makes 12

What do you think when you think of the 1290’s? Jazz, flapper girls, Women’s rights, prohibition? Or do you think of appetisers, tarts, custards, pineapple, platters, oysters and sandwiches? If you thought of the food first we can be friends, so take a seat…

1920’s WEEK

Signature: 4 individual open topped custard tarts

Technical: 18 beignets soufflés - paired with a smooth raspberry jam and a pot of sabayon

Showstopper: Prohibition era 2 tiered cake with the flavour of a cocktail

Blackberry tarts

Pre-baking information: Make sure you do have the tart tins. I used muffin tins and I won’t be doing that again. It worked but quite thick. When you take the pastry out of the fridge allow for rest time in room temperate. I used two separate recipes to make the tarts. Once for the base and another for the filling. Recipes from Baking a Moment and A Simple Pantry. 

Pastry ingredients

• 190g plain flour

• 40g icing sugar

• 1/4tsp salt

• 110-113g butter, cold

• 1 large egg yolk or 2 medium yolks

• 2-4tsp heavy cream

• 1/2tsp vanilla essence

Method

• In a mixing bowl, add in flour, sugar and salt and mix with electric mixers (I always mix with a spoon first so the icing sugar doesn’t go everywhere)

• Cut the butter into little squares and add to the dry ingredients and blend until it is grainy in texture.

• Add the yolk, cream and vanilla to the mixture and pulse until it forms a dough like substance (this didn’t happen for me until I used my hands).

• Make a ball with the dough and wrap cling film around it and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.

• After an hour place at room temperature and let rest for 15-20 minutes.

• Once the dough is malleable, remove the cling film and place on a floured surface and roll out the dough to the thickness you desire your tarts to be (they will expand in the oven).

• Spray or grease your tart pans and press the pastry into them, trim away excess pastry

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc/375ºf/gas mark 4.

• Place the tarts in the oven until golden brown - if you have cooking beans put in the tart tins so the base doesn’t rise up.

• Now make the filling. (Don’t forget to check back to make sure they don’t burn!)

Blackberry filling ingredients 

• 350g fresh blackberries (I bought 4 punnets of 150g - I used 2.5 for mixture, ate .5 during, and one punnet for decorating)

• 1tbsp squeezable honey

• 1tbsp powered gelatine

• 240ml double cream

• 80ml condensed milk

Method

• Blend or mash the blackberries until they become smooth. If you have a sieve - strain the blackberry puree so you get rid of the seeds, (I left the seeds in) add to a microwavable bowl.

• Stir in the honey, gelatine and let sit for 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture for 30 seconds then stir gently to combine all the ingredients.

• As the blackberry mix is setting, pour the double cream into a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixers until soft peaks form.

• You should have taken your tarts out of the oven by now and have been letting them cool.

• Add the condensed milk and blackberry puree to the whipped cream. Fold it all in until all ingredients are combined and you get a set colour of lavender.

• Add the gelatine mixture to the tart shells to the level you prefer or until all the mixture is gone.

• Smoothing on the top and placing it in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.

• Serve from the fridge