PASTRIES - TARTS
A Short Crust Pastry for Tarts
1/2 cup icing sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1-1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon custard powder
Milk as required
Mix and beat icing sugar and butter with a wooden spoon till light and white. Add flour and custard powder. Mix with hand and make a dough. Use a little milk as required. Put this dough On a plate and chill till a little hard to handle. Take out from fridge and knead lightly. Make a ball and roll on a floured plastic sheet. Take small round fluted cutter and cut out circles to fit your tart pans. Prick dough on the bottom with a fork to let out hot air while baking. Preheat oven to 425 F, then reduce to 350 F while baking tarts. Bake till light brown. Remove and cool. Makes 12 tart shells.
Almond Strawberry Tarts
1 recipe short crust pastry
1/4 cup blanched and powdered almonds
12 tablespoons strawberries, mashed
24 strawberries, sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Prepare tarts according to the recipe but add almond powder to the dough. Bake till half done. Keep them in the tart pans. For the filling, mix half of the mashed strawberries and lemon juice with the sliced strawberries. Fill it evenly in the tarts. Cover with remaining strawberries. Arrange tarts in a baking dish and cover them with aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 425 F and bake tarts for 15 minutes till strawberries are soft. Uncover and cook further for 10 minutes more. Take out, cool and remove from pans. Offer at room temperature.
Cheese Crust Apple Tarts
1 recipe short crust pastry
3 tablespoons cheese, grated
1-1/2 cup apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon orange rind, grated
Prepare short crust pastry but add grated cheese TO it. Make tarts and bake till half done. Keep little dough. Roll it to form long 1/2 cm wide strips. For filling, toss apple slices with rest of the ingredients and fill mixture evenly in the tarts. Put pastry strips over each tart in a cross. Arrange tarts in a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes till apples are soft. Uncover and cook further for 10 minutes more. Take out and cool. Offer at room temperature.
Orange Cream Tarts with Walnut Topping
1 recipe short crust pastry
1 cup orange segments
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon cornflour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon orange essence
150 gm fresh cream
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tablespoons icing sugar
½ cup walnut pieces, chopped fine
Prepare tarts according to the recipe of short crust pastry. Mix sugar, cornflour and salt to the milk. Heat and constantly mix till saucy. Remove from heat and add butter and essence and cool it. Mix orange segments. Evenly fill in the tarts and level the surface. To prepare topping, whip fresh cream, icing sugar and vanilla. Make it a stiff cream for decorating. Fill in the piping bag with a star nozzle. Decorate tarts with walnut pieces. Keep in fridge till ready to offer.
Pineapple Cream Tarts
1 recipe short crust pastry
2/3 cup milk
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons cornflour
1/3 cup pineapple syrup
2 slices of pineapple from can
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon pineapple essence
Prepare tarts from given recipe. Heat milk with sugar. Dissolve cornflour in a little cold milk. Add to the hot milk. Stir continuously till thick. Remove from heat and add pineapple syrup, pineapple pieces, essence and butter. Stir and beat mixture till evenly mixed. When still warm fill in tarts, top each one with glazed cherries and cool in fridge till ready to offer.
