Angie's Recipes . Taste Of Home

Browse » Home » Posts filed under Pastries and Pies

Easy Plum Tart

Saturday, September 18, 2021

This party-worthy tart is a simple way to showcase the seasonal plums. You can easily substitute sliced apples or pears for the plums with great results. I used a basic sweet shortcrust, but you can definitely use store bought one. Chill your crust for at least 30 minutes. One of the reasons that fruit tarts have a soggy bottom is from the moisture of the fruit. The most effective way to prevent soggy crust is to blind bake the crust before filling with fruit. Another way to prevent the pastry crust from getting soggy is to sprinkle ground almonds (or breadcrumbs/graham cracker crumbs/crushed cornflakes, etc.) into the crust bottom, which helps soak up the juice released from the fruit during the baking. Slice the plums into even thin slices and try to keep the slices together so you can arrange them nicely into the crust without making a mess.

Sweet Shortcrust	Filling
200 g White spelt flour 60 g Wholegrain spelt flour 50 g Vanilla sugar A pinch of sea salt 100 g Butter, cold 40 g Lard	3 tbsp Ground almond, toasted (or breadcrumbs) 8 Ripe yet firm plums, cut into even thin slices 1/2 tbsp Honey (or maple syrup), optional Thyme leaves 30 g Butter, cubed Raw pistachios

Sift spelt flours into a large bowl and stir in vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt. Cut in butter and lard. Rub together with your fingertips until moist clumps form. Press dough onto bottom and up sides of a 24cm-26cm tart pan with removable bottom. Prick the crust all over with a fork. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven 190C/375F. Line pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights. Bake for a further 8-10 minutes or until light golden. (This is called blind baking the crust, which is the most effective way to prevent soggy crust. If you are in a hurry, just sprinkle ground almond or breadcrumbs onto the crust. This too helps soak up the juice released from the fruit during the baking and keep the crust from getting soggy. )
Remove the crust from the oven and sprinkle the ground almond onto the crust. Arrange the plum slices in clusters, alternating between horizontal and vertical. There’s no need to be too fussy – as long as they fit snugly next to each other, it will be just fine.
Drizzle honey or maple syrup if using, thyme leaves, and dot with cubed butter. Bake for 30 minutes until the pastry edges are golden brown and the fruit is tender. Garnish with raw pistachios. Cool completely before slicing. Enjoy with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Read On 50 comments

Sour Cream Biscuits with Parsley and Schmaltz

Saturday, September 04, 2021

These sour cream biscuits with parsley are buttery and flaky with a soft, pillowy center. Sour cream adds a rich, tangy flavour, and its acidity helps make the biscuits incredibly tender. However, if you don't have any sour cream on hand, you can also use plain Greek yoghurt or even cream cheese. Rendered chicken fat, aka schmarltz, adds umami-rich, yet not overpowering flavour to the biscuits too. Instead of parsley, you can try scallions, chive, dill, arugula or a mixture of your favourite herbs for these savoury biscuits. The dough should be gently kneaded before being shaped, cut and baked. This allows gluten to develop, giving the biscuits a higher rise, and it also distributes the butter so the biscuits will be flaky instead of dense. The are best served hot or warm, plain or with extra butter or sour cream.

50 g Dark rye flour
250 g White spelt flour
1½ tsp Baking powder
½ tsp Baking soda
2 tsp Coconut sugar
1 tsp Kala namak rock salt or sea salt
1 tsp Freshly milled black pepper
50 g Schmaltz-Chicken fat, chilled (or butter)
100 g Chilled unsalted butter, diced, plus 2 tbsp melted (for the topping)
20 g Parsley, chopped
180 g Full fat sour cream, plus more for serving
Flaky sea salt

Whisk rye, spelt, coconut sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to combine. Add chilled chicken fat and diced butter and toss to coat. Use your fingertips to rub the chicken fat and butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add chopped parsley and toss to evenly distribute.
Create a well in the center and add in sour cream. Using a fork, mix until incorporated and the mixture just begins to hold together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently until the dough comes together. Pat the dough into an 8x4" rectangle, about 1" thick.
Working from a short side, fold dough in thirds as you would a letter. It doesn’t need to overlap perfectly. Pat dough into another 8x4" rectangle, then fold dough in thirds like a letter one more time. Pat dough back into an 8x4" rectangle and cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 4 squares for a total of 8 biscuits.
Place the biscuits on a parchment lined baking tray. Cover with a plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven 220C/425F.
Brush tops gently with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake biscuits until golden brown, 20–22 minutes. Serve warm with sour cream or more butter.

