Savory cheese tarts

Name: Savory cheese tarts
Ingredients: 200 g cottage cheese; 125 g telemea (Romanian brined cheese); 100 g butter; 200 g flour; 15 g chopped parsley; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 200 g cottage cheese; 100 g semi-hard cheese; 1 egg; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 1/4 teaspoon salt

Appetizers - Savory cheese tarts by Florentina J. - Recipia

Savory cheese tarts are baked in small tins with a cheese and telemea filling, topped with strips of pastry. The butter and herb crust turns golden, while the filling stays soft; they’re salty and easy to take to school. I serve them with green salad and prefer tart tins with a slightly wider base. Preparation: 25 minutes. Cooking: 20 minutes. Resting: 30 minutes. Total time: 75 minutes. Serves: 12. Approximately 230 kcal and 11 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the pastry

200 g cottage cheese
125 g telemea (Romanian brined cheese)
100 g butter
200 g flour
15 g chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling

200 g cottage cheese
100 g semi-hard cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Break up the cottage cheese and telemea for the pastry. Add the softened butter, flour, chopped herbs and 1/4 teaspoon salt, if the telemea isn’t salty enough; mix until the dough comes together. 2. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 3. For the filling, mix the cottage cheese with the grated semi-hard cheese, egg and pepper. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt only if needed. 4. Dust the work surface with flour and roll the dough into a sheet about 3 mm thick. Cut out circles and fit one into each tin, including the muffin tin if you’re using one; the pastry should come up the sides. 5. Put a spoonful of filling in each tin and lay strips of pastry on top. 6. Bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.

Notes

I used a French herb mix in the pastry; chopped parsley or dill work just as well in the dough. They contain gluten, dairy and egg. I serve them with green salad, without a heavy dressing, and prefer tart tins, which leave room for a wider base. They keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days; the dough can be wrapped and kept in the fridge until the next day. Telemea varies a lot in saltiness, so taste it before adding salt to either mixture. Drier cottage cheese keeps the filling compact; if it releases whey, drain it before mixing. It’s easy to rush rolling out the pastry, but uneven thickness makes the edges tear when you fit them into the tins. Muffin tins are smaller than tart tins, so the tarts may brown a few minutes earlier; start checking them at 15 minutes.