Vegan Apple Tart

Tags

apple, baked, dessert, fruit, recipes, tarts, vegan

Vegan baking – no dairy products, no eggs, no what! Now, this has got to be a challenge. Baking for people with dietary restrictions can be tough and there is a limit to how far you can make your vegan cupcakes taste like the real deal. Moreover, things like egg replacers, vegan margarine or shortening (filled with hard-to-pronounce chemical names) sound far from appetizing. Here’s a vegan dessert that not only tastes pretty good but is also easy to make and devoid of those nasties. The tart crust was made with a combination of oat flour, chopped walnuts and olive oil to bind it all together. Layers of thinly sliced apples, cinnamon, muscovado sugar and plump raisins meld together in the heat of the oven, becoming just fork-tender to contrast with the crumbly, nutty crust.

Tarte au Citron

Tags

baked, citrus, custard, dessert, lemon, recipes, tarts

There are a million and one different lemon desserts out there but my favourite has got to be the humble lemon tart. Just the plain ol’ lemon tart without all that fancy schmancy burnished crown of meringue. It scores with its minimalistic and elegant appearance. Not to mention the beautiful sunny, pastel-yellow filling. Sometimes, I do a ‘cheater’s version’ by simply topping a baked tart shell with homemade lemon curd. However, this French Lemon Tart totally knocks it out of the park.

A buttery crisp shortcrust tart, imbued with the unmistakable scent of vanilla, surrounds a softly-set, lemony custard filing. I used my absolute favourite Pâte Sucrée and adapted Thomas Keller’s recipe for the lemon filling (I’m such a fan of Kelle! French Laundry, Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery are on my to-visit/eat list/bucket list) This lemon tart is deceptively simple to make – which is unfortunately both a good and dangerous thing. A slice of the tart, plain and unadorned is yummy on its own. Sifted powdered sugar or a drizzle of chocolate across the top would add a nice touch, but why go to such lengths? Now, I think I have found the lemon tart.

Fruit Tarts

Tags

baked, custard, dessert, fruit, recipes, tarts, vanilla

I did mention in my post on Fresh Nectarine Tarts that these were really simple to make right? Okay, I did whip up another batch of these and included some strawberries & kiwi too. Fresh fruits with cold, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth custard flecked with vanilla seeds on a shortbread crust (which I secretly like to pretend to shatter out of carelessness, so that I can nibble on some. shhh)

Fresh Nectarine Tarts

Tags

baked, custard, fruit, healthy, pastry, recipes, summer, tarts, tea

When I was little, every time my family went to Delifrance for breakfast on the weekends, there would only be one thing on my mind — those dainty little fruit tarts filled with custard cream, glistening behind the glass display. After rushing through my scrambled eggs & croissant, I would then slowly and leisurely savour my dessert, til there was not a single crumb left on the plate. Now, even though I’ve outgrown my childhood obsession with those Delifrance pastries, I can never resist a good fruit tart.

I did not plan on making these tarts, at all. It was just the result of trying to use up some shortcrust pastry left after baking Nutella Banana Tarts for a picnic. Crème patisserie flecked with tiny vanilla seeds was spread over the buttery-crisp pâte sucrée tartlets.  Then, juicy and ripe in-season nectarines were sliced and arranged over the custard filling. The combination of fresh nectarines bursting with juice and the vanilla custard atop a caramelised tart shell was amazing. It was light, fresh and very satisfying. I decided to skip the usual gelée glaze over the fruit simply because I was feeling lazy. Feel free to glaze the tops with an apricot gelée for a more polished looking dessert. 

Ratatouille Tart

Tags

baked, food, healthy, lunch, pastry, recipes, savoury, tarts, tomato, vegan

Whipped this up in under an hour for lunch a few days back, to assuage my guilt from too much feasting. Very scrummy combination of vegetables, seasoned with herbs and drizzles of olive oil, baked till they’re just tender. This makes for a quick meal on its own, or a cut into wedges and served as a side dish. Instead of pâte brisée (shortcrust pastry), buttery puff pastry could be substituted if you’re feeling particularly indulgent, with chunks of feta cheese carelessly strewn on top.