• A decadent dessert made less naughty with some fresh fruit. Pomegranate and prickly pear cream-cheese tartlets are sinfully creamy, but the delicate prickly pears and sharp pomegranates balance out the richness. 

    Pomegranate and prickly pear cream-cheese tartlets

    Serves: 4
    Cooking Time: 30 mins + extra for cooling

    Ingredients

    • 1 sheet of good quality ready-made shortcrust pastry
    • 250g cream cheese
    • 60ml (¼ cup) icing sugar
    • 125ml (½ cup) Greek yoghurt
    • 250ml (1 cup) fresh cream, whipped
    • seeds from ½ vanilla pod
    • 5ml (1 tsp) lemon zest
    • 4 prickly pears, sliced
    • 125ml (½ cup) pomegranate rubies
    • icing sugar for dusting, optional
    • fresh mint, to garnish

    Instructions

    1

    Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease 4 x 10cm tart tins and line with the pastry. Prick the surface of the pastry and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and baking paper, and continue to bake until golden, about 5 – 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

    2

    Whisk the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth, add the yoghurt and mix to combine. Fold in the cream, vanilla seeds and lemon zest.

    3

    Place a dollop of the cream-cheese filling on each cooled tart case. Top with some of the prickly pear slices and pomegranates. Add a dusting of icing sugar and garnish with fresh mint.