Lemon cheesecake tartlets - recipe with a video

Months ago, my sister told me she had to do a project for school: she and her colleagues would have to create a recipe video and she asked for my help. :)

The kids – they’re twenty years old, I call them kids – came to my house on a Saturday and we had an amazing afternoon together. We recorded the video – actually, they recorded me making tartlets – and it was a lot of fun (and a lot of work, too).

By the end of the session, I served cake and cookies to my guests and they told my sister that from that moment on they wanted to do all the future projects at my house. :D

So here it is: the video and the recipe right after it. I hope you enjoy watching my freckled hands in action! :)

Lemon cheesecake tartlets
slightly adapted from the always beautiful Donna Hay magazine

Base:
100g digestive cookies
30g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Filling:
1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup sour cream*
pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 egg
100g raspberries

Butter six 8cm-tartlet pans (with removable bottoms). Place the cookies in a food processor and blitz until ground. Add the butter and process to combine. With your fingertips, press the mixture into the pans and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, salt, vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk in the egg, then pour it over the base. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly firm. Cool completely then refrigerate for 1 hour.
Dust with icing sugar, pop with the raspberries and serve.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Makes 6

Dark chocolate and raspberry brownie tarts

I love brownies and make them quite often, so when I saw these little beauties on one of my Donna Hay magazines I had to make them: raspberries are naturally tart and taste wonderful with chocolate, not to mention that the brownies looked adorable shaped as tartlets. The recipe is really easy to prepare and if you're having people over I am sure these tartlets would impress your guests; I also think they would be a nice idea for dessert on Valentine's Day (here in Brazil it is celebrated next week on the 12th). ;)

Dark chocolate and raspberry brownie tarts
from the always gorgeous and super delicious Donna Hay Magazine

200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped – I used one with 53% cocoa solids
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (88g) brown sugar, packed
¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
¼ cup (35g) all purpose flour
pinch of salt
¾ cup raspberries – I used frozen, unthawed

Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Lightly butter four 10cm-round springform cake pans, line the bottom with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Place chocolate, butter, sugar and cream in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth. Add the vanilla, then cool for 5 minutes.
Place the eggs , flour and salt in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Whisk in the chocolate mixture until combined. Pour into the prepared pans and top with the raspberries. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Makes 4 – I made the exact recipe above, used 10cm tartlet pans and got 5 tarts (since the pans are nonstick, I just brushed them lightly with butter and did not use baking paper)

Gingerbread linzer tartlets

So I decided to grab the hot weather by the horns and make Christmas tartlets anyway, but with my dried fruit stash reduced to a sad handful I dropped the fruit mince tarts idea and went for something else: the beautiful gingerbread linzertorte I’d seen on Martha’s website, which was the perfect choice since I had a couple of jars of jam in my pantry. The good thing is: I made the recipe into tartlets, which looked adorable and were a hit with my husband, my sister and my one of my sisters-in-law. The bad thing is: the dough is ultra-mega-soft, kind of hard to work with, and it would have been better to make one large tart (less work). I’m stubborn and didn’t give up on my tartlet idea, but I’ll admit it that while shaping the dough I felt like banging my head against the wall, Heathcliff style. :)

Gingerbread linzer tartlets
slightly adapted from Martha

2 ¼ cups (315g) all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (88g) packed dark-brown sugar
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup unsulfured molasses
2 large egg yolks, plus 1 large egg white
1 ¼ cups raspberry jam – I used cherry jam

Sift flour, baking powder, spices, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add sugar; mix on medium-low speed until combined. Add butter; mix until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add molasses and egg yolks; mix until dough comes together, about 30 seconds.
Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll two-thirds of the dough into a 30cm (12in) round, 6mm (¼in) thick. Fit into a lightly buttered 25cm (10in) tart pan with a removable bottom. Prick bottom all over with a fork. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
Roll out remaining dough between pieces of floured parchment paper to a 30cm (12in) round, 6mm (¼in) thick. Transfer round with parchment to a baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Cut out shapes from round with dot and snowflake-shape cookie cutters. (If desired, reserve snowflake cutouts - bake for 10 minutes at 180°C/350°F and sprinkle tops with confectioners' sugar.). Spread jam over bottom of shell. Lightly beat egg white; brush over rim of tart shell. Carefully slide dough round over shell; press edges to adhere. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 165°C/325°F with rack in lowest position (I baked my tartlets at 180°C/350°F).
Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Serves 8 – I made the exact recipe above using 10cm (4in) tartlet pans and got 5 tartlets

