Strawberry Tartlets & book review of Tea with Jane Austen by Pen Vogler

If you've read my blog before you'll already know that I am a fan of Jane Austen's work and when I came across this little book titled Tea with Jane  I couldn't resist! Two of my favourite things tea time and Jane Austen.

When I say it's a little book it physically is a bit smaller then the average cookbook and only has 60 or so pages, perfect size to slip inside a bag! Don't let the size fool you, it's packed full of tea time treats inspired by the world of Jane Austen; her work and her life!

My favourite thing about Tea with Jane Austen is that our author Pen Volger includes an old fashion version of the recipe next to the updated recipe - or how we read/write/cook today!

Emma is probably my favorite Austen novel so I had to make the strawberry tartlets! They were, of course, inspired from Emma and the day that Mr. Knightley invited everyone to Donwell Abbey to pick strawberries!

With a baked strawberry custard set in a sweet short crust pastry these would make a great tea time treat or if careful a perfect picnic treat! I would like to think Mr. & Mrs. Knightley would agree!

Strawberry Tartlets

sweet shortcrust pastry:

225g plain flour
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons cold water

Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter and using your finger tips combine the flour mixture and cold butter cubes until it looks like bread crumbs. You don't want the butter to melt, so be quick and firm when rubbing in the butter. Mix the egg yolk and water together before adding to the flour/butter mixture. Using a knife stir it all together it should form big clumps. Then using your hands bring the dough together. Add water if you need to little by little. No need to knead. Wrap in clingfilm and leave in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

strawberry custard:

200g soft or damaged strawberries, hulled
3 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
40g plain flour
300ml milk

Grease 4 tartlet pans or a 9in/22cm tart tin. Heat the oven to 200C and take out the pastry from the fridge. Roll it out to about 1/4 inch or 5 mm thickened line the greased tartlet pans with the pastry. It's okay to leave some of the pastry having over the edge to help with shrinkage. Prick the pastry with a fork. Cover each tart pan with a sheet of grease proof paper and fill with baking beads and blind bake for 10-12 minutes for the tartlets and 15-18 for the tart tin.
Take them out of the oven and remove the paper and the baking beads and place back in the oven for 5 minutes or so.
While they are blind baking boil the milk and leave aside, cover it to keep it warm. Puree the strawberries and leave aside. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together with a whisk, until sugar has dissolved. Shift the flour in a third at a time beating well after each addition. Gradually pour in the boiled milk, whisking as you go. Return the custard mixture to the pan and heat until it just starts to boil - beat until the custard holds sits shape. Dip a wooden spoon into the mixture and pull it out. Run your finger down the spoon face, it should leave the line.
Take off the heat and beat in the strawberries. Pour into the pastry cases and bake for 10-15 minutes until the custard is set. Cool and serve! With strawberries or cream or meringues.

Suggestion: if you save the 3 egg whites from this recipe whip up some meringues to top your tarts with! Just half the recipe in this post I wrote: Waste Not Want Not!

notes: Tea with Jane Austen by Pen Vogler (check out her other title Dinner with Mr. Darcy!) was sent to me to provide a review - recipe is taken from said book with permission from the publishers, Ryland, Peters & Small. This title was published in February and is available at all good book sellers and online shops! All opinions are my own, no other compensation besides the book was given - please see my contact/policy page for more information!

Two Ways with a Gypsy Tart

I just realised that my title could be taken the wrong way … if you are inclined to think that way. Something that I’ve learned is that it’s actually how a lot of people think. Being one of the small percentage of people who don’t always get innuendo I say a lot of things that get laughed at. I would relay some of the these instances, but we don’t have all day. Just take my word for it.

It’s not the first time I shared a Gypsy Tart on United Cakedom, but I thought I would try something different this time. Then it didn’t turn out so well and I hadn’t accounted for a couple of things. With a little improvising and adjusting I sorted it out and ended up with two different way to make a gypsy tart!

The filling is the same, it’s the base that changes. First I made mini tarts with a sweet shortcrust pastry. Then when I was stuck with a lot of extra filling because I didn’t think to half the recipe or something I made a quick cookie/biscuit base to bake the rest of the filling over with successful results!

Just like the title of this post could be taken two ways this gypsy tart can be made two ways...here's how:

Gypsy Tart

filling  

(makes enough for 24 mini tarts or 12 mini tarts and 7inch Gypsy Tart)

451ml (1 can) of evaporated milk
300g muscovado sugar

Whip them together for 15 minutes until light, fluffy, and tripled in size.

Mini Gypsy Tarts:

sweet shortcrust pastry

300g plain flour
4 tablespoons of golden caster sugar
200g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cold water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk the flour and sugar together before rubbing the cubed butter into the flour/sugar until it resembles bread crumbs. Add all the other ingredients and bring together with a spatula or your hands until it makes a smooth dough. Make into a ball and squish a little to make a fat disk like shape, wrap in cling film and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough and cut out 12 circles to line each muffin hole. Gently press down into the corners, use a fork to put holes in the base of each pastry case before leaving in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes. The follow the instructions below for blind baking.

blind-bake

Pre-heat the oven 200C - Line each pastry case with a square of baking paper and fill with ceramic beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove ceramic beans and bake for a further 10 minutes until pastry turns a light brown.

to finish 

Fill each pastry case with the gypsy filling and bake for 5-10 minutes. Do not bake for 15 minutes as I did and had them collapse on me. Which I then whipped up some whipped cream and drizzled raspberry sauce on top!

