Chocolate & Pistachio Tart

Image Leave a comment 25/11/2019 the wee caledonian cook

Oh Yum, I love Pistachios and had some in my cupboards to use up, so I though I would give this little delight a go and I wasn’t disappointed.

For the Crust

100g Plain flour

35g Cocoa Powder

70g Chopped Pistachio’s

1/4 tsp salt

70g unsalted butter, room temperature

35g Demerara Sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Pistachio Paste

65g Pistachio’s

35g Demerara Sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

For the Filling

150g Milk Chocolate

120ml Cream

50ml Milk

1 egg beaten

Pistachio’s chopped to garnish

Grease a 9″ Fluted Tart tin with removal bottom.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, chopped pistachios, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Add sugar, and beat until pale. Add vanilla, then flour mixture, beat until just combined and dough holds together when pressed between 2 fingers. Press dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 15 – 30 mins.
Roll out dough to an 11-inch round, 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Press dough into bottom and up sides of tart pan. Trim excess dough flush with edges of pan using a knife. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 150 deg C.
Bake until firm, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
Make the pistachio paste: Pulse pistachios, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until mixture begins to clump together. Add oil, and pulse until smooth and paste like. Spread evenly into bottom of cooled tart shell, pressing firmly with back of a spoon until flat and smooth.
Make the filling: Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat until almost boiling, pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in egg until combined. Pour in filling to tart shell. Bake until just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool. Garnish with finely chopped pistachios.

Hazelnut Chocolate Tart

Image Leave a comment 04/08/2019 the wee caledonian cook

I was watching James Martin on Saturday morning and he made a raspberry chocolate tart, we sat there dying to try a bit. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any raspberries so a hazelnut version it was.

I decided to do a hazelnut nut pastry just to add extra flavour.

For the Pastry:-

125g Plain Flour

50g Icing Sugar

50g Crushed Toasted Hazelnuts (plus 10g for decoration)

Pinch of salt

80g Butter, cold, diced

1 egg yolk

For the Filling:-

300ml Double Cream

125ml Whole Milk

200g Dark Chocolate or Milk Chocolate with at least 40% cocoa solids

2 eggs

50g golden caster sugar

pinch salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To make the pastry, sift the flour and icing sugar into a food processor, add the hazelnuts and blitz together. Add the butter and pulse briefly until mixture looks like breadcrumbs, don’t overmix. Add the egg yolk and pulse until dough comes together. Shape dough into a flat disc, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Roll the dough out onto a floured surface. Using a loose bottomed tart tin, grease tin then line the tart tin with the pastry pressing into all corners. Trim any loose pastry. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 160 deg. Prick the bottom of the pastry and line with greaseproof paper and baking beans. Bake for 25 minutes, remove the baking paper and beans and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Remove and trim the edges in line with the tart tin.
Meanwhile, to make the filling, place milk & cream into a pan and bring to just below boiling point, do not boil. Take of heat and stir in the chocolate to melt.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Gradually whisk in the chocolate mix, whisking constantly.
Pour the mixture into the pastry case and bake on a wire rack in the oven for about 25 minutes until the filling has a slight wobble. Remove and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Allow to cool in the tin before removing.
Slice to serve. Yummy!

Spinach, Asparagus & Tomato Tart

Image Leave a comment 09/07/2019 the wee caledonian cook

Another home comfort food dish, delicious for lunch or dinner, hot or cold.

Serves 4

Butter for greasing tin

1 Roll ready made shortcrust pastry

1 bunch of asparagus spears

250g Spinach leaves

3 large eggs

150ml double cream

1 garlic clove, crushed

10 small cherry tomatoes

handful fresh basil, chopped

40g grated cheddar cheese (or you could use parmesan)

Salt & pepper

Pre heat oven to 190 deg on convection bake setting.
Grease a 10-12 inch tart tin with the butter, roll out the pastry and line the tin, trimming of excess.
Cover the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for about 20 minutes until lightly browned. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Reduce oven to 180 deg.
Meanwhile, bend the asparagus spears until they snap and discard woody bases.
Bring a large pan of slightly salted water to the boil and blanch the asparagus for 1 minute, remove. Using the same water put the spinach in then remove immediately. Drain well and squeeze excess moisture out.
Mix the eggs, cream & garlic together in a bowl and season with salt & pepper.
Lay the spinach into the pastry case, then the asparagus and tomatoes cut side up, sprinkle with the basil. Pour the egg mixture into the case and sprinkle the grated cheese over evenly.
Transfer to the oven and bake for about 35 minutes, remove and leave to cool to room temperature, serve.

Jamie Olivers 5 ingredient Almond Puff

Image Leave a comment 03/09/2017 the wee caledonian cook

I started watching Jamie Oliver’s new 5 Ingredient TV Show and liked the sound of the Almond Puff Pastry. Using my little magic Crisper Plate, thought I would give this a go.

All butter puff pastry

100g ground almonds or whole and blitz

Icing Sugar

2 eggs (1 for wash)

1 tbsp double cream

Roll out puff pastry into 2 circles
Blitz almonds in a processor, or if using ground add to a mixing bowl, add 1 spoon icing sugar, 1 tbsp cream and egg and mix together until blended
Place 1 circle onto preheated crisper plate and fill the centre with the mixture leaving approx 1 inch all round
Place the other pastry circle on top and seal the edges with a fork
Brush will egg wash and put small knife hole in the middle
Cook on Dynamic Crisp setting for about 10 minutes.
Remove and dust with some icing sugar then serve with some fresh cream……oh so yummy!

Spinach, Tomato and Egg Pastry Breakfast Square

Image Leave a comment 20/11/2016 the wee caledonian cook

With some puff pastry left in the fridge and looking for a tasty Sunday brunch thought I’d have a go at a puff pastry tart. Such a simple and easy yet tasty delight. The fillings are endless too, I now have so many ideas going on in my head for next time…….goats cheese being one of my favourites.

1 sheet of puff pastry

1 egg whisked for the wash

2 egg yolks

handful cherry tomatoes – halved

handful of spinach

salt & pepper to taste

Firstly cut your pastry into a square, about 5″ x 5″, using a sharp knife draw a square around the pastry about 1 cm in, be careful not to cut right through.
Brush the pastry with the egg wash.
Place the spinach in the square then the cherry tomatoes around the edge.
Place into a preheated oven at 190 deg for approx 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, pour the remaining egg wash into the centre and then place the egg yolks in the middle, put back in oven and continue to cook for approx 10-15mins.
Remove and serve……Yum!

THE WEE CALEDONIAN COOK

DISCOVERING MY INNER CHEF

tart