Maple Pecan Pie with Soured Cream Pastry

Two things got me thinking about Pecan pie last week. Firstly, American pies were the showstopper challenge on last weeks Great British Bake Off, one of my fave programmes at the moment. And, secondly the change in the weather - cool misty mornings and shorter evenings - means lovely seasonal autumn foods and flavours are back on the menu.
The sweet nutty filling goes really well with this soured cream pastry which is deliciously buttery, almost flaky, with just a hint of sweetness. I've coarsely grated the butter into the flour which cuts downs on the rubbing in and adds to the lightness and flakiness of the finished pastry. Any trimmings are well worth re-rolling and baking as jam tarts or cut into shapes for biscuits.

Serves 8
Makes one 23cm tart
Takes about 45 mins plus pastry chilling time

Soured cream pastry:
225g plain flour
25g icing sugar
Pinch of salt
175g firm chilled butter
6 level tbsp soured cream (a small 150ml pot will be enough)
Filling:
100ml maple syrup
50g butter
75g light muscovado sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g pecan halves
3 eggs


1 To make the pastry, place the flour, icing sugar and salt in a bowl. Coarsely grate the butter into the bowl, tossing it in the flour every now and again to stop it forming large clumps. Add the soured cream and mix to form a soft dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 mins.
2 While the pastry is chilling, gently heat the maple syrup, butter, sugar and vanilla extract in small pan until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Cool slightly.
3 Heat the oven to 190C, Fan 170C, Gas 5. Roll out the pastry and use to line a 23cm tart tin. Trim off any excess and crimp the edges. Save any pastry trimmings, they can be re-rolled, cut into shapes and baked as biscuits. Keep about one-third of the pecans as halves, roughly chop the rest and scatter them over the pastry base. Beat the eggs into the maple syrup mixture and pour over the chopped pecans. Scattter the pecan halves over the top and bake for about 25 mins until the pastry is golden and the filling is just set. Serve warm or cold with ice cream or whipped cream with an extra drizzle of maple syrup.

Courgette Pizza Tart with Olive Oil Pastry

The courgettes and runner beans are coming thick and fast on our allotment but I'm really envious of these wonderful chillies my brother-in-law Fred has grown. He's got loads and has very generously given me some.

My attempt at growing peppers this year has been pretty pitiful by comparison so I've given one of my plants to Fred to see if he can work his magic. I've been trying to grow Padron peppers which are the small Spanish peppers fried whole and served as tapas - most of them are mild but the sting in the tail is that one in 15-20 is fiery hot so it's a bit of a Russian pepper roulette when you eat them.
The combination of courgette and chilli sits happily on this easy olive oil pastry base and I've added a sprinkle of chopped chorizo for a delicious smoky sausage hit.  Using olive oil in the pastry instead of butter means it's very quick to mix as there's no rubbing in.

Serves 2
Makes one 25cm tart
Takes about 45 mins plus pastry chilling time

Olive oil pastry:
170g plain flour
Pinch of salt
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium egg
1 tbsp cold water
Topping:
3-4 tbsp pizza topping sauce (I used M&S new Margherita pizza sauce)
1 medium courgette, thinly sliced
1 chilli, deseeded and chopped
125g pack mozzarella, drained and sliced
90g pack diced chorizo (again M&S)

1 Place the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the olive oil, egg and water and mix to form a dough. If it feels a bit dry add a little more water. Knead lightly until just smooth, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
2 Heat the oven to 200C, fan 180C, gas 6. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to make a thin round approx 25cm in diameter. Place on a baking tray and spread the pizza topping sauce over the top.   Cover with the courgette slices, sprinkle over the chilli and finish with the mozzarella and chorizo. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 15 mins until the base is crisp and the mozzarella is starting to brown.

Berries and Almond Tart

This is one of my favourite tarts for using any seasonal soft fruits. I've used raspberries and blueberries here but you could use blackberries, apricots, nectarines and plums or any combination. I took this tart to a friends barbecue where we watched the opening ceremony for the Olympics. I was lucky enough to watch one of the technical rehearsals for the opening ceremony (I'm a volunteer London Ambassador for the paralympics and was offered a ticket as many volunteers were) but there was so much to see it was great to watch it all over again. Hearing the live drumming in the stadium though was phenomenal and just couldn't be captured on tv. Anyway back to the barbecue - I also took the brownies from the previous post as I was on pud duty and all went down well.
Adding an egg or egg yolk to the pastry makes it much easier to handle as it doesn't crack when you roll it out. You can make it in the food processor or by hand or if time is short buy a sheet of ready-rolled shortcrust.

