. Continue to simmer on low for 10-15 minutes until much thicker and totally smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream, cream cheese, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, and vanilla until cream cheese melts (I recommend whisking to ensure every bit of cream cheese is combined). Let the filling chill, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before filling tarts.
- Once filling is chilled, spoon into tart shells to the edge, and smooth with a spoon. Then, decorate with sliced fruit! Filling will not set completely, but will become firmer if chilled for longer. Release tarts from tart pans while the crust is still room temp (otherwise the crust will harden and stick to the pan). Then serve!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your tarts!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
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