Raspberry & rose tartlets
These dainty pies are perfect to serve for a summery afternoon tea. The tart cases are lined with a thin layer of dark/bittersweet chocolate, which o?ers the perfect foil to the sharpness of the fruit.
PASTRY
60 g/½ stick butter, chilled and diced
140 g/1 cup plain/all-purpose flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
a pinch of salt
CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE
1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch
1 tablespoon rosewater
60 g/? cup caster/superfine sugar
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
100 ml/scant ½ cup full-fat/whole milk
150 ml/? cup double/heavy cream
TO ASSEMBLE
50 g/? cup chopped dark/bittersweet chocolate, melted
250 g/2 cups raspberries
chopped pistachios
GLAZE
3 tablespoons apricot glaze
12-hole fluted muffin pan, greased
9-cm/3½-in. round cookie cutter
piping/pastry bag fitted with large star nozzle/tip
MAKES 12
For the pastry, rub the butter into the flour and salt using your fingertips. Add 1 tablespoon of cold water and mix in with a round-bladed knife, adding a little more water if the mixture is too dry. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm/plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
On a flour-dusted surface, roll out the pastry dough thinly and cut out 12 circles using the cutter. Press one circle into each of the holes of the muffin pan. Prick the base of each pie and chill in the refrigerator for a further 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
Line the pastry cases with baking parchment, fill with baking beans and bake blind for about 10-15 minutes in the centre of the oven, until the pastry is golden brown. Let cool and remove the baking beans and parchment, then brush the insides of the pastry cases with a thin layer of melted chocolate. Let set.
To prepare the crème pâtissière, whisk together the cornflour, rosewater, sugar, egg and egg yolk until creamy. Put the milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour over the egg mixture immediately, whisking all the time. Return to the pan and cook for a few minutes, until thick. Pass through a sieve/strainer to remove any lumps and let cool.
To assemble, spoon the rose crème pâtissière into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle and pipe into the cases. Top with the raspberries and chopped pistachios.
To glaze, heat the apricot glaze in a saucepan until just melted, cool slightly and then brush over the raspberries using a pastry brush.
Cherry & almond bakewell tarts
These dainty tarts have a crisp almond pastry, cherry and amaretto jam/jelly, soft buttery frangipane, topped with almond flavoured icing, with crystallized almonds and a little slither of cherry.
3 tablespoons good-quality cherry jam/jelly
1 quantity of Frangipane (see page 156)
50 g/? cup flaked/slivered almonds
3-4 glacé cherries (or top with a fresh cherry for an extra summer hit)
ALMOND PASTRY
175 g/1? cups plain/all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
25 g/¼ cup ground almonds
a pinch of salt
100 g/7 tablespoons butter, chilled and diced
25 g/2½ tablespoons icing/confectioners' sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
FROSTING
100 g/? cup icing/confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon almond extract
10-cm/4-in. round cookie cutter
12 x 7-cm/3-in. fluted tart pans or a 12-hole muffin pan, greased
MAKES 12
Start by making the almond pastry. Tip the flour and ground almonds into the bowl of a food processor, add the salt and the butter. Using the pulse button rub the butter into the flour until it is pale sand-like in texture. Add the icing sugar and pulse again to combine. Add the beaten egg and pulse again until the dough starts to come together.
Tip out onto the work surface and use your hands to bring it together into a neat ball. Flatten into a disc, cover in clingfilm/plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour until firm.
Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of no more than 2 mm/1/16 in. Stamp out as many discs as you can using the cookie cutter. Gather the scraps together, re-roll and stamp out more discs. Gently press the pastry discs into the tart pans, trying not to stretch the dough but making sure that the pans are evenly lined.
Arrange the pans on a baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 170°C (350°F) Gas 3. Place another solid baking sheet on the middle shelf of the oven to heat up while it preheats.
Spread ½ teaspoon of jam into each tart shell and divide the frangipane evenly between the tarts - spreading it to evenly cover the jam.
