Baking Blog: Top tarts and tips
The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting darker, and by this time of year deadlines are looming upon us. Whilst some people like to partake in a little retail therapy to offloadstress, my personal method of relaxation is baking. Now, I by no means consider myself a recipe connoisseur. As with most amateurs out there, I like to take a little inspiration from my good friend the Internet. BBC Good Food is my particular favourite of the various online food bibles, but consulting different sites for comparison is always a smart idea. In order to keep it fresh (no pun intended), I like to add my own twists to online recipes to give my treats a personal touch. As a self-confessed pastry fiend harbouring a guilty love for Paul Hollywood (the pastry God himself), I thought I’d share two of my favourite tart recipes in the hope of curing the Autumnal blues. The first is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, and will be sure to provide sweet comfort on these gloomy November nights. After all, who doesn’t love banoffee!
Individual Banoffee tartlets (makes 6-8)
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
– 180g plain flour
– 120g unsalted butter
– 3 tablespoon caster sugar
– 1 egg yolk
– 1 teaspoon cold water
For the salted caramel filling:
– 100g butter
– 100g dark soft brown sugar
– 397g can of condensed milk
– 2-3 pinches of sea salt
– 75g dark chocolate (melted)
For the topping:
– 2-3 sliced bananas (depending on size)
– Whipped cream
Method:
For the pastry:
– Sift the flour into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugar. Add the egg yolk and water, then blend the mixture together with a blunt knife or spatula. Using your hands, bring the dough into a ball. Wrap it in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
– Heat the oven to 180C. Once chilled, roll out the pastry to 0.5cm thickness, and then use it to line your individual tartlet tins. Be careful not to overwork the dough, as this will make it harder to re-roll. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with ceramic baking beans or uncooked rice. Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and paper and bake again for 4-5 minutes.
– Top Tip: If you are running low on time, or generally don’t like making your own pastry, Just-Rol is a perfect and speedy alternative.
For the salted caramel filling:
– Place the butter, sugar and condensed milk into a pan and melt over a medium heat. Keeping a close eye on the caramel, melt the chocolate in a Pyrex bowl over a pan of boiling water.
– Bring the caramel mixture to the boil, then take it off the heat and mix in the melted chocolate. Add sea salt to taste.
– Fill each pastry base with the caramel filling.
For the topping:
– Once the tarts are cool, chop the bananas into 1cm slices. Top each tart with 3-4 banana slices.
– Serve with whipped cream.
Quiche Lorraine
This second recipe is a savoury tart that I recently attempted for the first time. I took my inspiration from BBC Good Food, making a couple of changes along the way. Despite a few minor glitches (having to use a wine bottle as an alternative for a rolling pin), I discovered that quiches are relatively straightforward recipes that can easily be made at home.
Ingredients:
– Jus-Rol shortcrust pastry
– 200g pancetta lardons
– 200g cheddar cheese
– 200ml crème fraîche
– 200ml double cream
– 3 eggs, beaten
– mixed herbs
Method:
– Heat the oven to 180C.
– Roll out the pastry until 0.5cm thick, and then use it to line a 23cm tart tin.
– Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the beans and paper, then cook for a further 5 minutes until golden.
– For the filling, fry the pancetta lardons for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the crème fraîche and double cream together using a wooden spoon. Once well combined, beat in the eggs and mixed herbs.
– Line the bottom of the pastry base with pancetta and the majority of the cheese, followed by the crème fraîche mixture. Top with the leftover cheese and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
– Let the quiche settle for around ten minutes before serving with salad or your choice of side.
– Top Tip: Quiche can taste great hot or cold, so why not save a slice to economise on uni lunches?
For those of you that don’t have time to try these tart recipes, here’s a fast and tasty treat that could help you through those tiresome deadlines!
Meg’s Tasty Tip:
– Heat minstrels in the microwave for 1 minute for a gooey centre and a crunchy outside. You won’t regret it!
Recipes taken and adapted from:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2868/ultimate-quiche-lorraine
https://www.homemadebyyou.co.uk/recipes/baking/banoffee-tarts-recipe
All images are author’s own.