Caxton magazines staffLinda Lipschitz, owner of Belle’s Patisserie (bellespatisserie.co.za), shares her recipes for a fabulous high tea
INGREDIENTS
For the sweet pastry cases:
- 200g cake flour
- 60g castor sugar
- 120g butter, unsalted
- 1 egg yolk
- half an egg
For the pastry creme:
- 1 litre milk
- 200g castor sugar
- 30g butter
- 80g cornflour
- 5 eggs
To make the tartlets:
- 1 punnet strawberries, washed
- 60g smooth apricot jam, warmed
METHOD
1. To make the sweet pastry cases: place the flour, sugar and butter into a mixing bowl and using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture. Add the egg yolk and the half egg and mix everything together until combined. Wrap the pastry in clingwrap and chill for an hour.
2. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until about a half a centimetre thick and use it to line 4 x 8cm greased tartlet tins. Bake the pastry cases at 180°C for 12–15 minutes, until a nice golden colour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
3. To make the pastry crème: place 900ml of the milk in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil. Stir in 170g of the castor sugar and the butter.
4. Mix the balance of the sugar and milk, the cornflour and eggs together in a mixing bowl, until well combined. Pour 125ml of the hot milk mixture onto the cool egg mixture and mix well. Pour the egg mixture into the hot milk mixture in the saucepan and cook, stirring continuously until it thickens. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
5. To assemble the tartlets: pipe the pastry crème into the baked, cooled pastry cases. Trim the stalks off the strawberries and arrange on top of the pastry crème. Glaze the tartlets by brushing the strawberries with the warm apricot jam.
This recipe makes 4 tartlets.
