Carrot, Spinach and Preserved Lemon Tart

I made these tarts a little while ago with an excess of carrots in my veg bag. They have a really interesting and fab flavour and I would never have thought of putting carrots in a tart before but this really works. I took some shortcuts, I only used whole eggs and not yolks for the filling and milk instead of cream and I used normal full sized carrots cut down into batons. Also as you can see from the picture I made 4 small ones with half the recipe rather than one big tart, which is what the recipe below is for.

Carrot, Spinach and Preserved Lemon Tart (from The Telegraph)
(Serves 6-8)

2 tsp cumin seeds
250g plain flour
150g butter
1 egg yolk
½ - 1 tbsp very cold water

For the filling
300g spinach, any coarse stalks removed
15g unsalted butter
½ tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, very finely chopped
2 small cloves garlic, finely chopped
about ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
400g peeled and trimmed baby carrots
40g preserved lemon, finely chopped
2 large eggs and 2 large yolks
325ml double cream
30g coriander leaves, finely chopped

Toast the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan for about 30 seconds. Leave to cool then bash with a mortar and pestle to break down a little.

Put the flour, butter, cumin seeds and a pinch of salt into a food processor and whizz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix the yolk with half a tablespoon of cold water, add it to the flour mixture and whizz again. Add another half tbsp of water if needed for the pastry to come together into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 mins.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface and line a 25-26cm loose-bottomed tart tin (3cm deep). Prick the bottom with a fork then chill in the fridge or freezer until cold and firm.

Preheat the oven to 200C and put in a metal baking-sheet.

Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake on the sheet for 10 mins then remove the paper and beans and cook for another 8 mins. Leave to cool. Lower the temperature to 180C. Use any leftover raw pastry to patch any cracks in the base.

Put the spinach into a saucepan with a couple of tbsp of water and wilt over a medium heat for 5 mins stirring occasionally. When it is completely wilted, leave until cool enough to handle, then squeeze all the water out with your hands. Chop roughly.

Heat half the butter and olive oil in a frying-pan and add the onion, cook gently until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic, cinnamon and spinach, season and continue to cook until the mixture is quite dry. Spoon it into the pastry case.

Heat the rest of the oil and butter in the same frying pan. Add the carrots and saute until golden in parts and quite dry. Stir in the preserved lemon and some seasoning and spoon into the tart case.

Mix the eggs, yolks and cream together in a jug. Add the coriander and season. Slowly pour the egg mixture on top of the vegetables. Return the tart to the baking sheet and cook for 45 mins, or until the pastry is golden and the filling just set in the middle (it should still have a little give as it will continue to cook once out of the oven). Leave to cool for 15 mins then remove the tart ring and serve.

Treacle Tart

I made a treacle tart. It's a very old English pudding and I knew that my next door neighbour loves them. So to say thank you for all the things she does for me I made her one. This was a bit different from the ones I've tried before as the breadcrumbs were coarser but I really liked it, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Treacle Tart (from Jackson's Champion Bread)
(Serves 6-8)

For the pastry

120g plain flour
60g butter or margarine
30g caster sugar
1 medium egg

For the filling
4 slices bread
300g golden syrup
zest and juice 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

For the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl, stir in the caster sugar then using your fingertips rub in the butter until it forms the consistency of breadcrumbs, then mix in the egg, and squash the dough into a ball. Place onto a floured board and roll the pastry out then line an 20cm flan dish.

Roughly cut the bread slices into 4 and place into a food processor fitted with chopping blade. Chop into breadcrumbs – they can be as coarse or fine however you like them.

Place the syrup and lemon zest into a mixing bowl then fold in the breadcrumbs. Spread the mixture over the pastry base. Bake for about 25 - 30 mins until golden on top.

Tomato and Curd Cheese Tart

I think this is the first time I've made rough puff pastry and it was actually fairly easy. Instead of a big pie I halved the recipe and made four smaller ones. They were delicious, the combination of the tomatoes and curd cheese was really good.

Tomato and Curd Cheese Tart (from Good Food Magazine September 2008)
(Serves 8)

200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 tsp salt
100g butter, cold and cubed
50g mature cheddar, grated
small bunch basil or flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped
175g curd cheese
8 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
a little olive oil, to serve
handful mixed soft herbs, (we used chervil, mint and flat-leaf parsley), to serve

Put the flour, salt and butter into a food processor and whizz very roughly – you want the butter to stay in fairly large clumps. Tip into a bowl, stir in 66g of the cheddar, then bring together to a soft dough with about 100ml ice-cold water – add a little more if you need to. Knead quickly, then wrap in cling film and put into the fridge for at least 30 mins. Mix the chopped basil or parsley and remaining cheddar into the curd cheese, then season.

Dust the work surface with flour, then roll out the pastry to a long rectangle. Fold the top third down, then the bottom third up. Roll, then fold three more times to build up the flaky layers. Put back into the fridge for at least 10 mins.

Heat oven to 220C. Roll the pastry until large enough to cut a round about 27cm across (use a dinner plate as a guide). Lift the pastry onto a lightly floured baking tray, prick with a fork, then bake for 15 mins. Set aside to cool for a few mins.

Spread the herby curd cheese over the pastry, taking it almost to the edge, then arrange the tomatoes on top in overlapping circles. Season and bake for 15 mins until the pastry is golden around the edges. Turn oven down to 150C and bake for another 30-40 mins until the tomatoes look quite dried out and the pastry is cooked through. To serve, let the tart cool a little, then drizzle with olive oil. Toss the herbs with more oil, then pile in the middle of the tart to serve.

Jam Tarts

I made these jam tarts with my niece a couple of weeks ago, we were waiting for the bread to rise and were looking for something else to make and in truth I've had a craving for jam tarts for ages! These were fab and she basically did all the work, I was there as back up! We got out all our children's cookery books and went through them to decide what to make.