Cookie Base Gypsy Tart 

cookies base 

213g chocolate chip hobnobs
50g melted butter

Blitz the cookies in a food processor, then add the butter and pulse a couple of times. Line a 7inch circle cake tin with the cookie mixture.

to finish

Pour the remaining gypsy filling into the tin and bake for 15 minutes. Leave to cool in the fridge for 2 hours before slicing and enjoying!

notes: Gypsy Tart is a pretty basic recipe, but this one was adapted from Eric Lanlard's Tart it Up! I wrote about it here the first time I made it. This is my #thepastrychallenge entry which I host with Jen at Jen's Food. There is still time to link up here!

Broken Heart Custard Tarts for World Book Night

“This book is a gift. You can keep it or pass it on, but we think you should try it. Because everything changes when we read.” (Quoted from the back of a World Book Night edition) Everything does change when you read. Books can take you places you've never been and give you experiences you never dreamed of! 

It’s World Book Night and it is the fourth year I have been chosen as a book giver! As World Book Night is a day that encourages children to read, World Book Night is a night that encourages young adults and adults to read. Each year there are about 20 titles that givers can ask to give away. This year was full of books I have already read and made it really hard to list my top three choices.

When I got the email that informed me that I was to give Custard Tarts and Broken Hearts by Mary Gibson I was thrilled. I had read it over last summer and really enjoyed it. The characters are real and the atmosphere is set to a pre-war England 1911; Mary Gibson makes you feel like you’re there. You feel for Nell and the other Custard Tarts as they get through what really were tough times.

In celebration of this book I made my very own custard tarts. I used custard powder just to stick with the theme of the book. The girls were called custard tarts because they worked at a factory that packaged powdered custard! Then I topped them some demera sugar and caramelized it so that you had to “break” through it to eat the tart. The heart shaped tart tins gave a nice touch too!

Broken Heart Custard Tarts:

Pastry: 225g plain flour; 110g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed; 80g golden caster sugar; 1 large egg; to make: Rub the butter into the flour before adding the sugar and egg. Bring the dough together with your hands and form a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes. Grease your tart tins. Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly flour dusted surface. Cut out pieces of the dough and line each tart tin. Prick with a fork and chill in the fridge again for 20-30 minutes. Heat the oven to 170C. Line and fill each tart with parchment paper and baking beans. Blind bake for 12 minutes or so. Take out the baking beans and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the tart case is lightly browned. Leave to cool down while you make the custard. 

Custard:

Bird's Custard Powder; to make Follow instructions on package for 1 pint of custard. Helpful hint that you pour the warmed milk onto the custard paste and add more or less sugar according to taste.

To Finish:

12-18 tablespoons of demera sugar

Fill each tart with custard and leave a little rim of tart case. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of sugar onto each tart and then put under a hot grill for a few minutes until it starts to turn golden or use a blow torch to melt the sugar into a nice hard topping. Enjoy! 

As a lover of books I like to find ways of sharing that love! I have already given out more then half of my books this morning to friends and complete strangers! But I have set aside one of my copies to give to one of my readers! Just follow the instructions on the raffelcopter gadget below! It’s only open for a week so enter now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway *giveway closed 

notes: I was chosen as a World Book Night giver. World BookNight is an annual celebration of reading and books that takes place on the 23^rd of April. The giveaway is only for me to spread the love of reading further then I can do by giving them out to people in my community. Which I also love doing!
If you liked this post then you might like: My Summer Reading List, My Spring Reading List, World Book Night posts one, two, and three! Wonka Bars, Forgotten Pudding, Zebra Cake, Huffkins, Pop Cakes

Nectarine & Almond Tarts {#thepastrychallenge}

If you were to ask me to bake you a cake I’d reply “Of course, no problem.” However, when it comes to pastry’s I couldn't reply that confidentially. It’s one of the reason’s I am super excited to be a co-host with Jen from Jen’s Food on the new monthly Pastry Challenge!

Jen is hosting this month and as it’s the first month the theme is anything goes! Typical me leaving it literally until the last minute to get my post written and linked up! Which is very like these tarts. Super easy and perfect for a last minute dessert or breakfast or just because!

We had them as an afternoon snack and what a good snack it was! These would a great picnic addition too. I have spring and summer on the brain ... already talking about picnics! I am ready for warmer weather, but while I wait I will munch on one of these! 

Nectarine & Almond Tarts

500g all-butter puff pastry

flour for dusting

120g unsalted butter, soft

75g sugar

100g ground almonds

1 egg, room temperature

dash of almond extract

3 ripe nectarines, sliced thinly

Heat the oven to 220C and line 2 baking sheets with grease proof baking paper. Roll out the pastry to 4-5 mm thick. I used a cereal bowl that had a 14cm diameter to cut out six rounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets and set aside.

Whisk the butter, sugar, almonds, egg, and extract together until well combined. Place a heaped tablespoon of the mixture in the middle of each pastry round. With the back of the spoon gently press it down. Circle the sliced peaches around the pastry circles. Gently pressing down as you go along with spread the almond mixture out perfectly. If you want thicker slices of nectarine, you might need an extra one.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool only slightly before tucking in or adding a scoop of ice cream on top!

Check out the other entries on Jen’s site and if you didn't get an opportunity to join in this month I’ll be posting the theme for April on the 1^st!

notes: for more information on the pastry challenge click on the tab above! Recipe adapted from the Jamie Magazine recipe yearbook 2014/15.