Tarts and Pies Archives

Chocolate and Rhubarb Tartlets

25|03|2022

Aren’t we really lucky that we have rhubarb all year round in Australia? It is one of my favourite things to add to desserts. Not only does it complement both dark and white chocolate equally well, like in these rhubarb tartlets, it adds a punch to any cake or crumble. Rhubarb compote is the best thing you can have in your fridge. Use it as a topping on yoghurt or porridge or as a filling in a tart. It’s so versatile.

These chocolate and rhubarb tartlets are heavenly to taste. I love making tart shells in this way as they are crunchier and look impressive. The shells can be stored in the freezer before baking and taken out just when you need a sweet treat.

If you love rhubarb based desserts, you’d love this layered Rhubarb Cake with Pomegranate and Rosemary Buttercream

Chocolate and Rhubarb Tartlets
Tart shells
Makes 8

200 g plain flour
90 g icing sugar
30 g almond flour
30g cocoal powder (unsweetened)
salt, a pinch
110g unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
1 egg (approx 50 g)

Rhubarb Compote
1 and 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped
1/3 cup castor sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tsp orange juice

Chocolate ganche filling
1/2 cup thickened cream
150 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
25 g unsalted butter

To make the tart shells : Place dry ingredients in a bowl. Rub butter into the mixture with your hands until it resembles coarse sand like texture. Add the egg and knead until dough just comes together.

Roll the dough between two sillicon mats into 2 mm thickness. Place the dough with the mats into the freezer for 15 mins. Using pastry rings, cut out circles for the tart base. Then cut out strips for the side and gently press them into the side of thae tart rings.
Freeze them for 1 hour, trim the top before baking.
Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Bake for 15-18 mins. Remove rings and bake for a further 5 mins. Allow tart cases to cool completely before filling.

To make the rhubarb compote : Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until soft (but the rhubarb hasn’t completely broken down).
Remove from heat. Allow to cool. Store in the fridge until needed.

To make the chocolate ganche filling: Warm the cream in a medium saucepan over low heat until about to boil (do not boil). Remove from heat, add the chocolate. Leave aside whilst stirring intermittently until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Add the butter, mix.

To assemble, place 2 tbsp of rhubarb compote in each tat shell. Top with chocolate ganache. Place in refrigerator to set. Decorate with edible flowers, chocolate flowers or shaved chocolate.

Grapefruit and Orange Tart

18|09|2021

Do you like the taste of grapefruit? To be honest, I don’t enjoy having it on its own, however, the refreshing citrus flavour with a slightly bitter aftertaste is so perfect in a dessert. This absoloutely divine tasting Grapefruit and Orange tart has a few different elements to it but it is definitely not difficult to make. All of them can be made ahead of time and assembled at the time of serving.

This Grapefruit and Orange Tart has a lovely shortcrust pastry base, a grapefruit custard filling, a layer of orange curd, a white chocolate decoration that complements the citrus duo beautifully and some vanilla chantilly cream to balance the sweetness. It is sure to impress your guests both by it’s apperance and by taste.
If you didn’t want to make all the layers, you could easily leave out the orange curd or white chocolate spiral and it would still be fanatstic.

Want to see more Orange desserts? Try this Carrot and Orange Cake or these Orange KitKat Brownie Cakes

The spiral mold can be found here

Grapefruit and Orange Tart
Makes an 19 cm fluted tart

For the pastry
1 cup 150 g plain flour
1/4 cup, icing sugar mixture
100 g chilled butter, roughly chopped
1 egg yolk

For the grapefruit custard
3 eggs, lightly whisked
150ml single/pure cream
1 tbsp finely grated grapefruit rind
1/3 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 cup caster sugar

Orange Curd
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup castor sugar
80 g unsalted butter, chilled and roughly chopped
zest and juice of a Navel Orange

White Chocolate Decoration
100 g white chocolate, melted
1tsp grapeseed oil/coconut oil
orange/peach gel food colour

Vanilla Chantilly cream
200 ml thickened/double cream
1 tbsp castor sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
gel food color, as required

To make the pastry, process the flour, icing sugar and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and process until mixture just comes together. Gently knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Shape into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 3 mm-thick disc. Line a 19 cm fluted tart pan with a removable base with the pastry. Trim edges. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest

Meanwhile, to make the grapefruit custard filling, whisk the eggs, cream, sugar, grapefruit rind and juice together in a large bowl. Strain through a fine sieve.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (180 degrees C fan-forced). Place the tart pan on an baking tray. Line with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or dried rice or beans. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove paper and weights and bake for a further 10 minutes or until pastry is light golden. Remove from oven. Reduce oven to 150 degrees C.

Pour the grapefruit mixture into the pastry case. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until custard is almost set. Remove from oven. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool to room temperature. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

Make the Orange Curd :To make the orange curd, place the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a medium saucepan and whisk together until smooth. Add the butter, orange juice and zest and place the pan over low heat, stirring continuously. Cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Cool and refrigerate until needed.