Read On 36 comments

Apricot Frangipane Tart

Friday, July 16, 2021

Buttery flaky pastry filled with a sweet almond mixture topped with ripe apricot halves-a perfect dessert for high summer when apricots are at their peak with rich colour, sweet scent, and slightly soft. Apricot and almonds are a match made in heaven and this tart makes the most of both of them. For something a little more indulgent, serve with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of crème fraîche.
Frangipane is a mixture of butter, eggs, ground almonds, sugar, and sometimes a small amount of flour. Substitute other nuts (pistachios or hazelnuts) for new flavours if desired. According to Bakepedia, Frangipane is named after 16th century Italian nobleman Marquis Muzio Frangipani, who invented a bitter almond-scented fragrance that was used to perfume gloveswhile he was living in Paris. French pastry chefs were inspired and invented the recipe, which became a classic.

Pastry	Almond Filling & Topping
180 g Plain flour 50 g Almond meal 100 g Butter, cubed 30 g Vanilla sugar 1 Egg, large	150 g Butter, softened to room temperature 20 g Vanilla sugar 100 g Castor sugar 2 Eggs, large 150 g Ground almonds 20 ml Amaretto (or 1 tsp Almond extract) 8-10 Apricots, halved and stoned 2 tbsp Apricot jam Thyme leaves, to garnish Powdered sugar, to garnish

To make the pastry, either rub the flour, almond meal and cubed butter together using your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs or briefly process them in a food processor until just rubbed in. Add the vanilla sugar and mix, then add the egg and process until the mixture just holds together. Do not over work as it will make the pastry tough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll the pastry out on a floured surface and use it to line a 24cm / 8-inch tart pan. Prick the base of the pastry using a fork then chill the pastry for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190C7375F. Line the pastry case with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or uncooked rice. Place in the hot oven and bake blind for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry is set and pale brown. Remove the pie weights/rice and paper and return to the oven for about 5 minutes until the base is cooked.
For the filling, cream butter, vanilla sugar and castor sugar. Add the eggs and whisk together, then mix in the ground almonds and amaretto until fully incorporated.
Spoon the almond mixture onto the pastry case and arrange the apricot halves, cut side up, in circles on the top of the almond filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the filling is set and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Warm the apricot jam over a low heat then pass through a fine sieve. Brush the warm apricot jam over the top of the fruit to glaze. Garnish with fresh apricots and thyme leaves. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Read On 43 comments

Cherry Labneh Tart with Pistachios and Honey

Friday, June 25, 2021

Labneh, a thick strained yoghurt, is the base for the filling in a sweet vanilla flavoured tart crust, which is then sealed with a thin layer of melted white chocolate couverture to prevent the pastry getting soggy. You can use mascarpone instead of the yoghurt cheese or a mix of two for the filling. All the seasonal berries, currants, or stone fruits are fantastic as the topping. The cherry labneh tart is then finished off with a sprinkle of chopped raw pistachios that not only makes it look pretty but also adds extra flavour.

Crust	Filling
250 g White spelt flour 20 g Vanilla sugar 125 g Cold unsalted butter, chopped A pinch of salt 1 Egg, plus 1 extra egg yolk 50 g White chocolate couverture, chopped	460 g Labneh 30 g Powdered sugar 400 g Cherries, pitted, halved 30 g Coarsely ground pistachios Summer blossom honey, optional

For pastry, whiz spelt flour, sugar, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor to fine crumbs. Add egg and extra egg yolk and pulse until a smooth dough forms. Enclose in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 22cm loose-bottomed tart pan. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface until 4mm thick, then use to line pan. Trim excess, leaving 2mm above the sides. Chill for 30 minutes. Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove weights and paper. Bake for a further 5 minutes or until golden. Remove and set aside.
Melt the white chocolate couverture and spread thinly over the tart case. Set aside until the crust is completey cool and the chocolate set.
Combine labneh and icing sugar in a bowl, then spread into case. Top with cherries, pistachios and drizzle with honey, if using, to serve.

