Over the past couple of months I have been playing around with a wheat free pastry … and I have to say it has driven me crazy!

It bakes up beautifully as a fully baked pastry case to be filled and served, but when I have tried to par-bake it, fill and continue to bake (i.e. like in a quiche) I haven’t been happy with the results (the bottom crust softens too much which is not how I want it).

As I love the crispness/flavour of the fully baked pastry cases I have been using a spread as a base in them so that I can still serve them to others.  Last weekend I had a dinner party and everyone loved the tarts with the spread to which I added a tomato topping (see below for details), so I feel a strong need to share this simple spread with you (I will post the recipe for the tart bases in the next week or so).

Apart from using this recipe as a filling for tarts (which I have also topped with chicken, salmon, or cold baked veggies), I have come to use it too as a spread on sourdough where you could use any combination of foods on top of it.

This past weekend I used it as a base on sourdough, which I then dolloped on some Roasted Red Pepper Paste (see here), piled on some seasoned tiny tomatoes, and finished off with basil pesto (see here) and lemon yoghurt sauce (see here).  My friends loved this combination, and with this beautiful weather we have right now, and the abundance of gorgeous tomatoes available to us, it is a perfect “now” dish.

All of these sauces/seasonings keep well in the fridge, and when you have a few basics like these handy you can quickly pull together a nice simple dish.

If you wish to replicate the tomato topping I used for the tart case last weekend, and the sourdough this weekend, then:

1. Have some Red Pepper Paste and Lemon Yoghurt sauce handy in the fridge;
2. Loosen some pesto with extra olive oil so that it is quite runny (taste for seasoning too as I also added some extra salt and pepper) and keep in the fridge until ready to serve;
3. Cut a mixture of tomatoes in half, add some peas (they were frozen, so I used a handful, dropped them in boiled water, counted to ten and then refreshed them in cold water to cool them down), and some chopped mint and parsley, a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt flakes and pepper and stir it all gently together … let this mix sit in the fridge for an hour or two to allow the flavours to develop;  and
4. Place the cream cheese spread into the base of the tart shell or on top of the slice of sourdough (use as much as you like but be generous … I use at least 3 to 4 rounded tablespoons), dollop on top 3 to 4 rounded teaspoons of the Roasted Red Pepper Paste, pile on the tomatoes, drizzle over the loosened pesto, then dollop on the Lemon Yoghurt Sauce.

It’s delicious!

Quantities of the tomato mix will obviously depend on how many people you wish to serve, but I used 600g tomatoes which was plenty for 6 people (so 100g per person).

The tart can be used as a light entree if you keep the tart shell relatively small (use larger tart shells for a lunch), and if you wish to serve the sourdough option as an entree, then use a thin slice, which you toast (as though you are going to serve a bruschetta), then top with the cream cheese/tomato mix as described here.

This spread makes quite a lot as there is nothing worse then not having enough of something like this when you have guests, but it will keep in your fridge for at least a week.  Leftovers can be added to any egg dishes like quiches, etc., and if I am making my Savoury Baked Egg Custard  (see here) then I will dollop it on top of the filling ingredients before pouring over the custard and baking … it adds a gorgeous creaminess to the dish.

Cream Cheese Spread

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Final dish ... I added a bit of seasoning before serving

This spread makes quite a lot as there is nothing worse then not having enough of something like this when you have guests, but it will keep in your fridge for at least a week. Leftovers can be added to any egg dishes like quiches, etc., and if I am making my Savoury Baked Egg Custard (see main post for link) then I will dollop it on top of the filling ingredients before pouring over the custard and baking ... it adds a gorgeous creaminess to the dish.

Author: Gina @ The Passionate Pantry

Serves: 720g

Ingredients

• 500g full fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 200g sour cream
• 3 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• freshly cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to the Thermomix bowl and blend 10 seconds / speed 5
2. Scrape around bowl, and repeat 10 seconds / speed 5
3. Taste for seasoning and add more mustard, salt and pepper according to your taste and remix for a further 10 seconds/speed 5 until nice and smooth

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