Almond joy tartlets

A couple of months ago my friend Ana Elisa and I were talking about the new Baked cookbook that was about to be released (it’s out now). We were talking about purchasing the book or not, since both of us have the other two Baked cookbooks but neither of us have baked much from them. Culinary coincidences, I guess. Then Ana decided to put those cookbooks into some good use and kept telling me how pleased she was with the results, that was when I thought I should do the same – that is why I baked these tartlets (that and the fact that I needed to use up some cream I had in the fridge).

I have never had an Almond Joy candy bar but thought that the combination of chocolate, almonds and coconut would certainly turn out delicious; the tartlets are a bit time consuming because of the three components that have to be made, but you can break the recipe down into little projects and divide the whole thing in two days – that is what I did.

Almond joy tartlets
from a cookbook I’m determined to use more often

Dough:
1/3 cup (33g) almond meal
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups + 1 tablespoon (195g) all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and chopped

Filling:
225g (8oz) white chocolate, chopped
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
2 cups (200g) sweetened flaked coconut
1 tablespoon Amaretto or rum

Glaze:
55g (2oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped
55g (2oz) milk chocolate, chopped
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
6 whole toasted almonds

Dough: place the almond meal, sugar, flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process to combine. Add the butter and pulse until sandy. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg and vanilla together with a fork. With the machine running, pour in the egg mixture, a little at a time, just until the dough comes together – you might not need all the mixture. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Filling: place the white chocolate and the cream in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat, cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Lightly butter six 10cm (4in) tartlet pans with removable bottoms. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and place each part between two pieces of lightly floured baking paper – dough is sticky, so make sure it’s cold when you roll it. Roll into a rough circle, then carefully transfer to the tartlet pan and gently press it to the bottom and sides of the pan. Remove any dough scraps. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. Prick the base of the dough with a fork and freeze for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Line crusts with a piece of foil or baking paper and fill it with dried beans/baking weights. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans/weights and the paper and bake for 10 minutes longer or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool completely over a wire rack.
Place the chilled white chocolate ganache in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Do not overwhip. Gently fold in the coconut and the Amaretto. Spread the filling over the crusts and place one almond in the center of each tartlet. Refrigerate while you make the glaze.
For the glaze, place the chocolates in a small heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream until it just comes to a boil, then pour it over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes, then spoon the glaze evenly over the tarts. Refrigerate again until glaze is set, about 10 minutes.
Tarts can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for 2 days.

Makes 6 – I halved the recipe above, used tartlet pans the same size called for and got 4 tartlets

Salted chocolate caramel tartlets

Talk about perfect timing: the fall issue of my favorite food magazine arrived one day after I’d opened a jar of dulce de leche just to eat a spoonful of it (just ONE, guys, I swear). :)
Since I could not eat the remaining contents of that jar – wanted to, but couldn’t – I’d already started thinking of something to make with it; that was when, flipping through the beautiful pages of the magazine, I saw these tartlets – filled with dulce de leche and topped with ganache, they were just what I needed.
I know that not everyone likes salt in their sweets – my sister had her tartlet without salt – so consider it an optional addition.

***

So you don’t think I’ve forgotten about the “The Hunger Games” trilogy: after reading the first two books in a very short period of time, I’ve been procrastinating like hell with “Mockinjay” – is it just me or this book is boooring? :/

Salted chocolate caramel tartlets
slightly adapted from the always wonderful Donna Hay Magazine

Pastry:
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
½ cup (45g) cocoa
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (78g) icing sugar
pinch of salt
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, cold and chopped
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon iced water

Filling and topping:
1 cup dulce de leche
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
120g (4oz) dark chocolate chopped
sea salt flakes, for sprinkling – I used Maldon