Serves 8
Takes about 1 hour plus chilling pastry
Sweet easy-roll pastry
200g plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp caster sugar
120g butter, cut into cubes
1 medium egg yolk
11/2 tbsp cold water
Filling
75g butter, softened
75g caster sugar
2 medium eggs
75g ground almonds
3 tbsp raspberry jam
250g fresh berries such as mixed raspberries and blueberries
25g flaked almonds
Icing sugar, to dust

1 To make the pastry, place the flour salt and sugar in a food processor or bowl. Add the butter and pulse in the processor or rub in by hand until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2 Add the egg yolk and water and pulse in the processor until the mixture just comes together to form a ball. If making by hand mix in the egg yolk and water with a round bladed knife and then bring together with your hand to form a dough. Knead the pastry very little until just smooth, wrap in cling film and chill for 15-30 mins.

3 Heat the oven to 190C, 170C fan, Gas 5. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface, just larger than a 23cm flan tin. Place the pastry in the tin lightly pressing it into the corners and up the sides without stretching it. Trim off any surplus pastry by rolling the rolling pin across the top of the tin. Line the pastry with a sheet of baking parchment and spread baking beans or dried beans over the top. Bake for 10 mins. Remove the paper and beans and bake for  further 5 mins.

4 While the pastry is cooking, make the filling. Beat together the butter and caster sugar until soft and creamy. Beat in the eggs and then stir in the ground almonds. Spread the jam over the pastry base and dot with small spoonfuls of the almond mixture. Spread it out roughly then scatter over the fruit and almonds. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C, 160C, Gas 4 and bake for 30-35 mins until the top is golden. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm or cold with dollop of creme fraiche.

Best Ever Gooey Chocolate Brownies

I know, I know. Brownies are not a tart but from time to time I'll stretch the boundaries a bit and feature tart-like recipes.
I have a confession. I don't like chocolate. Weird I know but I'm convinced I was hypnotised when I watched Paul McKenna on This Morning cure a woman of her chocolate addiction by getting her visualise a bar of chocolate with worms, straw and all sorts of other nasties wiggling around in it. Well, it worked for me. Ever since then I really haven't fancied chocolate at all. White chocolate however is a different matter, he didn't get me on that one luckily.
Anyway, I'm always being asked for a good brownie recipe and this, according to my trusty tasters, is one of the best and it's it's really easy too. I've added chunks of white chocolate to this batch but you could leave it plain or replace it with pecan nuts, chunks of Oreo cookies or chopped fudge. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream for an indulgent pud or cold as a cake. It also freezes well as a slab or cut into pieces.

Makes 16 good-sized brownies
Takes about 50 mins

250g butter
400g dark chocolate, broken into squares
5 eggs
350g light brown muscovado sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g plain flour
200g white chocolate, chopped

1 Heat the oven to 180C, Fan 160C, gas 4. Grease a 23cm x 30cm baking tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment. Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a pan over a low heat, stirring occasionally until melted and smooth. Leave to cool slightly.

2 Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy, this will take about 5 mins. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture and fold in the flour until evenly mixed. Stir in about two-thirds of the white chocolate and tip the mixture into the prepared tin. Spread level and scatter remaining white chocolate over the top.

3 Bake for 25-30 mins until shiny, slightly cracked on the top and just firm to the touch. Cool slightly then cut into 16 pieces.

Galette de pommes de terre

When we're in France I always get seduced by all the wonderful patisserie and breads. I'm like a child in sweet shop and always come out of the boulangerie clutching a little paper wrapped parcel. On this occasion I was in a boulangerie in a town called Argenton-sur-Creuse in central France. Delicious bread was being baked in the wood fired bread oven at the back of the shop, so as well as buying my bread for the day I was tempted by a square of this golden, glossy-glazed, flaky pastry potato tart.

Sadly the flavour was very disappointing and bland. The only way I can describe it was very smooth unseasoned potato puree between two sheets of pastry. I like the idea though so here's my version of Galette de pommes de terre (potato tart) with added creme fraiche, garlic and chives. It's delicious served warm with a tomato salad dressed with a zingy Dijon mustard dressing. Or, serve it cold for picnics - it holds together quite well so you can easily eat it with your fingers.

Serves 6
350g medium-size new potatoes, thinly sliced (or you can use leftover cooked potatoes)
150ml creme fraiche
1 juicy fat garlic clove, crushed
3 tbsp snipped chives (I use scissors for this)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 (320g) sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

1 Preheat the oven to 200C, Fan 180C, gas 6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Cook the potato slices in a pan of boiling water for 5-7 mins until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water then drain again.

