Sheila Benson and Sean Millar
THESE puff pastry tarts are quick and easy to make. You don’t need baking rings and there’s no blind baking.
For each of the following recipes: Pre-heat your oven to 200C/Gas Mark 5. Place a quantity of puff pastry onto a floured surface and roll out to about 35cm (14 inches) and 0.5cm (1/4 inch) thick. Lay the rolled-out pastry on a lightly floured baking tray.
When you’ve made your filling, spread it evenly across the pastry leaving a 5cm (2 inch) border around the edge. Fold the border over onto the filling and press down. Brush the border with a little beaten egg yolk before placing in the oven.
For a Ricotta and Tomato tart, take 2 thinly sliced tomatoes, 400g ricotta cheese, 2 beaten eggs, 200ml whipping cream, 200g grated parmesan, 100g chopped rocket, a pinch of ground nutmeg, salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprig of fresh thyme.
Place the sliced tomatoes in a colander, sprinkle with sea salt and leave to drain. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, beaten eggs, whipping cream, parmesan, a pinch of ground nutmeg and a little salt and pepper to season.
Roll out the pastry and add the filling as suggested above. Lay the sliced tomatoes around the centre of the tart and bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-40 minutes. Drizzle with a little olive oil and add some freshly chopped thyme before serving.
To make a Salmon and Leek Tart, take 4 x 100g fillets of fresh salmon, a knob of butter, ¼ of a glass of white wine, 240ml whipping cream, 3 medium leeks, thinly sliced, salt and pepper for seasoning, a handful of chopped chives, 3 egg yolks. Cut each of the salmon fillets into three. Melt the butter in a heavy based-saucepan and add the salmon and white wine. Cook for about 30 seconds until the fish is just sealed but not coloured. Transfer the salmon to a plate and set aside.