Start with the pastry: place the flour, cocoa, icing sugar, salt in a food processor and blitz to combine. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add the egg yolks and vanilla, then the iced water and process just until a dough starts to form. Transfer to a large piece of plastic wrap and bring the dough together with the tips of your fingers. Shape into a disk and wrap in the plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Lightly butter six 8cm tartlet pans. Divide the pastry into 6 parts. Between two pieces of lightly floured baking paper roll each piece of pastry into a rough circle then line the pans, removing the excess pastry. Prick the pastry with a fork then freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and cut roughly into six squares; place the foil squares, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. And here is the very best part: Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then carefully peel off the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Bake the crusts for 10-15 minutes longer or until cooked through. Cool completely in the pans.
Divide the dulce de leche between the pastry cases and, using the back of a spoon, spread evenly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place the cream in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until smooth and glossy. Spread the tartlets with the ganache and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Sprinkle with salt to serve.

Makes 6 – I made the exact recipe above, used 9cm (3½in) tartlet pans and got 10 tartlets; I first divided the pastry in 8 parts, then rerolled the scraps once to get two more tartlets

Cherry jam frangipane tartlets + "Hanna"

Sometimes I get mad at things that usually do not bother other people; for instance, I hate it that some incredible movies go straight to DVD here in Brazil, after I’d waited forever to see them on the big screen: that has happened quite frequently lately – “Take Shelter”, “Jane Eyre”, among others – and it was the case with “Hanna”. It is such a shame that not many people have heard of such an amazing film: brilliant script, great music, and the cast...

* spoilers *

Cate Blanchett is one of my favorite actresses – I love how versatile she is, and here, as one of the villains, she’s fabulous: the tone of her voice, the color of her hair, the way her eyes move... Fantastic. Eric Bana proves that good looks and talent can go hand in hand: he won my heart a long time ago playing the Hulk – I know that not everyone liked Ang Lee’s version of the hero, but I did; Bana played Banner as a very contained man, which is the perfect counterpoint to his explosive alter ego. He’s played a perfect Henry VIII and will play another King – I’m looking forward to it. Tom Hollander, so brilliantly playing a villain that looks he has come out of a cheap 1970s movie. And Saoirse Ronan... she’s the soul of the movie and having watched “Atonement” and “The Lovely Bones” I expected a lot from her, but she transcends as Hanna – the physicality of the role seems to be something quite difficult to accomplish, but what really stunned me was how perfectly she portrays Hanna’s emotions, her discovery moments: the first time seeing a plane or listening to music – the way her eyes shine... Her performance is poetic.
I’ve been telling everyone I know to watch “Hanna” as soon as possible and now I am telling you, too. :)

***

I really don’t mind doing the dishes but I hate washing the food processor parts: I usually cut my fingers while washing the blade and that sucks. Therefore, when I grab the food processor to make pastry, sweet or savory, I double the amount and freeze some – that is what I did when I made the chocolate crème brûlée tartlets, and a couple of weekends after that I used the frozen amount to make these delicious frangipane tartlets, courtesy of the always wonderful Jamie Oliver.

Cherry jam frangipane tartlets
slightly adapted from the amazing Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes: A Revolutionary Approach to Cooking Good Food Fast (mine was bought aqui)

6 small deep shortcrust pastry cases*
1 egg
1 cup (100g) almond meal
100g unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of ½ orange
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup cherry jam, or your favorite flavor

Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Put the 6 pastry cases on a baking tray. In a medium bowl, make the frangipane: combine the egg, almond meal, butter, sugar, zest and vanilla and mix everything together. Spoon a small teaspoon of jam into each pastry base. Top with a heaped teaspoon of frangipane, add another small teaspoon of jam, then finally another heaped teaspoon of frangipane. Put the tray in the oven on the middle shelf and bake until the filling is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes
Serve them warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream or crème fraîche.

* I used this recipe to make the tartlet cases; baked them in 1/3-cup (80ml) capacity muffin pans (as described here) and got 8 tartlet cases; I halved the recipe above and it was enough for the 8 tartlet cases

Makes 6

Chocolate crème brûlée tartlets

Sometimes it takes me forever to do certain things – make a recipe, watch a movie – and then, when I finally do it, it just feels... bleh.

Many, many years ago I watched the trailer for “November” and it intrigued me: I thought it looked interesting and I liked the idea of watching Courteney Cox in a drama: to me, she was the funniest of the girls in “Friends” – to this day I haven’t understood Jennifer Aniston’s wins at the Emmys and the Golden Globes. But then it took me 7 years to watch the movie and... bleh.

