White Chocolate Mousse Tartlets

Melanie is actually the one that deserves the credit for these delicious little bites.  The first time I tried one was at my engagement party that my sweet sister hosted for me.  I was hooked... along with everyone else!  These gorgeous little tartlets are a favorite at baby showers and girl parties...  not to leave the men out though - they love them too!  The filling is so rich and creamy, it pairs perfectly with sweet, juicy berries.  But if the season isn't right for berries, I have made them with kiwi and mandarin orange wedges. I'm sure you could get creative.  Here in the Northwest, we have more blackberries then we know what to do with.  Which is why my tartlets feature the plump, ripe blackberry!  Another thing I love about these little sweets, is that they are so pretty and look so gourmet, and yet they really aren't hard to make.  You can make the pastry shells in advance and freeze them, then all you need to do is whip together the filling and decorate with berries!  In case you're wondering about where to get tart molds, I really like the NORPRO brand:

White Chocolate Mousse Tartlets
submitted by Brittany ~ The Sisters Cafe

1 double crust pastry dough recipe, rolled out (*see below for my favorite pie crust recipe)

3.5 oz white chocolate squares (three and a half 1-oz squares)
1 ¼ cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3.4 oz pkg instant vanilla pudding mix

Press your pastry into tartlet molds. Cut off extra. Place on baking sheet and bake for 8-12 minutes at 400 degrees F. Watch closely - they should be golden. Remove from oven. Allow to cool completely then gently remove from molds.

In a glass bowl, microwave white chocolate and ¾ cup half and half on high for 1 ½ minutes, to simmer. Let sit 1 minute; whisk until smooth. Transfer to a chilled bowl. Chill 45 minutes. Add remaining half and half, the heavy cream, vanilla extract,  and vanilla pudding mix. Beat until stiff. Spoon into cooled tartlets. Decorate with assorted berries and fruits.

Barefoot Contessa’s Perfect Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 12 Tb very cold unsalted butter


• 3 cups all-purpose flour


• 1 tsp kosher salt


• 1 Tb sugar


• 1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening


• 6-8 Tb ice water (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions

1. Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture.


2. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix.  Add the butter and shortening.  Pulse 8-12 times, until the butter is the size of peas.  With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.  Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball.


3. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.


4. Cut the dough in half.  Roll each piece on a well-floured surface, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn’t stick.  Gently press into tart molds and cut off excess dough around the edges.

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