Click on the type of pastry below to view the recipe:
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Please remember a few basic rules when working with pastry:
- Work quickly in a cool kitchen – prevents toughness
- Only add enough liquid to bind the dough together – prevents toughness
- Do not overwork, especially nut or cheese pastries – prevents toughness
- Always chill pastry before baking – prevents shrinkage
- Always prick the base - prevents rising up
- Always bake blind for open tarts – ensures crisp bottoms
- Ensure the oven is preheated and hot when baking blind – 200’c/400’F/GM6 - prevents shrinkage and ensures crisp bottoms
- Turn the heat down to cook custard fillings – prevents splitting and curdling
- Always use plain flour
- If the pastry is not going to be cooked again, i.e. for a cold filling, make sure it is thoroughly cooked through and crisp.
- 250g pastry means pastry made with 250g flour and 120g butter.
- Beware of using lard in pastry as it’s obviously not vegetarian.
- For flavoured pastries, add to the pastry dough when mixing as follows –
- Herbs – add 1tbsp chopped fresh herbs
- Spices – add 1 tsp of the required spice. Always use freshly grated nutmeg. For vanilla, use 1 tsp vanilla essence.
- Orange/Lemon – use the grated zest of 1 fruit.
- Nuts – add 30g of the specified nuts; grind them finely first. Do not overwork as the finished pastry will be greasy and tough.
- Cheese – add 30g of grated cheese. Use a good local cheese which will complement the dish. Do not overwork as the pastry will be greasy and tough.
- These quantities are for 250g flour.
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Pershore Plum and Apple Tart with Walnut Pastry
Ingredients
500g walnut pastry, 500g cooking apples peeled cored and sliced, 500g plums halved and stoned, 30g butter, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 2 egg whites, 120g caster sugar
Method
- Heat the oven to GM6/200’C/400’F.
- Roll out half the pastry and use to line a pie dish.
- Cook the apples and plums in the butter and granulated sugar until soft. Don’t add any water. Cool.
- Put the fruit into the pie dish and roll out the rest of the pastry to make a lid and seal to the pie.
- Bake in the hot oven for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile whisk the egg whites until stiff. Beat in the caster sugar. After the pie has been in the oven for 30 minutes, swirl the meringue over the top and put back in the oven for 5-10 minutes until golden and set.
- Serve at once.
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Green Grape Tart with Vanilla Pastry
Ingredients
1 25cm pastry case, baked blind, made with 250g vanilla pastry., 300g green grapes halved and seeded, 290ml double cream, 1 tbsp icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla essence
Method
- Add the icing sugar and the vanilla essence to the cream and whip until thick. Do not over whip – just until it holds its own shape.
- Spread in the base of the pastry case.
- Arrange the grape halves neatly in circles on top of the cream, covering it completely.
- Brush with the sugar syrup.
- Serve as soon as possible to prevent the pastry going soggy.
Sugar Syrup
280g granulated sugar, 570ml water, Pared rind of 1 lemon
- Put the sugar, water and lemon rind in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Bring to the boil and cook until the syrup feels tacky between finger and thumb.
- Cool.
- Strain.
- Keep in the fridge and use as required.
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Rhubarb and Lemon Meringue Tart
Ingredients
1 25cm pastry case, baked blind, made with 250g lemon pastry, 1kg rhubarb cut into 3cm pieces, 4 egg yolks, 2 egg whites, 240g caster sugar, 150ml double cream, Zest and juice 1 lemon
Method
- Heat the oven to GM5/190’C/375’F.
- Cook the rhubarb gently in a little water until tender but keeping its shape. Do not let it go mushy. Drain.
- Beat the egg yolks and half the caster sugar until thick and pale. Stir in the lemon zest and juice and the cream.
- Gently fold in the rhubarb and turn into the pastry case.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until set and golden.
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff and beat in the rest of the caster sugar.
- Spread over the top of the tart and bake for 5-10 minutes until the meringue is golden.
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Richard Bradley’s Pineapple Tart
Richard Bradley wrote the 1st pineapple recipe to appear in an English cookery book in 1753, although the first one to be grown was about 1677.
Ingredients
1 25cm pastry case, baked blind, made with 250g vanilla pastry, 1 medium pineapple, 150ml Madeira, 1 level tbsp Demerara sugar, 290ml double cream - optional
Method
- Heat the oven to GM4/180’C/350’F.
- Peel the pineapple and make sure you get all the eyes out. Keep the leaves for garnish. Core and cut into 1cm slices and then cut into quarters.
- Put the Demerara sugar and the Madeira in a pan over a gentle heat to dissolve the sugar. Poach the pineapple pieces in the syrup until soft – about 10-15 minutes. Cool.
- Arrange the fruit in the base of the pastry case and pour the syrup over the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Cool.
Tips
If you are using it, whip the cream until it holds its own shape and spread over the top, piling it up for centre height.