*spoilers*

It made me think of “Stay” – which is a movie I really like – but in a poor way.

*end of spoilers*

With that in mind I decided to make these tartlets, because I’d been meaning to make them since August 2008 – they turned out delicious! Thank heavens. :)

If you’re not into pastry making, make the chocolate custard only, pour into small bowls and serve, no need to caramelize it – it’s that good.

Chocolate crème brûlée tartlets
slightly adapted from the always wonderful Donna Hay Magazine and Modern Classics Book 2

1 recipe sweet shortcrust pastry
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
100g dark chocolate, chopped
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon Amaretto (optional)
granulated sugar, extra, to sprinkle
whipped cream, to serve

Tart cases: lightly butter eight cavities – 1/3 cup capacity each – of a muffin pan. Divide the pastry into 8 equal parts. Roll each one into a rough circle and line the muffin pan with the pastry. Prick the bases with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Roughly cut 8 pieces of foil – the size of the tart cases – and brush one side with butter. Press the foil pieces onto the frozen pastry (buttered side in contact with the pastry) and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 5–8 minutes or until golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Carefully remove the tart cases from the pan.

Filling: place the milk, chocolate and vanilla in saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted. Bring to the boil and remove from heat. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale and creamy. Add the corn starch and whisk to combine. Gradually pour in the hot milk mixture, whisking continuously. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, for 1–2 minutes or until thickened. Stir through the Amaretto. Set aside to cool. Pour the filling into the tart shells and refrigerate for 4 hours or until set. Sprinkle tarts with the extra sugar and use a blowtorch to caramelize the sugar. Top with the cream to serve.

Makes 8

Little almond crostate with roast pears

Spring is here! It’s time to say goodbye to my beloved pears, apples and strawberries (I know that sounds bizarre to some of you but strawberry season here is in the winter). That’s fine: mangoes and watermelons arrive to make me happy – and stone fruit is just around the corner.

One last pear recipe to celebrate the end of winter while I search for recipes with a spring feeling... :)

Little almond crostate with roast pears
slightly adapted from the always gorgeous Australian Gourmet Traveller

Pastry (almond pasta frolla):
60g natural almonds
180g all purpose flour
100g unsalted butter, cold and coarsely chopped
60g icing sugar, sifted
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
pinch of salt
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

Almond cream:
2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk
3 pieces lemon zest, removed with a vegetable peeler
2 egg yolks
½ cup (100g) superfine sugar
50g unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (50g) almond meal
1 teaspoon dark rum

Pears:
8 small ripe pears, such as Corella, halved, core removed with a melon baller – I used very small pears called “Ercolini”
¾ cup (150g) superfine sugar
finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, coarsely chopped

Start with the pastry (almond pasta frolla): process almonds and 50g flour in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter, sugar, zest, remaining flour and salt, process until fine crumbs form. Add egg mixture, process until mixture just comes together, turn onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly until smooth. Form dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate to rest (1-2 hours).

Meanwhile, prepare the almond cream: bring milk and zest to the simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk yolks and ¼ cup (50g) of the sugar in a bowl to dissolve sugar. Add milk mixture, whisk to combine, return to pan, whisking continuously until thick and smooth (2-3 minutes), then remove zest and cool completely. Beat butter and remaining ¼ cup (50g) sugar in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy (1-2 minutes), add almond meal, rum and cooled custard, set aside at room temperature.

Now, the pears: preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Place pears, cut-side up, in a roasting pan that fits pears snugly. Scatter with sugar and lemon zest, drizzle with lemon juice and dot with butter, making sure to include one in each cavity. Roast, basting occasionally, until pears are tender and edges are golden (35-40 minutes). Keep warm.
Bake the tartlets: lightly butter eight 9cm-diameter tart pans. Divide pastry into eight pieces. Working with one piece at a time, and keeping other pieces refrigerated, roll on between two pieces of lightly floured baking paper into 3mm-thick rounds and line the prepared pans with them. Prick pastry all over with a small fork. Divide almond cream among tartlet and bake until golden (35-40 minutes). Serve warm or at room temperature with roast pears and syrup.
Crostate are best eaten on day of making.