Carefully transfer the individual pans to the hot baking sheet from the oven and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until the frangipane and pastry are golden and the pastry is crisp.
While the oven is hot, lightly toast the almonds on a baking sheet for 4 minutes until golden. Leave the tarts to cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add a drop or two of almond extract and enough water to make a smooth liquid that will coat the back of a spoon. Neatly spoon the icing over the frangipane in each tart and press the toasted almond bits around the edge. Top each tart with a slither of glacé cherry and leave to set before serving.
Pineapple & passion fruit curd tartlets
These tiny tartlets are like a bite of summer on a plate and will burst with summery flavours with every mouthful.
double quantity of Pâte Sucrée (see page 150)
plain/all-purpose flour, for dusting
1 small fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced
4 passion fruit
PASSION FRUIT CURD
6 ripe, juicy passion fruit
freshly squeezed juice of 1 small lemon, strained
75 g/¾ sick butter, cubed
3 large/US extra-large eggs, beaten
225 g/generous 1 cup caster/superfine sugar
7.5-cm/3-in. fluted cookie cutter
12-hole muffin pan, greased
MAKES 12
First, prepare the passion fruit curd. Cut the 6 passion fruit in half, scoop out the flesh and press through a sieve/strainer into a medium bowl to extract the juice. Add the lemon juice, butter, eggs and sugar and set over a saucepan of simmering water (or cook in a double boiler).
Cook, stirring all the time, for about 20 minutes or until the curd has thickened considerably. If you are brave enough, you can cook this over direct heat, watching that it doesn't get too hot and curdle. Strain into a bowl and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured work surface and cut out 12 rounds with the cutter. Line the muffin pan with the pastry, pressing it into the holes. Prick the bases and chill or freeze for 15 minutes. Bake blind for 5-6 minutes without lining with beans. Let cool.
When ready to serve, fill the tartlet cases with a spoonful of passion fruit curd, then top with sliced pineapple. Cut the 4 passion fruit in half, scoop out the flesh and spoon a little, seeds and all, over each tartlet. Serve immediately before the tartlets have a chance to go soggy.
Mango & passion fruit mini eclairs
Filled with a punchy tropical pastry cream and topped with a crunchy crumble, these beauties will definitely have your guests asking for more at any summer event!
1 quantity of Crème Diplomate (see page 155, made with mango and passion fruit Crème Pâtissière)
PÂTE À CHOUX
125 ml/½ cup milk
100 g/7 tablespoons butter
a pinch of salt
a pinch of sugar
140 g/1 cup plain/all-purpose flour
approximately 6 eggs
CRUMBLE TOPPING
80 g/¾ sick butter, softened
100 g/½ cup light brown sugar
100 g/¾ cup plain/all-purpose flour
baking sheets, lined with baking parchment
piping/pastry bag fitted with a plain nozzle/tip
MAKES ABOUT 20
First, make the crumble topping. Beat the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer or in a bowl with an electric whisk just until well combined. Add the flour and bring together into a dough with your hands. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of baking parchment, top with another sheet and flatten with a rolling pin until about 3 mm/? in. thick. Freeze for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas 4.
Put the milk, butter, salt and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add 125 ml/½ cup water. Stir constantly so that the sugar doesn't burn and cause the mixture to stick to the bottom of the pan. When it comes to the boil, quickly stir in the flour and mix together. Beat the dough vigorously until it cleanly leaves the sides of the saucepan - this can take up to 5 minutes, depending on the heat.
Transfer the dough to a stand mixer or mixing bowl (using an electric whisk) and beat in the eggs, one at a time. You might not need all 6 eggs - flour and eggs behave differently no matter how many times you make the same recipe, so the number of eggs needed can vary. When it is soft and smooth and drops off a spoon leaving behind a 'V' shape, it is ready.
Spoon the dough into the piping bag. Pipe ovals onto the...
