Hi! End of quarter is approaching, which only means that….. chaos is coming. The next two weeks involve 3 presentations, 3 projects due and 2 difficult problem sets. At least I don’t have exams…..

I thought it’d be good to take a bit of a breather and make something really nice before the work really piles in. I was also just really excited to test out my new silicone moulds.

I present: Matcha Cheesecake Tarts.

These tarts comprise of a matcha graham cracker crust filled with miso and matcha cheese cake on a layer of strawberry jam and garnished with dehydrated strawberry slices for texture. They’re indulgent but not too sweet. The miso and matcha add complexity of flavour while the strawberry jam adds brightness to cut through the richness.

And yes… (almost) everything is made from scratch. Next time, I’m going to make the cream cheese from scratch >< It’s a time consuming process, but nothing too technical- I promise, just a bit of mixing.

The only real tricky part is the graham cracker crust. These are typically just made with graham crackers and butter and tend to disintegrate since the only thing holding them together is the saturated fat in the butter. Yeah… nope. I “cheat” and use egg whites and a bit of flour to bind the mix. The crust is much more structurally sound while remaining as tender as a “normal” graham cracker crust. Just be sure to cool the crust completely before removing from moulds.

Some other notes to keep in mind:

1. When mixing cheesecakes, use rubber spatula(s) and move slowly. This will ensure the cheesecake mix is light and fluffy
2. Make the cheesecake and jam a day (or three) before. The cheesecake mix will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. The jam will last up to 10 days.
3. I garnished my tarts with dehydrated strawberries, other good options are shaved chocolate, additional graham cracker crumbs, a tuile or leave it as is!

Finally, leftovers: While jam, graham crackers and cheesecake taste great on their own or as spreads, here are some more creative uses

1. Stuff the cheesecake mix or jam into hollowed out fresh strawberries
2. Use the cheesecake mix as the binder for cake pops
3. Turn the graham cracker into a granola like crumble to top yoghurt

That’s all, let’s get cooking!

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Ingredients

Graham Cracker Tart Shells

• 1 cup flour+ 2 tbsp
• 1tsp matcha 
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 38g room temp(cracker) butter+ 42g melted butter(crust), salted
• 80ml milk
• 1.5tbsp white sugar
• 25ml egg whites 

Cheesecake Mixes

• 4oz cream cheese room temperature 
• 1/2cup powdered sugar
• 76ml heavy cream, very cold
• 19g sour cream (or greek yoghurt)
• 2.5 tsp matcha
• 2.5 tsp miso 

Strawberry Preserve

• 1/2 lb strawberries, diced
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1tsp lemon juice 

Directions

For the Cheesecake

1. Beat cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth, then fold in sour cream
2. In a very chilled bowl, whip heavy cream into stiff peaks
3. Divide the cream cheese mix into two bowls, in one, fold in matcha; in the other, fold in the miso. There’s no need to mix miso very well
4. Divide the whipped cream between the two bowls and fold in gently, be careful not to overmix
5. Spoon each cheesecake mix into a piping bag and chill for at least 3-4 hours

For the Strawberry Preserves

1. Put strawberries, sugar and lemon juice into a saucepan
2. Simmer while stirring and scraping the sides to prevent burning until thickened and the jam sticks to the spatula when lifted (20-30min) 
3. Remove from heat and cool completely.

For the Tart Shells

1. Beat 38g butter with brown sugar until well combined. Mix 1 cup flour with baking powder and matcha in a separate bowl.
2. Add flour mixture and milk in alternating batches until well combined. It should form a thick but pliable dough. If the dough is dry and crumbly, add 1tbsp milk. Roll into a disk and chill for 3-4hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough to 1/4 in thickness. Bake 12-15 min until browned and cooked through. Allow to cool and harden. (Note: for actual graham crackers, cut into rectangles)
4. Weigh out 90g of graham crackers. Put in a large Ziploc bag and crush into fine crumbs or use a food processor.
5. Mix in 42g melted butter, 2tbsp flour, 1 tbsp white sugar, and egg whites. 
6. Press into moulds and bake for 10-12 min. Allow to cool completely before removing.

Assembly

1. Put a 1/2 tbsp of jam at the bottom of each tart shell and spread into an even layer
2. Cut the end of the piping bags with the cheesecake mixes so the opening is 1/2 in long. 
3. Pipe three dollops into the shells, alternating between miso and matcha
4. Garnish as desired

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That’t it for now. I’ll be back in three weeks with a first year wrap up and more recipes. Until then, bye!

• Dessert