Makes 8 – I halved the recipe above, used 9cm tartlet pans and still got 6 tartlets

Raspberry Port linzer tartlets and a list of the movies I love

I’ve finally finished something I’d been meaning to do for ages: a list with my all time favorite movies – the ones I deeply love. It was rather difficult putting the list together – and I might have forgotten something, only time will tell – but it was a lot of fun doing it. It is posted here, if you’re curious. :)

These lovely tartlets were a similar challenge: the pastry was very difficult to work with – too crumbly – but it tasted so good it was all worth it. And the filling was delicious, too – raspberry jam spiked with booze? I’m in. ;)

Raspberry Port linzer tartlets
slightly adapted from The Boozy Baker

Dough:
1 ½ cups (157g) sliced almonds
2/3 cups (133g) superfine sugar
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg yolks

Filling:
1 ½ cups raspberry preserves
3 tablespoons Port wine

Start by making the dough: combine the almonds and 1/3 cup (66g) of the sugar in a food processor and pulse until coarse. Add the remaining sugar (66g), flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and the yolks and process until a dough begins to come together. Turn the dough onto a clean surface and knead lightly to make it come together. Divide in two pieces, one slightly larger than the other, flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Make the filling: place the preserves in a small bowl and break it with a fork. Add the wine and mix to combine.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Roll the larger piece of dough between two pieces of lightly floured baking paper until you have a 30cm (12in) circle. Transfer to a lightly buttered 23cm (9in) tart pan with a removable bottom and press up the sides.
Roll the second piece of dough to a 30cm (12in) circle. Cut into strips, transfer to a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
Pour the filling into the tart shell and smooth the surface. Remove the dough strips from the freezer and arrange half horizontally and half vertically across the tart, creating a lattice pattern.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Remove the outer ring of the pan, cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 8 – I halved the recipe above, used 9cm tartlet pans and got 6 tartlets

Plum and frangipane tartlets and controlling anxiety

I have the terrible habit of watching movie trailers way before they premiere only to get anxious for months (depending on the movie it arrives here in Brazil months after their premiere in the U.S.). I know it’s self- inflicted pain, but I cannot help it. Luckily there are times when things can be done to ease the anxiety a little: I got so blown away by “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” trailer that I began reading the book the day after that.
Just like these tartlets: I saw the recipe last Friday and baked them on Saturday morning. :)

Plum and frangipane tartlets
slightly adapted from here

Pastry:
2 2/3 cups (374g) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
1 cup (2 sticks/226g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 large egg
4 tablespoons ice-cold water

Frangipane:
200g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200g) superfine sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups (200g) ground almonds

Filling:
5-6 ripe plums, each cut into eighths*, stones removed

To serve:
icing sugar, for dusting
whipped cream

For the pastry, place the flour and sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and process in short bursts until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the water. With the motor running, add egg water mixture and process just until the dough comes together.
Turn it onto a large piece of plastic wrap, form into a disk and wrap well. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
For the frangipane, beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Crack the eggs into the bowl one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the ground almonds and mix well until combined. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; lightly butter eight 8cm tartlet pans with removable bottoms. Roll dough thinly between two sheets of lightly floured baking paper – if dough gets too soft, refrigerate for 5 minutes. Line each tartlet pan with the dough and trim away any excess; prick the dough all over with a small fork and place the pans on a baking sheet.
Spoon the frangipane into the tart cases so that it comes about halfway up the sides**. Smooth over the surface with a spatula and cover the frangipane evenly with the plums.
Bake for 20-25minutes or until the pastry is crisp, filling is golden and the fruit is tender.
Remove the tartlets from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with whipped cream.

* I sliced each plum into sixteenths, so the slices would be thinner and more delicate; 3 plums were enough for 2/3 of this recipe
** there was ¼ cup of frangipane left, and I was very generous filling the tartlet cases with it

Makes 8 tartlets – I made 2/3 of the recipe above, used 9cm tartlet pans and got 12 tartlets

Cinnamon-chocolate fruit mince tarts

I’d been meaning to make mincemeat pies forever, because I think they look absolutely adorable! But I always gave up at the idea of using suet, or anything similar to it.