Read On 44 comments

Garam Masala Minced Beef and Pea Quiche

Saturday, May 29, 2021

This simple, hearty savoury tart is perfect for simple weeknight dinners or an easy meal that wows guests. The true Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese speaks for itself, and mixed with eggs and heavy cream makes the perfect base for the minced beef and green pea filling. You can stick to the basic quiche crust, or flavour it with a bit of turmeric and black pepper for the colour, health and fun. Serve the quiche with a simple salad and a glass of medium-body red wine, such as Cotes du Rhon. Adding garam masala to the ground beef has brought out the best flavour of the meat and add a little sweet hint to it. If you don't have the spice blend, use curry powder instead.

Turmeric Crust	Filling
225 g Refined spelt flour 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder A large pinch of black pepper powder Pinch of sea salt 130 g Butter, diced 2 Egg yolks 1 tbsp Ice cold water	200 g Ground beef 1 Garlic clove, minced 2 tsp Garam masala 120 g Green peas, fresh or frozen (thawed) 2 Medium eggs 180 g Heavy cream 1 tbsp Dijon mustard Salt and black pepper 50 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated 2 tbsp Fresh flat parsley, chopped

To make shortcrust pastry, place flour, turmeric powder, black pepper and butter in a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form. Add egg yolks and water. Process until dough just comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until smooth. Shape into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap. Place in fridge for an hour to rest.
Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm-thick disc. Line a 23cm fluted tart tin with the pastry, trimming any excess. Prick the base all over with a fork, then chill for 15 minutes.
Line with baking paper, fill with pastry weights or beans or rice, then blind bake for 12 minutes. Remove the baking paper and weights (or beans/rice), then return to the oven for 5-6 minutes until golden.
Meanwhile brown the ground beef and minced garlic in a skillet over medium heat, stirring to break up the meat. This should take about 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Drain off any excess fat. Stir in garam masala and green peas.
In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, cream, and mustard. Season. Stir in grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and chopped parsley.
Scatter the browned ground beef and peas over the base of the tart, then pour over the egg mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes until just set.

Read On 34 comments

White Chocolate Latte Macchiato Scones

Thursday, April 29, 2021

There are few things more delicious and satisfying to eat than fresh, fluffy scones straight from the oven. White chocolate and latte macchiato make these light, buttery and fluffy scones especially tempting and satisfying. Serve them while still warm slathered with luxurious whipped mascarpone and fresh seasonal berries for an ultimate breakfast or over a cup of tea or coffee anytime you feel like treating yourself!

250 g White spelt flour
30 g Bourbon vanilla sugar (Dr. Oetker)
1 tbsp Baking powder
1 capsule Latte Macchiato (EXPRESSI from ALDI)
1/4 tsp Pink salt
90 g Cold kerrygold butter, diced
130 ml Whipping cream (plus more for the topping)
1 Medium egg
100 g White chocolate, chopped into chunks
Whipped mascarpone, to serve
Fresh strawberries, to serve

Line a large baking tray with parchment paper, set aside. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
In a large bowl add spelt flour, vanilla sugar, baking powder, latte macchiato and sea salt. Stir to combine.
Cut in cold butter and using a pastry cutter or your hands/fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add in cream and egg and stir until until mixture comes together (do not over mix). Add in white chocolate chunks and mix until evenly distributed.
Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and form into a round circle about 25cm in diameter. Transfer the circle of scone dough to the prepared baking sheet. Cut into 6-8 equal wedges, then separate wedges and arrange them evenly on the baking tray.
Brush the top of the scones with extra cream and bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes until scones are nicely golden. Serve them with whipped mascarpone and strawberries.