Jam Tarts (from My Cookery Book by Caroline Green)
(Makes 12)

100g plain flour
25g butter
25g shortening
pinch salt
cold water
jam

Sieve the salt and flour into a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into little cubes and drop them into the flour Mix with a knife.

Rub the flour and fat together with your fingers until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle 2 tbsp of water into the mixture. Stir in quickly with a palette knife. Add more water if necessary. Now, with your hands, form the dough into a ball that leaves the bowl clean. Wrap the pastry in cling film and leave in the fridge for 30 mins; this makes it easier to roll out. Turn the oven on to 190C.

Sprinkle flour on to the work surface and the rolling pin. Gently roll out the pastry to 5mm thick. Cut the pastry into circles with the cutter and put into patty tins.

Put 1 tsp of jam into each tart and bake in the oven for about 15 mins until the pastry is golden.

Raclette Tart

I love raclette cheese! I was hurrying to find things to do with the cheese after heating it up on top of boiled potatoes and cold meats before the cheese went bad and I came across this recipe from Nigel Slater in The Guardian. It was really good, lovely and tasty and the cheese was fantastic and melty in the bottom of the tart.

Raclette Tart (from The Guardian)

(Serves 6)

200g plain flour
100g butter
1 egg yolk
milk

For the filling:
350g raclette, thinly sliced
50g salami, thinly sliced or shredded
2 tsp peppercorns
12 cornichons, halved
2 eggs
150ml creme fraiche
good pinch thyme leaves, chopped

Put the flour in a large mixing bowl with a pinch of salt. Cut the butter, rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk, mix a little more then add enough milk – a couple of tablespoons – to bring the dough to a soft, rollable consistency.

Flour a board, roll the pastry out and use it to line a 22cm shallow-sided tart tin – preferably one with a removable base. Line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Set aside for 20 mins in the fridge to rest. This will stop it shrinking during baking. Set the oven to 200C and place a metal baking sheet in the oven.

When the pastry case has rested, bake on the hot baking sheet for 20 mins. Remove the case from the oven, carefully lift out the paper and baking beans, then return to the oven for 5 mins, until dry to the touch. Remove from the oven and lower the heat to 180C.

Put the eggs in a mixing bowl, then stir in the crème fraîche and a little salt and black pepper.

Place the slices of cheese neatly in the base of the tart case. Scatter over the shredded salami, green peppercorns and cornichons, then pour over the crème fraîche and egg mixture. Place on the heated tray in the oven and bake for 25-30 mins until the filling is lightly set and pale gold. Leave to cool a little before serving.

Radish Leaf and Root Tart

This was such a fantastic way to use up the radishes from my garden which had got a little bit big! It was really tasty and the flavour of the radishes really came through.

Radish Leaf and Root Tart (from Allotment2Kitchen)
(Serves 4-6)

225g plain flour
½ teaspoon salt
125g butter, cold, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons water

For the filling
About 20 radishes with green tops intact
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 – 3 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
150ml milk
1 egg

Start by making the pastry. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter then rub it into the flour with your fingertips, lifting the mixture out of the bowl to incorporate as much air as possible. Continue until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs, then add the water a little at a time and mix until it forms a soft dough. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and leave in the fridge for about 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out the dough to slightly large than your pie dish. Line the dish with the pastry and prick the base with a fork. Cover with greaseproof paper and baking beans and blind bake for 20 mins.

Remove the green tops from the radishes, wash thoroughly and chop. Slice the radishes in half and set aside, or if they're big, slice them.

Heat the oil and gently fry the onions and garlic until very soft, then add in the greens and sauté in pan with lid until soft, stir from time to time to prevent from sticking. Season to taste and turn off heat.

When cool evenly spread into the pastry case and carefully arrange the sliced radishes on top. Whisk together the milk and egg and a little seasoning. Pour over the radish filling.

Bake in oven at 190C for 30 – 35 mins. Serve.

Baked Eggs in Wild Mushroom Tartlets

My Mum made these lovely mushroom tarts just after Christmas for dinner one night. She used more exotic mushrooms than those in the original recipe and they were delicious, but you could use pretty much any mushroom you have. The egg on top was a lovely contrast to the mushrooms.



Baked Eggs in Wild Mushroom Tartlets
(from Delia's Vegetarian Collection - Delia Smith)
Serves 6

For the pastry
75g soft butter 
175g plain flour  
40g Parmesan

For the filling
6 eggs                    
25g dried porcini mushrooms
170g chestnut mushrooms, chopped  
170g open cap mushrooms, chopped
75g butter
2 small red onions 
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
25g Parmesan 
salt and pepper                 

Begin by placing the porcini in a bowl. Pour 200ml of boiling water over them and leave for 30 mins.

Make the pastry by rubbing the butter into flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs and then stir in the grated Parmesan and about 3tbsp cold water and mix until it forms a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 mins.             

To make the filling, heat 50g of butter in a frying pan, add the onions and garlic and fry until soft. Strain the porcini and chop, add with the other mushrooms to the onion pan and add the remaining 25g of butter. Fry until the mushroom juices run, then add the lemon juice and parsley. Raise the heat slightly and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally.

Pre heat oven to 200C

Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 3mm. Line the tins with the pastry and prick the base with a fork. Place the tins on a baking sheet and bake for 15 mins. Take them out of the oven and reduce the temperature to 180C.

Divide the filling between the tarts, making a well in centre of the mixture. Then break an egg into a saucer or a small ramekin, slip it into each tart and scatter a little Parmesan over the top. Return to the oven for 12 to 15 mins until the eggs are just set. Serve straight away.