Garnish with pineapple leaves in the centre of the tart.
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Seville Orange Tart
Ingredients
1 25cm pastry case, made with 1 quantity sweet lemon pastry and baked blind, Zest and juice of 2 oranges Seville if in season, 60g caster sugar, 60g cake crumbs, 30g butter diced, 150ml milk, 2 eggs separated
Method
- Heat the oven to GM4/180’C/350’F.
- Mix the orange zest with the sugar until it turns yellowy orange in colour. Add the cake crumbs and the butter. Warm the milk and pour over the mixture until the butter has melted.
- Stir the egg yolks and the orange juice into the filling. Whisk the egg whites until they are at the soft peak stage and fold in.
- Spoon into the pastry case and bake in the oven for 30 minutes until set and golden.
- Serve warm or cold with cream.
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Leek Flammish Pie with Cheese Pastry
Ingredients
1 25cm pastry case, baked blind, made with 250g cheese pastry, 250g leeks sliced into 1 cm rounds and well washed (prepared weight), 3 red apples cored and each cut into 12 wedges, 2 tbsp sunflower oil, 3 eggs, 150ml double cream, 2 tbsp fresh chopped chives, Salt and pepper
- Heat the oven to GM4/180’C/350’F.
- Heat the oil and cook the leeks until soft.
- Beat together the eggs, cream and chives. Season well.
- Put the leeks into the pastry case and arrange the apples on the top.
- Pour over the egg mixture.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until set and golden
- Serve hot or cold.
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Spinach, Apple and Goat’s Cheese Pie with Nutmeg Pastry
Ingredients
1 25cm pastry case, baked blind, made with 250g nutmeg pastry
450g spinach trimmed and well washed, 2 bunches spring onions trimmed and finely sliced, 40g butter, 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley, 1 tbsp fresh chopped marjoram, 180g soft goat’s cheese, 3 eggs, 150ml double cream, 2 coxes apples, cored and cut into thin segments, Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to GM4/180’C/350’F.
- Dry the spinach well and cook in the butter until wilted. Squeeze out any excess liquid – it must be really dry.
- In a food processor, whizz together the eggs, cream, cheese, herbs and season well.
- Mix this mixture into the spinach and stir in the spring onions. Arrange the apples on the base of the pastry case and pour the cheese mixture on top.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until set and golden.
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Pumpkin, Leek and Cheese Tart with Chive Pastry
Tip: Try using perfection, butternut, acorn or gem squash instead of pumpkin.
Ingredients
1 25cm pastry case baked blind made with 250g chive pastry, 150g leeks sliced into 1 cm rounds and well washed (prepared weight), 150g cooked pumpkin mashed smooth, 120g good local cheese grated, 3 eggs, 150ml double cream, 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to GM4/180’C/350’F.
- Cook the leeks until soft in the oil.
- Mix the eggs with the cream and the parsley and season well.
- Stir in the leeks the cheese and the pumpkin.
- Pour into the pastry case and bake for 25-30 minutes until set and golden.
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Tomato Tart with Oatmeal Pastry
Note: For oatmeal pastry, use half plain flour and half fine oatmeal.
Ingredients
1 25cm pastry case baked blind, made with 250g oatmeal pastry, 4 large tomatoes skinned, quartered and deseeded, 3 eggs, 150ml double cream, 2 tbsp chopped fresh mixed herbs e.g. parsley, chives, basil, tarragon, thyme, Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to GM4/180’C/350’F.
- Mix together the cream, eggs and herbs and season well.
- Cut the skinned tomato quarters into long pieces and arrange in the base of the pastry case.
- Pour over the egg mixture and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until firm and golden.
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Raised Gooseberry Pie
Tip: This pie is made with a hot water crust. You can use this recipe to make raised game pies – but leave out the icing sugar.
Ingredients
450g plain flour, Pinch of salt, 30g icing sugar, 200ml water, 180g white fat e.g. Flora, 450g-675g gooseberries topped and tailed, 2 tbsp fresh chopped sweet cicely, 1 tsp fresh chopped mint, 150ml good apple jelly
Method
- Heat the oven to GM6/200’C/400’F.
- Sift together the flour, salt and icing sugar.
- Melt the fat in the water by heating gently. Bring to the boil and pour into the flour. Stir until all the flour is incorporated. Knead briefly into a ball and cover with clingfilm until cool enough to roll out.
- Roll out 2/3 of the dough into a round 1 cm thick. Shape around a floured mould e.g. a large jar. Leave for 5 minutes until set and then ease the dough away from the mould. Make sure there are no holes in it.
- Mix the gooseberries with the sugar and sweet cicely and the jelly and pour into the dough. If you don’t have sweet cicely, add a little more sugar.
- Roll out the rest of the dough to make and lid and fix to the base with a little water. Trim neatly and put an air hole in the top. Put on a baking sheet.
- Glaze and bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden, crisp and cooked through.
- Serve hot or cold.
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