That is why this recipe is perfect: besides being suet-free, both the pastry and the filling are delicious, with a not-very-Christmas-but-yummy hint of chocolate.

Cinnamon-chocolate fruit mince tarts
slightly adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

270g dark brown sugar
300g raisins
300g dried cranberries
3 tablespoons brandy
100g unsalted butter, melted
100g glacé orange, finely chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, coarsely grated
1 orange, finely grated zest and juice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons demerara sugar, for scattering

Cinnamon pastry:
180g softened unsalted butter
200g pure icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
500g all purpose flour
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients except chocolate and demerara sugar in a large bowl, stir to combine, then spoon into sterilized jars* and refrigerate for at least 1 day or up to 2 weeks, inverting jar occasionally. Makes about 5 cups of fruit mince.
For cinnamon pastry, beat butter, sugar and cinnamon in an electric mixer until creamy, but not fluffy (4-5 minutes). Add eggs one at a time and beat until well combined. Beat in flour and salt, turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until just smooth (at this point I needed to add 1 ½ tablespoons of flour because the dough was too soft), then divide pastry in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours to rest.
Roll out each pastry half on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick, cut out 11cm-diameter rounds with a pastry cutter, place on a tray and refrigerate until required. Cut out small stars or other decorative shapes from the pastry scraps, place on a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate until required. Re-roll any remaining scraps to 3mm thick, refrigerate until firm (30 minutes), then cut out more rounds and decorative shapes with small biscuit cutters and add shapes to tray.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; butter twenty four ½ cup (120ml) capacity muffin pans. Line the pans with the pastry rounds and refrigerate until required.
Add chocolate to fruit mince mixture, stir to combine. Spoon fruit mince mixture into each pastry-lined pan, leaving a 5mm gap at top. Top each with a pastry shape, brush lightly with water, scatter with demerara sugar and bake until pastry is golden and crisp (12-15 minutes). Cool completely in pans, then remove. Fruit mince tarts will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

* I did not sterilize the jars and kept the mince mixture in the fridge for only 2 days

Makes 24 – I made 1/3 of the recipe above, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity pans and got 12 tartlets

Maple brûlée tartlets

My love for mini food can sometimes go well and sometimes not so much – I saw a beautiful maple brûlée tart on DH mag #51 and immediately ran to the kitchen to bake it, but decided to make tartlets instead. The problem is that the pastry shrunk so much there was almost no room for the filling. :S
To solve the situation, I baked the remaining filling in a water bath and ended up with a delicious maple crème brûlée – if I were you, I’d ignore the tartlets and go straight to the ramekin version. :)

Maple brûlée tartlets
from Donna Hay magazine

Vanilla pastry:
1 2/3 cups + 1 ½ tablespoons (250g) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
¼ teaspoon baking powder
180g unsalted butter, cold and chopped
1/3 cup (80ml) iced water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
1 cup (240ml) pouring cream
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) caster sugar
¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup
caster sugar, for sprinkling

Make the pastry: place the flour, sugar and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor and process to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. While the motor is running, gradually add the water and vanilla (mix them together before pouring in the processor). Process just until mixture comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick. Line a lightly buttered 28cm pie pan with the pastry. Prick with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; line the bottom of the pastry with foil, cover with baking weights or beans and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove the weights/beans and the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until lightly golden.
Place the milk and cream in a small saucepan over low heat just until boiling. Place the eggs, extra yolks, sugar and maple in a bowl and whisk to combine. Gradually whisk in the milk mixture. Allow to cool. Preheat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Pour the mixture into the pastry case and bake for 15-20 minutes or until just set. Allow to cool in the pan.
Sprinkle the tart with sugar just before serving and caramelize with a small kitchen blow torch until a golden crust forms.

