Mascarpone Fruit Tartlets

I cannot tell you the last time I went a whole day without having dessert.  Whether I have just a little nibble of chocolate or indulge in a yummy chocolate chip cookie, my day is never complete without something sweet.  And I love when summer is finally here! Summer means that fresh berries are back in season, along with the very special desserts that call for them.  All year long I look forward to the blueberry pies and strawberry shortcakes of summer.


I have been all about the bite-sized desserts recently because they satisfy my cravings without taking a huge toll on my waist line.   This week I was craving a fresh, seasonal dessert, so I whipped up some delicious mascarpone fruit tartlets. I already had fresh blueberries and raspberries on hand that I knew I could incorporate into this recipe.  As I talked about in my last post, mascarpone cheese is a great base for any sort of pie filling.  It is creamy in texture and has a naturally light flavor that, with a few small additions, can be enhanced and taken in many directions.   These tartlets are simple and refreshing.  All you will need is some lactose-free mascarpone cheese, lactose-free whole milk, filo cups, lemon and of course, blueberries and raspberries (or any other berries of choice)!  

We’ll begin with the filling. Take one cup of lactose-free mascarpone cheese and place it into a medium sized mixing bowl.  Next add the zest of one lemon.  The zest of a lemon helps to not only enhance the lemony flavor but also helps you enjoy the potent aromatics of the lemon in the finished product.  Food is best when it appeals to all the senses!  Add the lactose-free whole milk, sugar, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Beat the mixture until soft peaks form.  Be careful not to overbeat! Overbeating will cause a dense consistency, almost like butter, and you want it to be soft so it will be easy to place into the delicate filo cups.  I used 12 pre-baked frozen filo dough cups that I thawed out prior to filling.  I did not bake my filo cups further because I wanted to maintain the extra flaky texture.  If you are making these in advance to serving you could bake them for a minute or two to add a little crispiness. However, avoid making them too far in advance— if the filling is in the cups for too long they may become somewhat soggy.  Once the mixture forms light peaks, spoon it into the filo cups, filling each one.

Once the cups were filled I garnished half with a single raspberry and the other half with three blueberries.  Sprinkle them with some confectionary sugar (as a finishing touch) and they are ready to eat!  The filo cups were the perfect pastry shell for this light and creamy filling.  The simple, fresh flavors were just what I hoped for in this seasonal treat.  These desserts were so effortless to make and you can easily alter the recipe to incorporate your favorite summer fruits!  I will definitely be serving these mascarpone fruit tartlets throughout the summer.  

Recipe Details:

Ingredients: 

12 filo cups (bought frozen and thawed, or fresh)
1 cup lactose-free mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup lactose-free whole milk
zest of 1 lemon 
2 tsp lemon juice 
1 tbsp sugar 
6 raspberries 
18 blueberries
confectionary sugar (to sprinkle on top) 

For the filling, take one cup of lactose-free mascaropne cheese and place it into a medium sized mixing bowl.  Next add the zest of one lemon.  Add the lactose-free whole milk, sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Beat mixture until soft peaks form. Thaw 12 pre-baked frozen filo dough cups.  Once thawed, fill each cup with a spoonful of mixture.  Top half with one raspberry and the other half with three blueberries each.  Sprinkle confectionary sugar over the tartlets to finish.  Enjoy!