2 Place the creme fraiche in a small bowl, stir in the garlic and chives and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3 Unroll one of the sheets of pastry and place on the baking parchment lined baking sheet. If the potatoes are quite wet dab them with kitchen paper then arrange them, overlapping slightly, over the pastry leaving a 1cm border all around the edge. Spoon the creme fraiche mixture over the potatoes to thinly cover.

4 Brush the 1cm border with beaten egg and place the other sheet of pastry over the top. Press the edges together to seal then flute the edges using your fingers or press with the back of a fork. Brush the pastry all over with beaten egg and, using a sharp knife, score criss cross lines across the top. Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins until the pastry is golden brown and risen slightly. Cut into squares to serve.

Tenderstem & Cambozola Tartlets

I'm a firm believer in simple things often being the best, especially when it comes to food and using good quality ingredients. This tart is a case in point - just 3 ingredients and only 15 mins from start to finish. I'll admit it's not my own creation, it's from the lovely Tenderstem broccoli people who've got lots of great recipes on their website - take a look at www.tenderstem.co.uk. I served this tart as a pre Race for Life light meal for my sister and I, and it certainly kept us going through the rain!

Serves 4
200g Tenderstem broccoli
1 packet ready-rolled puff pastry
200g Cambozola cheese

1 Preheat the oven to 220C, Fan 200C, gas 7. Lightly cook the Tenderstem for 1 minute in boiling water, drain.

2 Unroll the sheet of pastry, cut it into 4 rectangles and place them on 2 baking strays lined with baking parchment.

3 Arrange the Tenderstem, floret-to-stem, along the pastry and top with thin slices of Cambozola, taking care to cover the delicate tips with cheese to prevent them scorching.

4 Season with a grind of black pepper and a little salt and bake for 8-10 minutes until the pastry is golden. Serve with a punchy rocket salad.

For a Tenderstem, Caramelised Onion and Brie Tart (my variation):
Keep the pastry sheet whole and make 1 large tart, spread it with 2-3 tbsp caramelised onion chutney, top with the Tenderstem, 100g cubed brie and 50g grated Cheddar and bake as above.

Little Strawberry Jam and Vanilla Cream Tarts

We've had plenty of strawberries from the allotment this summer but there's been more than a few ugly Bettys amongst them. They taste great but just lack a little in the looks department, hence they get left at the bottom of the bowl. So I set to and made some jam, a good way to preserve and enjoy less than perfect fruit. The recipe in this post is more about the jam than the tarts as I bought some sweet little all butter tartlet cases from M&S ( £2.29 for 18), but you could make them yourself. This jam is quite soft set because it's only boiled for 4 minutes, this helps retain a fresh strawberry flavour and bright colour. Don't forget to use jam sugar (not to be confused with preserving sugar), it has added pectin (the setting agent) which strawberries and other soft fruit lack.
But, even if you use bought good quality jam or conserve and readymade tartlet cases you've still got delicious bite-size tarts you can put together in the time it takes to whip some cream.

Strawberry Jam
Makes 4-5 jars depending on the size
1kg strawberries, hulled
4 tbsp lemon juice (about 1 lemon freshly squeezed)
1kg jam sugar

1 Wash and dry the jars, place on a baking tray and heat in a warm oven for about 10 mins. At the same time place a saucer or small plate in the freezer to chill. Place the strawberries in a large pan (use the biggest pan you have as the jam will bubble up when you boil it) and mash roughly with a potato masher to break them up. Add the lemon juice and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

2 Reduce the heat, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Increase the heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Boil for 4 mins then remove from the heat. To test if the jam is ready, place 1/2 tsp jam onto the saucer from the freezer. Leave to cool for about 1 minute then push the jam with your finger. If it has set and wrinkles it's ready. If it's still very runny, bring the jam back to the boil and boil for a further 2 minutes and test again. Stir in a knob of butter and skim off any surface foam (this is still tasty to eat so keep to one side). Pour the jam into the warm jars, cover and label.

To make the tarts
1 pack 18 mini all butter tartlet cases
3 tbsp strawberry jam
150ml pot whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla paste or vanilla extract
A few fresh strawberries, to decorate
Icing sugar, to dust

1 Arrange the tartlet cases on a plate or cake stand and spoon 1/2 tsp jam into each one.

2 Whip the cream with the vanilla paste or extract until just thick enough to form soft peaks. Spoon a teaspoon of whipped cream onto each tart and decorate with a piece of fresh strawberry. Dust with icing sugar and serve within 1 hour of assembling.