Baked Goat's Curd & Lemon Tartlets

When I am stressed, I like to bake or look for new recipes. Lately, work has been very busy and a tad stressful so I have spent a bit of time browsing the recipe archives at Gourmet Traveler.

This recipe was found on one such morning. The recipe is from Gourmet Traveler's Fare Exchange column, where readers can request the recipe of a fantastic meal they have enjoyed in a restaurant.

I love a lemon tart. The addition of goats curd initially sounded intriguing, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised the two foods would work very well together.

These tarts were yummy. The goats curd makes the filling velvety soft. Next time, I will probably use the rind from two lemons, not one, because the lemon flavour was pretty subtle.

The recipe says it makes 8 x 9cm tart tins but I made 6 x 7.5cm tarts and 6 x 9cm tarts. I also had enough pastry (but not filling) to line 4 x 11cm tins.

I served the tarts with some homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Yummy!

Baked Goat's Curd & Lemon Tartlets (with very slight adjustments)

From Gourmet Traveler but originally from a cafe at Port Willunga called Star of Greece. Chef: Jonathan Kemble.

Tart filling

180 gm goat's curd (I bought some at James St Markets. I think it was from the Yarra Valley Dairy)

100ml pouring cream

2 eggs

55gm caster sugar

1 lemon, finely grated rind and juice only

Shortcrust Pastry

75 gm caster sugar

300 gm plain flour

150 gm unsalted butter, coarsely chopped

125 ml pouring cream

For the pastry, combine sugar and flour in a bowl and rub in the butter until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add the cream and mix until combined. Give it a couple of kneads to bring it together, wrap in glad wrap and refrigerate for 30 mins or until cold.

I like to then roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking paper, line my greased tart tins with the pastry and put the pastry lined tin in the freezer until frozen. I find it helps to prevent shrinkage when you blind bake the pastry.

When you are ready to make the tarts, preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Blind bake the pastry. Straight from the freezer is best. First for 15 minute with paper and weights (although I skipped this step) and then about 10 minutes until golden. The original recipe then says seal the cooked pastry case by brushing with egg yolk and putting back in the oven for a minute, but I didn't do this and my tarts were fine.

Reduce oven temperature to 160 degrees. Combine goat's curd, cream, eggs, sugar and lemon rind and juice in a jug. Pour into the prepared tart shells. (I fill my shells in the oven to avoid spillage. But I'm very clumsy.)

Bake for 18 minutes or until set. Serve the tarts at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar.

Strawberry Cloud Cake

This cake has turned into my new 'go to' easy dessert. It's very simple to whip up and super yummy. It tastes like a light ice cream. Gorgeous!

I think this recipe is from a TV show called the Free Range Cook.

As far as desserts go, I don't think it's that bad for you. The cake is basically a frozen strawberry meringue made from sugar, egg whites and a punnet of strawberries. I reckon a 23cm springform tin easily yields 12 generous slices and I think each slice has about 215 calories. Not too bad.

I love this cake. I love it so much that when I first discovered the recipe I made a whole cake just for my greedy self and then ate it over a couple of weeks (the cake stores quite well in an air tight container in the freezer).

Strawberry Cloud Cake

For the base

150 gm plain biscuits, crushed to a fine powder (I have used Marie, Granita and Rich Tea and each have worked fine)

1/2 cup coconut (dessicated or flaked is fine)

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp caster sugar

100 gm butter, melted

For the filling

2 egg whites

1 cup caster sugar

250 gm punnet of strawberries

1tbs lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla essence

Combine all the ingredients for the base in a bowl. The mixture should resemble wet sand. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 23cm lined springform pan. Pop the pan in the fridge while you make the filling.

To make the filling, place all ingredients for the filling in the bowl of a mixmaster. Beat on high for about 5 - 10 minutes. The mixture will become lovely and thick and glossy (like a meringue).

Pour the filling over the biscuit base and cover with gladwrap (I like to pop a rubber band around the gladwrap to make it air tight). Pop the tin in the freezer overnight.

That's it! To serve, remove the tin, place the cake on a plate and prepare to swoon. Yum!

(I usually serve this on its own but I have served this with fresh strawberries adorning the top. I have also made an easy strawberry coulis with fresh strawberries and icing sugar and drizzled that over the top of the cake.)

Raspberry & Almond Frangipane Tart

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson's How to Eat. How to Eat is probably my favourite cook book. There are no pictures and I like to read it like a novel. It lives on my bedside table.

This tart is actually a Bakewell Tart. However, I tend to find people much prefer the Frangipane Tart name. In fact, I have had people refuse to eat Bakewell Tart, but when I call it Frangipane Tart, they gobble it. Silly!

A lot of Australians have never heard of Bakewell Tart. I never had and thought the name sounded rather stupid (a tart that bakes well?!). I subsequently found out Bakewell Tart is named after a town in Derbyshire, England. The legend is that an inexperienced servant to one Mrs Greaves of the White Horse Inn, stuffed up a jam tart and put the jam at the bottom of the tart instead of as a topping.

This dessert is very delicious, very popular and very easy. I also like it because I always have the ingredients in my cupboard/freezer. I have made it countless times. Sometimes, when I can't be bothered or don't have much time, I use frozen pastry (Careme is my brand of choice). Still tastes great, but I find the almond pastry lifts it that little bit more. I like it with some double cream.

Bakewell Tart / Raspberry & Almond Frangipane Tart (from Nigella Lawson's How to Eat)

For the almond pastry:

175 g flour

30 gm almond meal

65 gm icing sugar

130 gm butter, diced

one egg yolk

Sift the flour, a pinch of salt, the ground almonds and sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the diced butter and either use the dough hooks of your mixer or use a round bladed knife to cut the mixture (if preparing by hand).

When the butter is reduced to flakes, use your fingertips to rub the pastry. When the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, stir in the egg yolk. You may need to add a drop or two of cold water if the mixture is still crumbly. Form the pastry into a fat disc and pop in glad wrap or foil and pop in the fridge for 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, roll out the pastry and line a 26cm round greased tart tin. I roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper to stop it sticking to the bench. Pop the lined tin back in the fridge while you make the filling.

(I realise that the pastry sounds rather fiddly but I reckon the whole process takes about 10 - 15 minutes)

For the filling:

125 g butter, softened

125 g caster sugar

3 eggs

3 tablespoons raspberry jam

300g raspberries (I usually use frozen)

125 g almond meal

15 g flaked almonds

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Melt the butter. Beat the melted butter, sugar and eggs together in your mixer. The mixture gets very glossy and thick (a little like meringue, but not as stiff). While the mixer is on, spread the jam on the base of the pastry case and cover with the raspberries.

Add the almond meal to the now voluminous egg mixture (just a quick stir to ensure it is distributed through the egg). Don't beat the almond in - you don't want to lose any of the lovely volume.

Pour the almond and egg mixture on the frozen raspberries. Sprinkle with flaked almonds.

Bake in a 200 degree oven for around 35 - 45 minutes or until the tart is golden and swollen.

I sometimes find the tart browns quite quickly. If I am worried the tart will burn I put a wooden chopping board on the wire shelf above to stop the heat directly hitting the top of the tart.

Serve warm.