Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Balsamic Strawberry and Goat Cheese Tarts

Desserts

I’m sitting in Heathrow right now taking advantage of the free internet from Starbucks before we head to Vilnius via Helsinki in a couple of hours! I’m a planner by nature and usually take charge of organizing all the details of our vacations, but this time Apolinaras has done everything and I have to admit that I could get used to just going along for the ride and not worrying about the details! We’re touring the entire country and visiting many of his family and friends – I’m so excited!

Before we left, I was frantically finishing up a couple recipes for contests and didn’t have much time to whip up any treats for my blog, but I found this goody that I made back in December that was just waiting to be shared. Puff pastry shells are filled with a sweetened goat cheese and topped with balsamic strawberries, which makes for a very tangy dessert.

We’re going to be here for 2 weeks and while I won’t be posting as often as usual, I do have a couple of fun posts ready to go – one of which involves chocolate cake and one of which is a giveaway, so stay tuned!

Balsamic Strawberry and Goat Cheese Tarts
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 (10 ounce) package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Shells
6 tablespoons high quality balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups chopped strawberries
6 ounces goat cheese
3 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Directions:
Prepare the puff pastry shells according to package directions. Let shells cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes, and remove tops.

Meanwhile, heat balsamic vinegar and granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and a thick syrup forms. Remove from heat and mix in chopped strawberries.

Mix goat cheese, milk, and 6 tablespoons powdered sugar in a small bowl. Scoop goat cheese mixture evenly into the cooled shells, followed by the balsamic strawberries. Sprinkle remaining 1 teaspoon powdered sugar over the filled pastry shells. Makes 6 tarts.

Nutrition: 345 calories, 18.4g fat, 1.5g fat, 9.0g protein per tart
Cost: $1.75 per tart

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Turtle Cheesecake

I’ve been having a lot of fun in the kitchen lately.  First of all, I’m reviewing a product from CSN Stores, a fabulous Boston-based company with over 200 online shops.  They have everything you need for your house, from a vanity to a grill, so...

Mini Sweet Potato Cheesecakes

My loaded sweet potato skins were featured on the Glamour Magazine Health and Fitness blog yesterday, how cool is that? Ever since I started my blog, I feel like I always have something to look forward to in my inbox, whether it’s an email update about a comment, a...

Chocolate Raspberry Torte

I think Boston is a bit of a cold city. It’s not something I notice anymore on a daily basis, but when I’m visiting more friendly regions, I’m often struck by the joggers who nod and give you a smile as you run past and the eager store employees who go out of their...

Orange Cardamom Chocolate Bars

I fell in love with cardamom a few years ago when I started drinking chai and have found it’s also lovely in baked goods. While perusing the fridge this weekend for something to satisfy my sweet tooth, I noticed the low-sugar orange marmalade my hubby enjoys and was...

Coconut & Lime Cheesecake Dessert Sushi

I’ve been wanting to develop another dessert sushi recipe for awhile now since I know it’s something people are very interested in (my Fruit-Filled Coconut & Chocolate Dessert Sushi recipe gets more google hits than any other recipe by far on my blog). I finally...

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Truffles

You didn’t think I could resist dreaming up a treat for Valentine’s Day did you? I’ve always enjoyed the holiday and have fond memories of pouring through all the cartoon cards in my heart decorated box in grade school and placing small boxes of chocolate outside the...

My Mom’s Culinary Arts Program and Chocolate Cake

I’ve been meaning to tell you about the very cool Culinary Arts High School Program my mom runs at Central Campus in Des Moines, Iowa for awhile now, and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity since I won’t be cooking up any recipes to share while we’re on...

Mini Brownie Cheesecakes with Caramel Peanuts

A few weekends ago, I completed the Buzzard’s Bay Sprint Triathlon! This tri consisted of a 1/3 mile swim, 14.7 mile bike ride, and 3.1 mile run. My official time was 1:34:08, so my splits were almost exactly the same as the ones from the tri I did last year, but...