A GOODDOUGHrecipefora tartis anexcellentthingtohavein yourrepertoireand
frozendoughsarehandyastheycangetyououtofa cookingrutquickly.Eventhough
I havemadehundreds,I stillfeela senseofwondermentwhenI seea perfectlybaked
tartcomeoutoftheoven.Nothingelicitsmore“oohsandahhs”thana golden-brown
tart.Andanyonecandoit becauseit doesn’tmatterif thetartisn’tperfect!
Mostpeoplethinkofa tartasa baseforsweetdessertsonly,butthebutterycrust
workswellforsavourytoppings,too.A baseofsoftenedonionsis anexcellentsweetand
savourystart,thenfollowit upwithwhatevervegetableis in season– zucchini,wilted
greens,stewedmushroomorthinlyslicedpumpkin– thentopwithcheeseorcreamor
both.Asforthesweettarts,myformulabeginswitha baseofnutfrangipanewhich
servesastheperfectspongeforroastyfruitjuices but also works to create a barrier so
thecrustdoesn’tgosoggywhilebaking.
I encourageyoutoexperiment,butanyoneofthetartsonthefollowingpagesis a
goodonetogetyourconfidencegoing.You’llbeatthefarmers’ market, selecting fresh
fruit and vegetables for your homemade tart in no time.TARTPASTRY
340gplainflour,sifted
2 tspcastersugar
200g cold unsalted butter, chopped
Placetheflour,sugarand^1 / 2 tspsaltin
a bowlandstirtocombine.Addthecold
butterandusingyourfingers,crumble
butterintoflouruntiltherearepiecesno
biggerthana driedbean.Usingthe
palmsofyourhands,rubthebutterand
flourtogethertocreatethinsheetsof
butter(thiswillhelptocreatethinflaky
layers).Add^1 / 2 cup(125ml)icedwater,
1 tbsata time,untilthepastrycomes
together.(Youmaynotuseallthewater.)
Turnpastryoutontoa lightlyfloured
worksurfaceandkneaduntilit justcomes
together.Shapeintoa ball,flattenintoa
discandenclosein plastic wrap. Rest in
the fridge for 1 hour.
CHERRY& FRANGIPANE TART
SERVES 8
1 quantitytartpastry(recipeabove)
55gunsaltedbutter, softened
95gcaster sugar
2 eggs
(^1) / 4 tspalmondextract
55galmondmeal
70g plain flour
400gpittedfrozen cherries,
thawed
2 tbskirsch(cherrybrandy,optional)
1 tspfinelygratedorange zest
2 tbsdemerarasugar
Pouring (thin) cream, to serve
Rolloutpastryona lightlyflouredwork
surfaceto3mm-thickroundandplaceon
a bakingtraylinedwith baking paper.
Chilluntilneeded.
Tomakethefrangipane,beatbutterand
(^1) / 4 cup(55g)sugarin a bowlusinga
woodenspoon.Mixuntilwellcombined
andbutteris pale.Add1 eggandbeatto
combine.Addalmondextract,a pinchof
saltflakes,almondmealand^1 / 3 cup(50g)
plainflour.Mixtocombineandsetaside.
Placecherriesin a bowlwithremaining
20gflour,40gsugar,kirsch,if using,
orangezestandpinchofsaltflakes.
Preheatovento200°C.
Removepastryfromthefridgeand
spreadfrangipaneonthetart,leavinga
3-4cmedge.Topwithcherrymixturethen
foldedgesovercherriestoforma crust.
Lightlybeatremainingeggin a bowl
andbrushtheedgesofthetartwith
eggwashandsprinklewithdemerara
sugar.Bakefor50-60minutesuntil
evenlygolden. Drizzle with pouring cream
to serve.
PINEAPPLE& MACADAMIATART
WITHSALTED CARAMEL SAUCE
SERVES 8
1 quantitytartpastry(recipe,left)
1 tbsunsaltedbutter,melted
1.2kgripepineapple, peeled, sliced
1 tbscastersugar
1 eggwhite
Whipped cream, to serve
CARAMELSAUCE
200gcastersugar
85gunsaltedbutter,chopped
(^1) / 4 cup(60ml)pure(thin)cream
(^1) / 4 cup(60g)sourcream
(^1) / 4 tsp vanilla bean paste
MACADAMIAFRANGIPANE
2 cups(300g)macadamias
2 cups(240g)pure icing sugar, sifted
1 egg white
Rolloutpastryona lightlyflouredwork
surfaceto3mm-thickroundandplaceon
a bakingtraylinedwith baking paper.
Chilluntilneeded.
Forthecaramelsauce,placesugarin
mediumsaucepanovermedium-highheat.
Cook,whiskingoccasionally,forabout
5-6minutesuntilsugarmelts.Don’tworry
if sugar crystallises, it will melt back down.
@daniellemariealvarez
66 delicious.com.au