Recipe for: Mini tart with young cheese and mint-strawberry salsa - photo 1
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Recipe for: Mini tart with young cheese and mint-strawberry salsa

Appetizers Christmas Appetizers 90 min Medium 1 views ~22.75 PLN * - (0)
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Description

Delicate, crumbly mini tarts filled with creamy young cheese and served with a vibrant, warm salsa of strawberries and fresh mint. The dish combines traditional Polish dairy (young cheese) with seasonal summer fruits, creating a contrast of the sweetness of strawberries, the acidity of lime, and the cool freshness of mint. Perfect as an appetizer for a summer party, picnic, or as an elegant spring version of a Christmas appetizer with herbs. Visually: golden, crumbly baskets filled with white cream, topped with red-green salsa and a mint leaf — a light, aromatic, and colorful dish.

Ingredients Used

Ingredients (14)

Servings:
6
  • Wheat flour 250 g
  • Butter 125 g
  • Chicken egg 1 pcs (~60 g)
  • Water 30 ml
  • Young cheese 300 g
  • Strawberry 250 g
  • Mint 10 g
  • Red onion 0.3 pcs (~50 g)
  • Lime 1.2 pcs (~60 g)
  • Olive oil 30 ml
  • 🌿 Spices
  • Salt 0.1 pinch (~4 g)
  • Black pepper 2 pinch (~1 g)
  • ✨ Optional
  • Honey 15 ml
  • Arugula 30 g
💰 Estimated dish cost: ~22.75 PLN (3.79 PLN/serving)
* Prices missing for some ingredients

💡 Click an ingredient to mark it as used

Preparation steps

Cake

1

Prepare the ingredients and utensils: use a large bowl and a grater or food processor. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add 2 g of salt (from the total amount) and mix with a wooden spoon. Take the butter straight from the fridge and cut it into cubes about 1 cm. Add the butter to the flour.

Ingredients: Wheat flour, Butter, Salt
Use a metal grater or knife to cut the butter; if you have a food processor, use it in pulses. The best bowl is stainless steel or glass. Avoid warming the butter with your hands — work quickly.
2

Rub the butter into the flour: using your fingers (or pulsing in a food processor), work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter. This is important because the pieces of butter create flaky layers when baked.

Ingredients: Wheat flour, Butter
Use two knives or a chopper if you don't want to use your hands. Don't knead for too long — stop when you see a varied texture (about 1-2 minutes by hand).
3

Add the egg and cold water: make a well in the flour-butter mixture, pour in the beaten egg and 2–3 tablespoons (30 ml) of cold water. Quickly mix with a fork or spatula just until the ingredients start to come together - you don't need a perfectly smooth dough. Press the gathered mass into a ball.

Use a fork for initial mixing, then your hands for kneading. If the mixture is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time; if too wet, add a tablespoon of flour. Do not knead for too long.
4

Chilling the dough: shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (up to 1 hour). The dough should firm up and be easier to roll out.

If you're in a hurry, place the dough in the freezer for 15 minutes, but do not let it freeze. Use a flat plate to ensure quick and even cooling.
5

Forming mini tarts: preheat the oven to 180°C (top-bottom). Take out the chilled dough, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 3–4 mm. Cut out circles slightly larger than the mini tart molds (e.g. 6–7 cm). Carefully line the bottom and sides of the molds, trimming off any excess dough.

Ingredients: Wheat flour, Butter
If you don't have mini tart molds, use a muffin tin. A silicone or wooden pastry board is best, along with a rolling pin with a diameter of 20 cm. Roll out the dough evenly so that the base has a consistent thickness.
6

Blind baking: line the tart pans with parchment paper, fill with ceramic baking beads or dry beans/split peas. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden. Remove the weights and bake for another 5–7 minutes, until the bottoms are dry and light golden.

Use molds with a diameter of about 6–7 cm. A tartlet pan or muffin tin works best. If the bases rise, gently press them down with a fork before baking again.

Filling

7

Prepare the cream cheese: transfer the young cheese to a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (15 g), the zest of half a lime (finely grated), and 1 g of salt (from the salt ingredient). Whisk or mix with a spoon until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Taste to see if it needs seasoning with black pepper.

Ingredients: young cheese, Olive oil, Lime, Salt, Black pepper
Use a stainless steel bowl and a whisk. If the cottage cheese is very lumpy, pass it through a sieve or blend it briefly with an immersion blender.

Salsa

8

Prepare the mint-strawberry salsa: dice the strawberries into small cubes (about 0.5 cm). Finely chop the onion and rinse it under cold water to mellow the sharpness, then drain. Finely chop the mint. In a bowl, combine the strawberries, onion, and mint. Squeeze the juice from the whole lime and add it to the bowl along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil (15 g), 1 g of salt, and freshly ground pepper (1 pinch). If the salsa is too sour, optionally add honey (15 g). Gently mix and chill for 10–15 minutes.

Ingredients: Strawberry, Red onion, mint, Lime, Olive oil, Salt, Black pepper, Honey
Use a sharp knife for precise chopping. When cutting strawberries, do it quickly to avoid releasing too much juice. Let the salsa rest — the flavors will meld together.

Assembly

9

Filling the tartlets: fill the cooled bases with the cream made from fresh cheese — use a teaspoon or a piping bag to apply an even layer. On top, add a spoonful (about 1–2 tablespoons) of mint-strawberry salsa using a teaspoon. Decorate with a mint leaf and possibly a bit of arugula.

Ingredients: young cheese, Strawberry, mint, Arugula, Olive oil
The best is a dessert spoon or a piping bag with a round tip. If the salsa is very wet, drain the excess juice before serving to avoid soggy bottoms.
10

Serving: serve the tartlets chilled, not straight from the fridge — take them out 5–10 minutes before serving to let the aromas open up. Arrange on a long platter or plate, adding a few extra mint leaves for decoration.

Ingredients: mint, Arugula
Use a flat platter or cheese board. Do not leave the tarts at room temperature for longer than 2 hours due to the fresh cheese.

Fun Fact

💡

The combination of cottage cheese with fruits has a tradition in Polish cuisine; in the past, in the countryside, cottage cheese was often served with seasonal fruits as a light snack. The pairing of mint with strawberries enhances freshness and is popular in summer desserts.

Best for

letnie przyjęcie piknik Przystawki Wigilijne

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve on a flat platter, 1–2 pieces per person as an appetizer. A good addition is a glass of chilled semi-dry white wine or light cider. Before serving, drizzle with a teaspoon of good olive oil and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

🥡 Storage

Store in the refrigerator covered for up to 24 hours — preferably the baked bases and salsa separately (bases in an airtight container, salsa in a bowl covered with plastic wrap). Assembled tartlets are not suitable for longer storage, as the base may become soggy. Do not freeze the finished tart with young cheese.

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