Hazelnut crust: Place sugar and nuts in a food processor and mix until finely ground. Mix in flour. Add butter, yolks and lemon juice and process until mixture forms a ball. Roll out to fit a greased, shallow 28cm tart tin – if pastry breaks, press into tin with fingers. Chill 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line pastry with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes more. Cool.
Filling: Whisk eggs, extra yolks, zest and sugar gently, then whisk in lemon juice and cream. Place tart case in preheated oven and pour in filling. Bake 35-40 minutes until just wobbly in the centre. Cool before serving. Garnish with paper-thin lemon slices, angelica leaves and a dusting of icing sugar if desired. Serves 12
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- 50g butter
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 medium courgettes, cut into small dice
- 50g flour
- 350ml milk, heated
- 410g can whole kernel corn, drained,
- ½ cup liquid reserved
- ½ cup grated tasty cheddar
- 1 bag spinach, wilted (in microwave or by steaming)
- 1 sheet savoury short pastry
Crumble:
- 3 slices white toast bread
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped chilli
- 4-5 fresh sage leaves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
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Heat butter in a large saucepan and saute garlic and courgettes for 2-3 minutes. Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Gradually add hot milk and reserved corn liquid, stirring constantly until smooth. Simmer 10 minutes. Add cheese, spinach, corn and seasoning. Cool. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper. Trim and patch pastry to fit. Add corn filling.
Crumble: Process bread, garlic, chilli and sage in a food processor. Add oil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle over pie. Bake 30 minutes or until crumble is golden. Serves 6
Tomato Tart with Parmesan Pastry
Cheesy pastry and juicy caramelised onions make Janet Dunn’s pie special. A bonus is that it reheats beautifully.
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Filling:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large onions, sliced
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4-6 large, ripe tomatoes, sliced
- Sea salt, black pepper, chopped fresh thyme, extra olive oil
Parmesan pastry:
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 35g butter, softened
- 35g freshly grated parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons extra
- About 125ml milk
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Filling: Heat oil in a heavy frying pan. Add onions and sugar and cook, covered, until soft and golden, 20-25 minutes.
Pastry: Preheat oven to 200°C. Sift flour with baking powder. Rub in butter and 35g parmesan. Mix to a soft dough with milk and roll out on a floured surface to fit a 24cm x 34cm greased shallow baking pan.
Sprinkle pastry with extra parmesan and spread with onion topping. Cover with tomato slices and sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme and a little olive oil. Bake 30-35 minutes until pastry is well browned. Serve hot. Serves 6
Beef, Mushroom and Red Wine Pie
Bought meat pies are no match for this hearty home-made version.
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500g diced beef
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2 tablespoons each: flour, olive oil
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1 leek, diced
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2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
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200g button mushrooms, quartered
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1 cup each: beef stock, red wine
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5 juniper berries
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1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
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2½ sheets flaky puff pastry
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1 egg, beaten |
Toss beef with flour and brown in hot oil in a large pan. Stir in leek, potatoes and mushrooms. Add stock, wine, juniper berries and thyme. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 1 hour or until meat is tender. (Thicken with a little cornflour paste if gravy is too thin.) Cool.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 26cm x 18cm pie dish with pastry. Add filling and cover with remaining pastry. Prick with a fork, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 30-40 minutes or until golden. Serves 4-6
Thai Chicken Curry and Leek Tart with Sesame Pastry
This tasty tart also works well made in individual small cases, or with flaky or filo pastry if you want to forgo making your own.
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Filling:
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2 tablespoons butter
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2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
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1 leek, finely sliced (save some green slices for garnish)
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50g packet green curry paste
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½ cup flour
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400ml can coconut cream
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½ cup chicken stock
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Black or white sesame seeds for sprinkling
Sesame pastry:
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2 cups flour
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1 egg yolk
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2 teaspoons sesame oil
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¼ cup sesame seeds
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Pinch of salt
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About ¼ cup cold water
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Filling: Heat butter in a large saucepan and saute chicken, leek and curry paste until the chicken changes colour. Stir in flour then add the coconut cream and chicken stock. Stir until boiling then simmer gently for 15 minutes. Cool.
Pastry: Preheat the oven to 190°C. Process flour, yolk, sesame oil, seeds and salt until crumbly. Add water a little at a time until mixture forms a dough. Chill 10 minutes.
Roll out pastry to line a 28cm tart tin. Pour in cooled filling and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green leek slices. Bake 40-45 minutes or until pastry is golden. Serve in wedges with salad. Serves 6-8
Bacon, Egg, Potato and Vine Tomato Pie
We’ve served this with a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar. Alternatively, add a dollop of your favourite chutney.
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- 2 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 6 rashers bacon, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup cream
- 8 small vine tomatoes, halved
Balsamic syrup:
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
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Trim pastry sheets to fit a greased 20cm springform tin, coming halfway up sides and pressing joins together firmly. Chill for 15 minutes.
Cook potatoes until just tender. Drain and refresh under cold water. Heat oil in a frying pan and saute onion, bacon and garlic until just coloured. Cool.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Whisk together eggs and cream and season with salt and pepper. Stir in potato and bacon mixture and pour into pastry shell. Place tin on a baking tray and bake
20 minutes.
Arrange tomato halves on top of the pie, cut side up. Reduce heat to 160°C and cook for a further 20-30 minutes or until filling is set. Cool for 10 minutes then remove sides of tin and leave to cool completely. (Removing the sides will help keep the pastry crisp.)
Serve pie in wedges with a swirl of balsamic syrup. Serves 8
Balsamic syrup: Simmer vinegar, water and sugar for 5-8 minutes until reduced and syrupy. Cool.
Maple Banana Nut Tart
This easy pie is a delectable combination of favourite flavours. Enjoy it warm with vanilla ice cream.
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- 1 sheet frozen sweet short pastry
- 1 ripe banana, chopped
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ¼ cup cream
- 1 cup mixed chopped and whole nuts
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Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm fluted tart tin with the semi-thawed pastry and chill for 5 minutes. Bake 8 minutes or until just set and dry to the touch. Cool 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, beat together banana, maple syrup, eggs, flour and cream. Stir in nuts. Pour into tart shell and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden and set. Serves 8
Rhubarb and Rosewater Macaroon Tarts
Serve these tarts warm with a dollop of spiced mascarpone – combine a quarter of a cup of mascarpone with a drizzle of maple syrup and a pinch each of ground cinnamon and nutmeg.
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Pastry:
Filling:
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450g chopped rhubarb
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2 tablespoons water
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2-3 tablespoons sugar
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½ cup each: cream, sugar
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2 cups thread coconut
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½-1 teaspoon rosewater
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1 egg white, beaten |
Pastry: Place flour, sugar, cardamom and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add egg and pulse until mixture just comes together. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and gently knead to form a ball. Wrap and chill.
Filling: Simmer rhubarb with water and sugar until soft. Cool.
Bring cream and sugar to the boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add coconut and rosewater and mix well. Allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 190°C. Divide pastry into 4 and roll out each piece between plastic wrap to prevent sticking. Line 4 small tart tins and chill 5 minutes then bake 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and brush with egg white (this seals the pastry).
Fill each tart with rhubarb and top with macaroon. Place tins on a baking tray and bake 20-25 minutes or until macaroon is golden and set. Serves 4
