Fresh Green Tart Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and put a baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Lightly dust a surface with flour, then roll out the pastry into a circle. Use to line a 22cm tart tin (3cm deep) with a removable base. Trim away any excess pastry that hangs over the top and chill while you make the filling.
• Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the leek in a single layer and fry for a minute, then add 50ml water and cover with a lid. Cook over a low heat for 4 mins (check it doesn't dry out). Whisk the cream and egg together, then mix in the spinach and peas.
• Tip the pea mixture into the base of the tart and arrange the leek on top. (If you don't want the leeks on top, then stir them through the pea mixture.) Break the mozzarella pearls in half and dot them over the tart. Put the tart on the baking sheet and bake for 30 mins, or until the filling is cooked through. Leave to rest for 5 mins before cutting.

Steps:

• For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 by 14-inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
• Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in 1/4-inch thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don't worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart's done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn't stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sea salt on medium speed for about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula and add confectioners' sugar. Combine with butter at low speed. Once incorporated, scrape down bowl and paddle. Add almond flour and vanilla extract and combine at low speed.
• Gradually add egg and a quarter of the flour (scant 1/2 cup or 55 grams). Beat at low speed until just incorporated. Scrape down bowl and paddle. Gradually add remaining flour and mix just until dough comes together, stopping from time to time to scrape in any mixture adhering to sides and bottom of bowl. Do not overbeat. Dough should be soft to the touch.
• Separate dough into two equal portions. Gently press each portion into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Double-wrap airtight in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one dough portion for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight; chill or freeze the second portion for another use.
• Very lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. (You should not be able to see the butter.) On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 10 1/2-inch circle, 1/4 inch thick. Dust work surface and dough often, and work quickly so dough remains cold. Gently roll dough over lightly dusted rolling pin and transfer to pan, gently easing it in and trimming the top edge. Chill uncovered for at least 1 hour, preferably longer.
• Prepare the tart: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Sift together almond flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch and flour into a medium bowl.
• Place butter, salt and vanilla and almond extracts in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and beat 1 minute at medium speed. Scrape down bowl and paddle, and add almond flour mixture. Beat at medium speed for 1 minute, until incorporated. Stop, scrape down bowl and paddle, then turn on machine and gradually add egg. Add rum and beat at medium speed until egg and rum are incorporated.
• Remove tart shell from refrigerator and place on a baking sheet. Using a fork, pierce rows across surface of crust, about 1 inch apart. Scrape almond cream onto crust and, using a small offset or rubber spatula, spread evenly over crust.
• Place in oven and bake 40 minutes, until crust and almond cream are golden brown and the tip of a knife comes out clean when inserted into cream. Remove from oven and let cool for 40 minutes on a rack.
• Using a small spatula, spread fig jam over surface of tart in an even layer.
• Remove stems from figs. Cut small and medium figs into quarters, large figs into sixths or eights. Arrange in concentric circles, starting with the rim, with the stem end down. Slices should angle upwards. If not serving right away, refrigerate. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Steps:

