Lemon and ginger mini cheesecake tarts (gluten free and low glycemic index)
There are times when only cheesecake will do and yesterday was one of those times 🙂  As the only ingredients I had to hand were mascarpone, lemons and ginger (four hens and not an egg in sight, but don’t let’s go there), I created these tartlets. I have to say, they were divine and my cheesecake yearning was well and truly satisfied.
These tarts are gluten free and have a low glycemic index (neither buckwheat nor coconut flours contain gluten and they both have a low GI, as do all dairy products).
Ingredients for pastry (makes about six mini tarts)
75g buckwheat flour
35g coconut flour
30g butter
30g coconut oil
½ teaspoon powdered ginger
Pinch of sea salt
Roughly 6 tablespoons of cold water
Ingredients for cheesecake filling
250g mascarpone cheese
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoons chestnut purée
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
Candied ginger and mint leaf to garnish
To make the pastry, begin by cutting the butter and coconut oil into small cubes. Add to the flours and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Blend by hand until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the cold water, mixing rapidly with a spoon. Remove the mixture from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until you obtain a ball of pastry (if the mixture isn’t ‘sticky’ enough to form a ball, you may need a drop more water). Wrap in a clean cotton tea towel or some cling film and leave to ‘rest’ in the fridge for about two hours. This relaxes the dough and makes it easier to use.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll out the pastry on a clean, lightly floured surface and fill the tart tins. Bear in mind that buckwheat and coconut flour pastry is extremely crumbly as it contains no gluten to ‘stick’ it together. You’ll probably need to patch and press the pastry into the tins as opposed to just cutting and placing it in as you would with normal pastry. Cook the pastry for 15 minutes.
Blend all of the ‘cheesecake’ ingredients together well, fill the precooked tart cases and garnish with candied ginger and mint. Chill for at least an hour before serving.
16 Comments
Salvador Antonacci
wow the tarts looks delicious,an excellent Dessert.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful Recipe
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you and you’re welcome 🙂
apuginthekitchen
Mascarpone, coconut and chestnut what a lovely combination in the GF tart shells. Yummy!
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you – it is rather tasty 🙂
annelifaiers
How dainty and pretty! I love the look of these. Just enough to satisfy the craving without over indulging! Great plan x
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you Anneli and you’re right it should be just enough to satisfy the craving. Unless you have more than one (three for example!), in which case it becomes gluttony 😉
Jessie
What a fantastic idea for cheesecake tarts without eggs! I’ve been trying to experiment more with gluten-free flour blends, so I’ll have to try your delicious-looking recipe 🙂
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you Jessie and really hope you like them 🙂
Lilly Sue
These look adorable and delicious! I love ginger and lemon 🙂 Great combination!
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you Lilly Sue – I agree that lemon and ginger is a great combination. It’s particularly refreshing in the Summer… 🙂
Lilly Sue
Most definitely! 🙂
Fig & Quince
all I needed to hear was mascarpone – the rest were cherry on top. this looks wonderful, will have to pass on to my (glutten-free diet) sister
The Healthy Epicurean
Great! I hope your sister likes them as much as I did 🙂
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Prince2 exams
This looks really a yummy and thanks for sharing this lovely recipe.
The Healthy Epicurean
Thank you – you’re welcome…