Go ahead…eat your emotions

School is out and summer is here! What better way to celebrate this freedom than having a DIY baking session! Inspired by Disney Pixar’s upcoming movie Inside Out, I have created a delectable dessert that will surely make you feel all kinds of emotions!

The dessert we are going to make are mini eggnog fruit tarts. Each character in Inside Out correlates with main ingredients found in this dessert: strawberries represent Anger, blueberries represent Sadness, grapes represent Fear, kiwi represents Disgust, and they are all encompassed in a yellow filling that represents Joy!

Now before you say, “I cannot cook,” let me just say that I am definitely NOT a chef. I think that microwaving a cup of noodle is already “making dinner.” Minimal cooking is involved and there are fruits incorporated into this dessert, so there is that “healthy” factor! So if you think that there is no hope for you in the kitchen, get back in there and try to make this sweet and easy treat!

LET’S GET STARTED (makes about 12 tarts)

STEP 1: Graham Cracker Crust

1 cup of graham crackers

1 stick of butter

½ a cup of sugar

1 tsp. of salt

12 cup non-stick muffin/cupcake pan

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Melt the butter into liquid form and put all the ingredients together in a blender. Blend until it has a crumb like consistency.
3. Spray the cupcake pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
4. Fill each cup hole with the graham cracker mixture and press it to the bottom of the pan to form a crust (I suggest pushing a small glass (or something like that)  into the middle of each crust to pack in the mixture and make an indent to hold the eggnog filling)
5. Bake the graham cracker crusts for 5 minutes. Take them out of the oven and set them aside to cool.

STEP 2: Eggnog Filling

4 egg yolks

1 cup of milk

½ a cup of sugar

1 tsp. of salt

1 tbsp. of vanilla extract

½ a stick of butter

½ a cup of flour

1 pinch of cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

1. At a low heat boil 1 cup of milk in a saucepan.
2. Add 2 tbsp. of sugar, 1 tsp. of salt, and 1 tbsp. of vanilla extract to the milk. Mix and let it continue to boil.
3. Put 4 egg yolks in a separate bowl and whisk them.
4. Add ½ a cup of flour to the egg yolks and mix until it has a paste-like consistency.
5. Put half of the heated milk mixture from the saucepan into the bowl and mix until the paste-like consistency turns into liquid.
6. Add the bowl mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the warm milk and boil to a medium heat.
7. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens.
8. Remove the mixture off the stove and put it into a bowl to cool down.
9. Add a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg into the filling and whisk.
10. Set the filling aside and let it cool.
11. Put saran wrap over the warm filling and put it in the fridge to chill for about 10-15 minutes.

STEP 3: Fruits

Strawberries

Blueberries

Kiwi

Grapes

Directions:

1. Rinse the fruit in the sink.
2. Cut the fruit small enough so the pieces can fit on top of the tarts.

STEP 4: ASSEMBLE

Directions:

1. Taking a small knife slide around the rim of the graham cracker crusts. They should pop out easily from the cupcake pan.
2. Take a tablespoon of the cooled eggnog filling and put a dollop of it in the center of the crust. Gently spread it out evenly. Don’t put too much of the filling because you still need to add the fruits on top, and you don’t want it to seep over the crust!
3. Take the cut fruit and place them however you’d like on top of the tart!

STEP 5: Bon Appétit!

Directions:

1. Grab a plate and a fork (napkins are optional).
2. Put 1 (or 3) tarts on your plate.
3. E-A-T!!!

Making these treats really made me go through all the emotions featured in Inside Out. I was scared that I wasn’t going to be able to complete this dessert, angry that it took three tries before I perfected the eggnog filling, disgusted that I ate so many, sad that I didn’t make more, and joyful that the dessert turned out BOMB!

With all the free time you have during this season, this is a great recipe to try out. These are perfect desserts to serve at a party full of people, or to make at home for you and your family. Whether you make a dozen or just one of these delicious little tarts, one thing is for sure: they are something that you will definitely enJOY!

Inside Out comes out to theaters on June 19, 2015.