• Make the Pate Sucree. Make the Pastry Cream and set it aside.
• Remove the pate sucree from the refrigerator, unwrap it, and knead it slightly to make it malleable if it feels stiff. Using a rolling pin, press the dough to flatten it into a disk about 1/2 inch thick. Generously flick flour over the work surface and the dough. Make sure the surface you are rolling on is well floured so that the dough does not stick to it; likewise, make sure the disk itself is floured well enough to keep the rolling pin from sticking to it. Carefully roll out the disk into a circle about 10 inches in diameter. Roll from the center of the disk outward and gently rotate the disk 90 degrees (a quarter-turn) after each roll to ensure that the disk gets stretched out evenly into a nice circle. Use a bench scraper to help move the dough by scraping underneath the dough and moving it around. Don't worry if the dough breaks a bit, especially toward the edges. You can easily patch these tears up once you've lined the tart pan.
• Once the dough circle is about 10 inches in diameter, dock it by poking it all over with a fork or a pastry docker (see Cook's Note). Roll it gently around the rolling pin, then unfurl it over an 8-inch tart pan. Press the dough into the tart pan, taking care to press into the corners. Trim the edge of the shell even with the top of the tart pan. Use any scraps or odd pieces to patch up any tears or missing bits. Make sure the entire tart pan is completely covered with dough, and press one last time all the way around to ensure that any holes have been patched up.
• Refrigerate the tart shell for at least 30 minutes to let the dough rest; the gluten needs a little time to relax so it doesn't shrink in the oven. (At this point you can wrap the tart shell well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 2 weeks.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Place the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway through the baking time, until it is golden brown all around. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. (At this point the tart shell can be stored, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 1 week.)
• In a medium bowl, whip the heavy cream until it holds a peak and is thick and soft. Fold the pastry cream into the whipped cream until thoroughly combined.
• Gently pop the tart shell out of the pan. Place the tart shell on a serving plate. (Hint: The tart shell has a tendency to slide around a bit, so anchor it to the plate by putting a small spoonful of the pastry cream mixture directly on the plate before placing the tart shell on it.) Fill the tart shell with the pastry cream mixture and spread it evenly with a spatula.
• Stem and quarter the strawberries and place them on top of the cream with one cut side down, spaced randomly but evenly. Peel the kiwi and slice it in half lengthwise. Slice each half into 1/2 -inch-thick half-moons. (If using green grapes instead of kiwis, slice the grapes in half.) Place the kiwi slices in the cream against the cut side of the strawberries. Peel the mango and cut it into thin slices about 1 x 1 inch. Place the mango in the cream next to the kiwi. Slice the blackberries in half if they are large and place them in the cream in random places. Fill the empty spots on the tart with raspberries, blueberries, and any extra mango. The goal is to cover the whole tart with fruit and not have any cream visible. The tart must be eaten the same day it is assembled or it will get soggy. If not serving the tart immediately, store it in the refrigerator; serve within 6 hours.
• 1 large egg yolk (about 20 grams), at room temperature
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and salt together for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and light. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and paddle on low speed for about 30 seconds, until the flour is entirely incorporated. The mixture will look like wet sand. Add the egg yolk and mix until the dough comes together, about 30 seconds. Remove the dough from the bowl, press it into a disk, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before using. The dough can be tightly wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before using.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk on medium-high heat until just before it comes to a boil, when bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. (Mixing the cornstarch into the sugar will prevent it from clumping when you add it to the egg yolks.) Whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl until blended. Slowly whisk in the sugar-cornstarch mixture until completely incorporated. Remove the milk from the heat and slowly add it to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs.
• When the milk is all whisked into the egg yolk mixture, return everything to the saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Whisk continuously and vigorously for about 1 minute. At first the mixture will be very frothy and liquid; as it cooks more, it will slowly start to thicken until the frothy bubbles disappear, the mixture starts to steam, and the whole thing become more viscous. After 1 minute, stop whisking every few seconds to see if the mixture has come to a boil. If not, keep whisking vigorously. As soon as you do see it boiling, whisk vigorously for about 10 seconds, then immediately pour the pastry cream through a sieve into an airtight container. Stir in the vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the pastry cream (to prevent a skin from forming) and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until cold, before using. The pastry cream can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1 1/4 cups sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract until dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour but not more than 1 day.
• While the dough is chilling, prepare the apple filling.
• In a medium bowl, toss diced apples with sugar and cinnamon. Mix in walnuts.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 16 3-inch tart pans. Remove tart dough from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out.
• Knead dough briefly on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 16 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6-inch circle, and carefully fit one circle into each tart pan.
• Spoon an equal amount of apple mixture into each tart pan. Fold pastry over filling. Place filled tarts on a baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Melt apricot jam and brush over finished tarts, if desired.

Steps:

• Place the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the butter and pulse 12 to 15 times, until the butter is the size of peas. Add the egg yolks and pulse a few times to combine. With the motor running, add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and roll it into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Meanwhile, place the tomatoes in a large bowl. Put the parsley, basil, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until finely minced. With the processor running, pour the olive oil down the feed tube and process until combined. Pour the mixture over the tomatoes and toss gently. Set aside.
• On a well-floured board, roll the dough out to an 11 x 17-inch rectangle and transfer it to the prepared sheet pan. Don't worry if it doesn't fit exactly; you want it to cover most of the bottom of the pan but it can be a little rough on the sides. Place a second sheet pan directly on the pastry and bake for 15 minutes. (You can also line the pastry with foil and fill it with dried beans.) Remove the top sheet pan (or the beans and foil). Using a dinner fork, pierce the pastry in many places. Bake for another 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Check the pastry during baking; pierce any spots that bubble up. Allow the crust to cool for 15 minutes.
• Lower the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the mustard on the crust with a pastry brush. Sprinkle a thick even layer of Gruyere on the pastry, reserving 1/2 cup for the top, and sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Place overlapping tomatoes in rows on top. If there is a little garlic and herb mixture in the bowl, sprinkle it over the tomatoes, but if there is liquid in the bowl, strain it through a very-fine-mesh strainer, discard the liquid, and sprinkle the garlic and herb mixture on the tomatoes. Sprinkle the reserved 1/2 cup of Gruyere and the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
• Cool slightly, cut into squares, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• For the filling. Add the almond milk, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan and bring to just under a boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, add the sugar, tapioca flour and egg in a medium bowl and whisk until combined.
• As the almond milk comes just below a boil, stream about half of it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, then pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over medium heat and whisk vigorously until thick and bubbly (you want the tapioca starch to fully thicken), for about 4 minutes.
• Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the filling so it will not form a skin. Refrigerate until fully cool and set, for at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours.
• For the crust: Grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with nonstick cooking spray.
• Make the crust. Add the gluten-free all-purpose flour, almond flour, oat flour, tapioca flour, sugar and salt into a food processor. Whisk to combine. Add the cubed vegan butter on top. Run the food processor on medium until the dough begins to form clumps, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom. Pour in the water 1 tablespoon at a time. Run the food processor until the dough comes together in a smooth cohesive mass, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Transfer the dough into the prepared tart pan. Press the dough evenly along the bottom and sides, trimming off any excess with a small knife. Smooth the bottom with a flat-bottomed measuring cup or slightly damp hands. If there are any bare spots, patch it up using the trimmed off dough. Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the tart until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely.
• For the topping: To assemble the tart, remove the cooled crust from the pan and onto a serving plate. Spread the filling evenly over the crust, smoothing the surface using the back of a spoon. Arrange the strawberries, kiwi, blueberries and blackberries on top in whatever design you prefer. Refrigerate the fruit tart to set for at least 3 hours and up to 8 hours before serving.