Queen of Hearts:

Mini-Tarts


Recipe:

For the pastry

  • 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

  • 4 tbsp icing sugar

  • 200g butter, chilled, cut into small pieces

  • 2 eggs, beaten

For the crème pâtissière

  • 300ml oz whole milk

  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 50g caster sugar

  • 50g plain flour

  • 2 eggs

  • 150ml double cream=heavy cream=whipped cream

For the topping

  • 8 tbsp raspberry jam(1 jar)

  • Blackberry jam(1 jar)

  • 900g raspberries

Whipping Cream (8 cups worth)

  • 1L heavy whipping cream (COLD) (2 cups)

  • 120 g powdered sugar

  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C

  2. To make the pastry, put the flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and blend again until it is just combined and forms a ball.

  3. Dust a work surface with flour and tip the dough onto it. Roll the pastry out with a rolling pin. Cut it into eight rounds a little bigger than the tins (as you will need to line the sides also). Line each tin with a disc of pastry and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

  4. To bake blind, prick the pastry bases, line the tins with baking parchment, fill with baking beans and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the beans and paper and return the bases to the oven for 5 minutes, until cooked and a pale golden-brown. Set aside to cool.

  5. Meanwhile, to make the crème pâtissière, put the milk and vanilla in a saucepan. Heat until it is just scalding (you'll just be able to dip your finger in).

  6. Put the sugar, flour and egg in a mixing bowl and whisk. Pour in half the hot milk and whisk until smooth. Pour in the remaining hot milk.

  7. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring all the time, until very thick – this could take about 2–3 minutes.

  8. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge until cold. Once cold, pour in the double cream, while whisking constantly. Spoon the crème pâtissière into the tart cases and chill in the fridge.

  9. To make the glaze, heat the jam in a saucepan with a tablespoon of water and whisk to combine. Strain the liquid through a sieve into a small bowl.

  10. Make your whipped cream and decorate!

History of Tarts:

Tart, "small pie," originated from Old French tarte meaning "flat, open-topped pastry". It could have also originated from Latin, "torte" which was derived from "torta"(Late Latin), meaning "round loaf of bread".

Tarts are thought to originate due to the tradition of food-layering or from making pies in medieval times. Shortcrust- the type of 'dough' used to make tarts, became commonly used around 200 years after pies in 1500. During then, tarts were thought as high-cuisine, and unlike commoner's pies, it was favoured by the nobility during the period.

Although it was mostly filled with savoury ingredients such as meat in early medieval times, due to changing tastes, later tarts were more so later filled with fruits and custards.


Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tart

https://www.etymonline.com/word/tart