fig and almond tart, with orange and chocolate

I used to make almond and fruit tarts regularly when we had the cafe and thought that this year I might make one with apricots or peaches, or berries even. But the fruit and the urge never seemed to combine and the almond meal sat in the back of the fridge mocking me. Then one day about three weeks ago, I knew I had to make a tart that weekend. So I made a big batch of pastry (enough for two tarts still in the freezer) and enough almond filling for two tarts (all gone). When I went to the shop to get some peaches, well .... they were as hard as rocks and I knew in my heart that they would disappoint. But there were some figs. Gooey white figs. Cheap. So I bought more than I thought I could possibly use and me and the tart, we were on.

As I started assembling the filling, I had two brainwaves. What about some chocolate? Just a little bit. As it happened there was 70g of Lindt 70% in the fridge. Only because someone had given it to Grace and therefore I wasn't allowed to eat it all. But Grace was happy with just a piece and said I could use the rest. Then I thought, oh I know, the almond filling really needs a citrus note. Lemon would be too sharp, but orange would be good. Having no oranges in the house and reluctant to go to the shop again, I looked wistfully out the laundry window at our neighbours laden orange tree. Oranges that just fall to the ground and rot. So, I went and knocked on the door. He seemed a bit embarrassed - perhaps he'd been napping in his underwear - and said that the oranges were sour but to help myself. So I did. And they were perfect.

Indeed I think I would say that the tart was pretty close to perfect. It finished cooking just before we went to dinner in the park. Later I dashed home and collected it. We ate it all.* The kids didn't even get a look in.**

You will need

• A good plateful of ripe figs, peeled or not according to your preference. I peeled on this occasion.
• 1 tablespoon give or take of orange zest (no white bits) finely chopped
• 50g dark chocolate - 70% cocoa or more, finely chopped (eg Lindt or Black and Greens)
• 1 quantity of frangipane
• 1 quantity of biscuit crust

To make

• Preheat oven to 180C and grease a 28cm tart tin.
• Line tart tin with biscuit crust. No need to roll it out. Just press it in with your fingers. Try not to make it too thick anywhere. Trim.
• Bake (absolutely no need to bake blind) until crust starts to colour and puff up a little.
• While tart crust is baking, prepare the frangipane. If you are using some plain frangipane from the fridge or freezer, add the orange zest and mix well.
• Peel figs. Or not. Try not to eat too many.
• When tart crust is ready, remove from oven and press out any really puffy bits with the back of a spoon.
• Scatter the chopped chocolate on the base of the tart.
• Dollop spoonfuls of frangipane in the crust.
• Place figs on top.
• Bake until almond filling doesn't wobble very much in the middle. Or a bit longer if you would like the tart to be very firm. I quite like a bit of goo in the middle.
• Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before removing from tin.
• Delicious warm with cream. Or cold the next day when to tart would have firmed up.

* This tart was shared between 16 adults, but really there are 8-12 good serves. Between 16 the slices were a bit measly.
** But I made the kids a chocolate beetroot cake this weekend which was received with a great deal of enthusiasm. Recipe is still under development.

Lemon tart

I love lemon tart and it's quite easy to make. I use a tart tin with a removable base; the wider, flatter tin if the tart has to be served soon after baking or is serving lots of people. But I think the deeper tin gives a nicer result with a higher ratio of curd to pastry. The lemon curd filling I use is pretty much as described in the Cook's Companion. The pastry is super easy, indeed it's not even proper pastry, it's a biscuit crust. I usually make the larger quantity and freeze what I'm not using. Then when I need to make a tart, break off a piece, whack it in the microwave to soften and then press it into the tart tin. However, I've recently realised that if you like a crisp pastry, the filling needs to be added while it's still warm. Either straight out of the oven or baked the day before and warmed up (I'm pretty sure that would work, my theory being that the lemon curd starts to cook quicker and not soak into the pastry if it's already warm).

