Tarts

Most people seem to buy pastry now as the fresh and frozen packets from the supermarkets are so good. But I enjoy the practice of making your own and the food processor means it is really easy and quick to make shortcrust. When I visited old people in York as part of the Welfare Dept (so you can tell how long ago that was), they used offer me all kinds of pastry treats and offer to show me the traditional ways of making it. They always used some lard to make it very white and very short. As we no longer buy lard, olive and sunflower oils having replaced it, I just use butter. It really isn't worth buying cheaper margarines.

Flaky is another matter but there are quick methods for that too. To make proper puff is a long process and needs patience but I have been known to do it once a year for mince pies.

If you want sweet rich pastry for flans and tarts though, you really must do it yourself. And this recipe using the food processor is a good one. You can use it for a fruit flan - bake the case and then fill with cream, or creme fraiche and cream mixed, and top with fruit, glaze optional - or a Bakewell tart - or any number of variations.

Sweet Flan Pastry

6oz butter - softened by being out of the fridge
2oz icing sugar
1 egg
10 oz Plain flour
Tiny pinch of salt

1. Cream the butter and sugar in the processor till smooth.
2. Beat in half the egg first- if it is a large one, you might not need every scrap as you don't want it to be too soft.
3. Then add 2 tbspns flour.
4. Then beat in rest of flour on pulse setting until the mixture from crumbs and is starting to bind.
5. Pat out on a floured surface and cover. When it has firmed, put in the fridge wrapped.
6. Chill for at least an hour before rolling out to line 1 very large or 2 smaller flan tins - say a 10 inch or 2 x 7 inch ones.

For a fruit tart, with cream and ripe cold fruit, bake blind 20 minutes No 4 then remove the beans and paper and give it another 10 minutes or until it looks golden and crisp. You can freeze the case uncooked if you have made 2.


Cherry Almond Tart
One lined flan case
Frangipane - I love this mixture and you can use it lots of ways. If you make this much, it will give you enough for 2 tarts, one of these and one Bakewell, and you can freeze it in the meantime.

• 4oz ground almonds
• 4oz castor sugar
• 4 oz softened butter
• 2 eggs

Mix this together in a processor or by hand till smooth.
Spread the tart case with cherry jam, then the frangipane mixture, only half of it if this is just a7/8''case, then put drained morello cherries from a jar all over the surface.
Bake 40 minutes or so at No 4 till risen and firm - glaze with a little more jam diluted with hot water and serve cold.
Bakewell Tart

1. Spread the uncooked case with good jam - raspberry is traditional but plum or blackcurrant work well.
2. Spread with the frangipane -only half the 4 oz mixture for a 7 inch one.
3. Sprinkle with flaked almonds

Bake 30 mins or so till risen. Good served warm or cold.
Both these freeze cooked.