Serves 8 – I halved the recipe above and got 10 tartlets (9cm each)

Little strawberry meringue tarts

The strawberry maniac strikes again – and this time with pies topped with meringue. :)

I know I’ve been carried away by the strawberry season, but tell me: would you resist making such adorable little pies? I’m not that strong. :)

Little strawberry meringue tarts
adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Filling:
400g strawberries, hulled and quartered
½ cup (88g) brown sugar, packed – you might need more depending on how sweet the strawberries are
1 vanilla bean, scraped seeds only
juice of ½ small orange
juice of ½ lime

Brown sugar pastry:
50g soft unsalted butter
50g brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour

Italian meringue:
¼ cup (50g) caster sugar
2 tablespoons (24g) demerara sugar
1 egg white

For brown sugar pastry, beat butter and brown sugar, using an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until pale, then add the egg and beat to combine. Add flour, beat until just combined, turn onto a lightly floured work surface, form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, place strawberries in a heavy-based saucepan. Add brown sugar, vanilla seeds and orange and lime juices and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 5-8 minutes or until strawberries are soft and liquid is reduced. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Roll pastry on a lightly floured surface to 2mm thick and use to line ten 6.5x3.5cm deep pie pans (see note), trim edges and pierce crust all over with fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and cut roughly into ten squares; place the foil squares, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Bake blind for 10 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool for 5 minutes in pans, then remove from pans and place on a baking tray. Using a fork to remove some of the liquid, transfer strawberry mixture into pastry cases and set aside*.
For Italian meringue, combine sugars and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and cook until syrup reaches 115°C/239°F on a sugar thermometer, then remove from heat. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, whisk egg white until soft peaks form, then, with motor running, slowly add hot syrup and whisk for 5 minutes. Spoon meringue over strawberry filling, forming into peaks. Place pies under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes or until meringue is golden or use a blowtorch to brown meringue lightly.

* since this is a very moist filling, assemble the tarts as close as possible to serving them - the juices in the filling will make the pastry soggy

Note: If you’re unable to find pie pans of this measurement, use individual fluted tart cases instead (they’ll hold less filling).

Serves 10

Asparagus and ricotta tarts

Joao bought a bunch of asparagus a while ago and, for some reason I can’t remember now we did not eat them right away – I ended up freezing the asparagus but wasn’t sure if that would work.

I decided to make tartlets to check if the asparagus were still good and they turned out delicious – I place the asparagus still frozen on top of the ricotta filling and baked according to the recipe.

No asparagus around? Don’t fret – I think these tartlets would be great with other veggies, such as broccolini and zucchini.

Asparagus and ricotta tarts
adapted from Donna Hay magazine

1 sheet ready-prepared butter puff pastry, thawed
¾ cup (150g) fresh ricotta
1 cup finely grated parmesan
¼ cup parsley leaves, chopped
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil – I used garlic infused
salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 asparagus spears, trimmed
olive oil extra, for brushing

Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
Cut out four 12x6cm rectangles from the pastry sheet and place on the prepared sheet. Score a 1cm border on each rectangle.
Place the ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Spoon the ricotta mixture onto the pastry and top with the asparagus. Brush the pastry borders with the oil. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Tangy lemon tartlets with a burnt sugar crust

Beyonce is here in Brazil and everyone is talking about it – I must confess I’m not a fan, powerful voice and all. Even though I don’t like her songs, I found the music in “Ego” pretty interesting, but she had to go and ruin it with silly lyrics.

She should learn from Donna Hay: you get something great, like a lemon tart, and make it even better, by adding a crackly caramel crust. :)

Tangy lemon tartlets with a burnt sugar crust
from Donna Hay magazine

2 cups + 2 tablespoons (300g) all purpose flour
2/3 cup + ½ tablespoon (157g) unsalted butter, cold and chopped
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2 teaspoons iced water

Filling:
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
3 eggs
¼ cup (50g) caster sugar
¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice
finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
2 tablespoons caster sugar, extra

Place the flour, butter and sugar in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the water a little at a time and process until a dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until 3mm thick. Butter a 20cm (8in) round fluted tart pan and line it with the pastry. Trim, prick the dough with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes – in the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Line the pastry with baking paper, fill with baking weights or dried beans and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights/beans and the paper and bake for a further 8-10 minutes or until golden.
Reduce the oven to 140°C/285°F. Place the cream, eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture into the tart shell and bake for 30 minutes or until just set. Allow to cool completely. Sprinkle the extra sugar over the lemon filling and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar topping.

Serves 8 – I halved the recipe above, used 6x11cm rectangular tart pans and got 5 tartlets