Blueberry Tarts

INGREDIENTS:-

Pastry
83g butter, chilled
150g high-ratio/cake flour
40g icing sugar
10g milk powder/coffee creamer
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1 Grade C egg

Filling
Blueberry Filling


INSTRUCTIONS:-

To prepare pastry
1) Sift flour, icing sugar and milk powder together into a mixing bowl.
2) Rub in butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3) Add in the egg and vanilla essence. Mix it until the pastry begins to form large lumps.
4) Press together gently with your fingers until the pastry forms a ball.
5) Chill pastry dough for about 30 minutes.

To prepare tarts
1) Press some pastry evenly into tart mould. Trim the edges to remove excessive dough.
2) Prick base of each tart with a fork.
3) Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degC for 5 minutes.
4) Remove tart from oven and fill tart with blueberry filling.
5) Top filling with strips of excess dough.
6) Send back to a preheated oven at 180 degC for further 15 - 20 minutes or till the tart edge
turns brown.
7) Leave the tarts in moulds for 10 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool.


[adapted recipe from Jo's Deli & Bakery]

Lemon Cheese Tarts

INGREDIENTS:-

Pastry
83g butter, chilled
150g high-ratio/cake flour
40g icing sugar
10g milk powder,
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1 Grade C egg

Filling
250g cream cheese
100g sugar
1 Tbsp Plain flour
1 Egg
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 Lemon zest grated
80g Yoghurt

Lemon Curd
1 egg yolk
60g sugar
20 - 30g lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp Butter


INSTRUCTIONS:-

To prepare pastry
1) Sift flour, icing sugar and milk powder together into a mixing bowl.
2) Rub in butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3) Add in the egg and vanilla essence. Mix it until the pastry begins to form large lumps.
4) Press together gently with your fingers until the pastry forms a ball.
5) Chill pastry dough for about 30 minutes.

To prepare filling
1) Beat cream cheese and sugar till creamy.
2) Add in flour and egg and beat till creamy.
3) Then put in lemon juice and yoghurt. Finally add in zest, give it a gentle stir to mix zest in.
4) Set aside.

To prepare tarts
1) Press some pastry evenly into tart mould. Trim the edges to remove excessive dough.
2) Prick base of each tart with a fork.
3) Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degC for 10 minutes.
4) Remove tart from oven and fill tart with cheese filling.
5) Send back to a preheated oven at 180 degC for further 10 - 15 minutes or till cheese is firm.
6) Leave the tarts in moulds for 10 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool.

To prepare lemon curd
1) Beat butter, yolk and sugar till well mixed.
2) Cook over a pot of simmering water (double-boiler) until it thickens and flowy. While cooking, add in lemon juice bit by bit and adjust the sourness to your liking. Do not overcook otherwise you can't pour on top of the set cheese tart.
3) Set aside to cool.
4) Pour mixture into piping bag, snipped off the tip and pipe on top of cooled tarts.


Note:-

1) When making pastry, size of egg very important. If egg too big, mixture will be too wet. In such situation, add in more cake flour till it could form a dough.


[adapted recipe from Jo's Deli & Bakery & Aunty Lucy]

Apple Crumble Pie

INGREDIENTS:-

The crust
125g butter
225g plain flour
1/2 beaten egg

The apple filling
3-4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tbsp brown sugar
sprinkles of cinnamon powder
some water
1/2 tbsp corn flour

The crumble
70 - 80g butter
1 cup self-raising flour
4tbsp sugar


INSTRUCTIONS:-

1) Make filling first by cooking the apples with the rest of the ingredients with some water. Add cornflour to thicken.
2) Make the crust by combining the butter, flour and egg to form into a dough. Press dough on to a pie pan.
3) Bake at preheated oven of 180C for about 8mins (or till the base is dry).
4) For the crumble, gently rub the butter and flour to form into crumbs and add sugar and mix well.
5) After crust is baked, pour in the apple filling and sprinkle top with the crumble.
6) Bake at 200C for about 30 - 45 mins or till crust is nicely browned.

Note:-

1) I've used 3 China Fuji apples for this pie and found it just right.

[recipe from Kitchen Capers by yangone]

Almond Fruit Tarts

INGREDIENTS:-

90g Butter, softened
60g Caster sugar
1 Egg
1 Egg yolk, extra
150g Almond meal
20g Plain flour
1/2 cup Raspberries or Blueberries
1 tbsp Icing sugar


INSTRUCTIONS:-

1) Prehead oven to 150C.
2) Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until pale and creamy.
3) Add the egg, egg yolk, almond meal and flour and beat until smooth.
4) Grease tart tins and spoon in the mixture.
5) Smooth the tops and sprinkle over the fruit . Gently press the berries into the filling, sprinkle with icing sugar and bake for 35 - 40 mins or until golden brown.


NOTE:-

1) Try replacing almond meal with hazelnut or walnut meal. Personally, I prefer using walnut meal to make this cause it enhances the colour and taste better.


[recipe from Motherhood Magazine (Dec' 05 issue)]

Blueberry Cheese Tarts

INGREDIENTS:-

Pastry:
83g butter, chilled
150g high-ratio/cake flour
40g icing sugar
10g milk powder,
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1 Grade C egg

Filling:
250g cream cheese
2 tbsp corn starch, sifted
60g icing sugar, sifted
50g evaporated milk
3 egg yolks
Blueberry filling


INSTRUTIONS:-

To prepare pastry:
1) Sift flour, icing sugar and milk powder together into a mixing bowl.
2) Rub in butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3) Add in the egg and vanilla essence. Mix it until the pastry begins to form large lumps.
4) Press together gently with your fingers until the pastry forms a ball.
5) Chill pastry dough for about 30 minutes.

To prepare filling:
1) Beat sifted icing sugar and cream cheese until light, creamy and smooth (with no lumps of cheese in the mixture).
2) Add egg yolks one at a time. When finish with the yolks, add in the remaining ingredient, except blueberry filling, and blend well.

To prepare egg tarts:
1) Press some pastry evenly into tart mould. Trim the edges to remove excessive dough.
2) Prick base of each tart with a fork.
3) Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degC for 10 minutes.
4) Remove tart from oven and fill tart with about a little of cheese filling. Top with blueberry filling and fill up tart shell with more cheese filling to cover the blueberry filling.
5) Send back to a preheated oven at 180 degC for further 10 - 15 minutes.
6) Leave the tarts in moulds for 10 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool.


NOTES:-

1) When making the pastry, size of the egg quite important. If wrong size is used, your dough will be wet. If that happens, add sifted cake flour, a little at a time till you can form your dough.
2) To make the "B" on the surface, take some cheese filling and add some coco powder and mix well. Pour mixture into a pipping/zip lock bag and pipe the letter onto the surface before sending it for baking.


[adapted recipe from Jo's Deli & Bakery]

Pineapple Tarts (JM's granny recipe)

INGREDIENTS:-

Pineapple Filling

Semi-ripe pineapples
Caster Sugar (can use malt sugar for better colour)

Pastry

250g butter
2 cups plain flour
1 egg
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp milk powder (can be omited if don't have)


INSTRUCTIONS:-

1) Grate/chop pineapples till fine. Squeeze out as much juice as possible.
2) Cook over fire till dry.
3) Add sugar till desired sweetness and continue to cook till sugar water dries up. Set aside.
4) Put all ingredients for pastry in a bowl.
5) Gently mix all ingredients using rubbing in method.
6) Roll out dough and cut using a jam tart cutter.
7) Place pineapple filling on top of dough and glaze with egg yolk.
9) Baked at 180C for 15mins.