First, make the base as described here. Then for the filling, you will need:

3 large (or up to six small) lemons
6 eggs
250g casor sugar
200 ml pure cream

1. Preheat oven to 160 C
2. Wash the lemons in warm soapy water, rinse and dry well. This is really important if the lemons have supermarket wax on them. Less so if they're from a tree out the back.
3. Peel the zest (ie the yellow part of the skin) from the lemons being careful not to get any of the white pith. If you do get some pith, cut it out because it's yucky and will add bitterness rather than zing. I use a sharp potato/vegetable peeler with light strokes. It's tedious but worth it.
4. Chop the lemon rind into pieces and then grind them very finely with some of the caster sugar. I have an old electric coffee grinder that I use for this. A food processor or bamix nut grinder works just as well. If you have neither, then chop the lemon rind as fine as you can with a knife. I dislike pieces of rind in lemon tart, so this is an important step for me.
5. Juice lemons and strain the pips and pulp out.
6. Mix juice, lemon rind, sugar, eggs and cream in a big bowl with a ballon whisk or similar. It doesn't have to be beaten, just really well combined.
7. Taste for sweet/sour balance and add a little more sugar or lemon juice if necessary. I like my lemon tart to hover on the edge of sour and if it tastes just a little sweeter than I'd like raw, it will usually be just right after baking. That said, if I'm baking for people I don't know or for a big group, I might make the filling a teensy bit sweeter than I'd really prefer. G likes it better this way too.
8. Place the warm baked tart tin on a tray in the oven and pour the filling into the case. When I remember I do this step with the tart base pretty much the oven to stop having to carry it across the kitchen.
9. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until almost set. Allow to cool for about half an hour before serving or it will fall apart. Yummo.

Andrew's short crust recipe

This recipe was given to me by a chef I worked with when we had the kitchen. Making proper pastry didn't come naturally to me, kind people said it was because I had warm hands better suited to breadmaking. Anyway, with the demands of running a cafe kitchen as well as cooking, I never really had the time to learn. This recipe is different to proper pastry, it's made by creaming butter and sugar and not at all temperamental. It can be quite hard which means that it doesn't go soggy as quickly, which means that for tarts they will stay nice enough for a couple of days.

As this recipe freezes really well, I tend to make the larger quantity and freeze tart size portions. From memory it's enough for 4 domestic size tarts. Being untemperamental this mixture can be microvaved to thaw it out. It also makes quite nice biscuits, either plain or with passionfruit icing. But that's another story.


You will need

small quantity

• 250g butter
• 250g caster sugar (sometimes I use brown sugar which turns out OK)
• 350g flour (about 1/4 self raising and the rest plain)

larger quantity

• 500g butter
• 500 g caster sugar
• 500g plain flour
• 200 g self-raising flour

To make

• Chop the butter into pieces and soften slightly in the microwave if really hard.
• Cream butter and sugar with electric beater on high.
• Add about three quarters of the flour and mix on low speed. (Andrew used to insist on it being mixed by hand, but I don't think it makes a difference if you use a slow speed) Add the rest of the flour until you have a moist but slightly crumbly dough. Most of the time you will need all the flour, but it can vary.
• Knead just enough for the dough to cohere. If you accidentally add too much flour, add just enough cold water to bring the dough together. It will still be fine.

To make a pie or tart crust

• Press into tin, making sure that you don't make the corners too thick. Trim.
• Bake at 180C until crust puffs up a little and maybe starts to colour, depending on how tough, er crisp, you like your crust. Remove from oven and press out the puffy bits with the back of a spoon.
• Fill with tart filling and bake as per filling recipe.

To make biscuits

• Roll out quite thinly.
• Cut biscuit shapes.
• Bake at 180C until just brown.
• Ice or not.

Egg and Bacon Pie

I remember my mother making this early in the morning before long car journeys. It would be wrapped in it's pie plate in a tea towel and eaten at lunch. It's nice and juicy when still a little warm from the oven. It's just as nice cold from the fridge.

The recipe is not vegetarian adaptable. Leave out the bacon and it's just not egg and bacon pie. So it will never be travelling food in my own little family. But every now and then I have an insane desire to make and eat this.

Part of the charm of this recipe is it's simplicity. You don't need to make the pastry, ready rolled puff is perfect. It doesn't need any herbs or spices, salt and pepper is enough. But it should have a pastry rose on top.

You will need
a metal pie dish or enamel camping plate
2 sheets ready rolled frosen puff pastry
8-12 eggs depending on the size of the pie plate
250g or thereabouts bacon
milk for brushing

To make

1. Defrost pastry. Line pie dish.



2. Chop the bacon into strips.



3. Break half the eggs into the lined pie dish.



4. Add bacon, making sure that the pieces are separated, and some salt and pepper.



5. Add eggs until you reach the top of the pie dish or decide you've used enough eggs.



6. Break egg yolks with a fork and mix a little.



7. Using a pastry brush, moisten the edge of the pie with egg.Cover with remaining sheet of pastry.



8. Trim and crimp edges together. Brush top with milk.  Add pastry roses and leaves.



9. Bake at 180C until risen and nicely browned.



10. Transport in pie plate, wrapped in a tea towell.