Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Brony Chef Project #16: CMC Series #2: Sweetie Belle

In a group of freinds, weather human or pony, there is always one in the group that is not only talented but willing to share that talent with everyone. Weather she knows it or not, Sweetie Belle is one of the most musically talented out the trio known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Sweetie Belle is a unicorn who is not only talented in singing but always energenic with everything she does. Her debut was from "Call of the Cutie" around the same time that Scootaloo (BCP #10). Although, her full character was revealed durring the "Stare Master" episode when she was related to Rarity.
Sometimes, Sweetie Belle would get outshined by Rarity but once she has the spotlight, her voice becomes the star. Her voice is high and somewhat squeaky but once she sings, it becomes smooth and elegant as a professional singer. Yet its more than just the voice that attracts many fans.
Her personality can be annoying but she is sweet and caring to her friends and family. She always loved her sister and lends a helping hand whenever she can. Its true that shes trying to find her talents in the wrong places, but she always try and supports her friends anyways she can.
For the recipe, it was actually a suggestion from Cloudsdale on the Friendly Pony Fort cloud. They suggested I try to create something with Sweetie Belle as a dessert (somehow, I am doing a lot of desserts lately). So when I went to the Farmers Market to find whats in season, I found some grape jelly (referencing to the Sister Social episode) and some cherries that are in season, it instantly clicked that I should make tartlets with the grape jelly and other fruit flavors to complete it. Plus I wanted to relate to Rarity by makeing them as a handheld dessert. Its not exactly the same size but it does drive the point that she can be sweet with a big voice.

Sweetie Belles "Surprise" Tarts
Makes 1 Dozen

Tart Shells
7 oz. of Butter, softened
1 cup of Powdered Sugar
7 Egg Yolks
1 egg
3 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

Filling
8 oz of Grape Jelly
30-40 dried cherries (~4 oz.)
Juice of 1 Lemon
pinch of salt

Ganash and Garnish
8 oz of semi-sweet chocolate
splash of coconut milk
12 Fresh Michigan Cherries

1. Create the crust by whipping the butter in a stand mixer until the it covers the sides of the bowl. Then add the egg yolks and egg 1 yolk at a time until incorperated. (If the yolks breaks, add a little bit of the liquid at a time.)
2. Combine the dry mixture together in a separate bowl and add a little bit at a time to the mixer until incorporated. Keep repeating this step until you have used up the dry mixture. You keep the dough refridgerated for up to 1 week.
3. Once you are ready to make the tarts, preheat your oven to 350 F. Grab a muffin pan and grease the pan with butter. Line the cups with the dough and with small squares of parchment paper, place a clean stone in each cup to prevent rising of the cups. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
4. While the shells are baking, create the filling by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Taste to adjusting the seasoning. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
5. Create the gnash by melting the chocolate in a double boiler and whisking in a the coconut milk until creamy. Set aside in room temp until tart shells are cooled.
6. Once shells are cooled, assemble the tart by filling them with the jelly filling, then the gnash and adding the cherry on top. Serve.
The tart shells I got from my Luna Recipe (BCP #9) and modify it to incorporate a whole wheat flour to give it a robust earthy flavor. It doesn't really fit in with Sweetie Belle as much but it does show how adventurous Sweetie belle can be.
The artwork for this post was brought to you by Fumei from Cloudsdale. This is actually the first time that we have an artist from outside of Deviant Art create an original work for this post. So give kudos to Fumei for becoming a pioneer artist for the BCP.
Before I go, I do want to tell you that I am now using Instagram for my photo shoots of the recipes. So if you want to have a sneak peek at some new creations or maybe leave a comment on how delicious it looks, follow chefkyro on Instagram for more.
I have also started a new cloud on Cloudsdale known as "Ask the Chef." If you wanted to drop a comment, make suggestions for the next recipe, ask a questions or maybe just say hi and have a discussion about food and ponies; feel free to drop by the cloud https://www.cloudsdale.org/clouds/askthechef.
That is all I wanted to share today. Thank you for reading and enjoy the tartlets. Its Sweetie Belles favorite.