Make the white chocolate decoration: Combine melted white chocolate, grapeseed oil and food colour. Mix until smooth. Pour into spiral mold and place in the fridge to set.

Vanilla Chantilly Cream : Combine thickened cream, vanilla extract and caster sugar in the bowl. Use an electric mixer or balloon whisk to whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks. Add the food colour and whisk just a bit more until almost stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.

To assemble : Spread a thin layer of orange curd over the set custard filling. Place the white chocolate decoration in the centre. Pipe vanilla chantilly around the chocolate decoration. Decorate with edible flowers and dehydrated orange slices.

Raspberry Ganache Tart

8|02|2020

Of course, it is the season of hearts and pretty, pink desserts. I make them round the year anyway so coming up with another pink dessert is not that hard. I actually enjoy it! This raspberry ganache tart is made with real raspberries that add a lovely tart flavour and a beautiful pastel pink colour to the tart.

It’s summer in Australia so a no-bake dessert is perfect for us plus being egg free , it’s a great option for vegetarians too. If you don’t want to use gelatine, you can swap it with agar that’s a plant based setting agent. The taste is unique, berry like and also sweet and I definitely recommend, you give it a go for flavour alone.

What are your favourite Valentine’s day treats? If you like to bake, check out this easy Raspberry and Yoghurt Cake or this Neapolitan Cake topped with buttercream roses.

Raspberry Ganache Tart
Makes an 8 inch round tart

200 g digestive biscuits or cookies of your choice
100 g unsalted butter, melted
1 cup raspberries
2 tbps castor sugar
1 tsp powdered gelatine
200 ml thickened cream
250 g white chocolate buttons
25 g unsalted butter
pink food colour (optional)

Place the biscuits in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add the melted butter into the processor and pulse again to combine. Press the biscuit mixture onto the base and sides of a 8 inch fluted tart pan until uniform. Place the tart pan on a baking tray for ease of movement and store the tray with the pan in the fridge for the base to firm up.

Meanwhile make the raspberry ganache filling. Place the raspberries, sugar and 3 tbsp water in a medium saucepan and cook till raspberries cook down and mixture is slightly reduced. Add the gelatine, stir and simmer for further 5 minutes. Strain the mixture into a bowl.

In a separate saucepan, over low heat, bring the cream to a boil (do not boil). Remove from heat, add the white chocolate buttons. Leave aside for 5 minutes, then stir until buttons have fully melted and mixture is smooth. Add the unsalted butter, raspberry puree and food colour, if using. Stir to combine.

Cool mixture to room temperature, then pour onto prepared crust. Place tray in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours or until filling has set. Decorate with fresh raspberries, heart sprinkles and sugar flowers. Enjoy chilled.

Easy Vanilla Cheesecake Tarts for Mother’s Day

10|05|2019

Mother’s day is almost here and like every year I’m excited for this day. It’s about the sweetest celebration possible in the universe and we see a lot of flowers and pink treats around, which makes me so happy!

The launch of the Kitkat Ruby couldn’t have come at a better time. Ever since Ruby chocolate was introduced by Callebaut, I’ve been meaning to get my hands on it. If you haven’t heard about Ruby chocolate, it is the 4th type of chocolate after dark, milk and white. And it’s absolutely beautiful with a berry like flavour.

These cheesecakes are very easy to make. There is no baking involved, no use of gelatine and everything comes together in minutes. After that, just let them chill in the fridge while you take pride in being so organised. Whether you are treating your Mum or your girlfriends or looking for a pretty looking dessert for any occasion, these are perfect.

So what are your plans for the day? Are you doing anything special to celebrate?
I’ve made a pretty looking cake to share with my family. Look out for my post on Sunday.

Vanilla Cheesecake Tarts
Serves 3-4

150 g digestive biscuits
75 g unsalted butter, melted
250 g cream cheese softened
3/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 cup thickened cream/heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
pink food coloring
Kitkat Ruby wafers, to decorate
sugar flowers or edible flowers, to decorate

Place the biscuits in a food processor and pulse to form fine crumbs. Pour the melted butter into the processor and pulse to combine. Press the biscuit mixture into the base and sides of six 10 cm loose-bottomed tart pans. Place the tart pans onto a baking tray for ease of movement into and out of the fridge. Chill until required.

Meanwhile, make the cheesecake filling. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and icing sugar and beat until smooth. Gradually add the thickened cream and food colour and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency. In case you are using a brand of heavy cream that does not whip easily, then whip the cream separately to stiff peaks and fold it gradually into the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate till needed.

When ready to serve, fill up a piping bag fitted with a round tip with the cheesecake filling. Pipe little cheesecake kisses on the base of the prepared crust. If desired, pipe a second layer between the kisses of the first layer. Top with Kitkat Ruby wafers and decorate with flowers. Serve chilled!