1 tarte, 2 tartes, 3 tartes.......

Help! I can't stop making tartes and it is all Jeanne's doing. Nothing could have stopped me participating to Meeta's monthly mingle , hosted by Jeanne of Cook Sister! . It all started innocently with a chicken curry quiche.

Not being satisfied with my efforts and wanting to do my best for Jeanne's excellent read of a blog. I went onto making a pear tarte on crème patissière.. I can't start describing the success that desert had. It disappeared before my eyes, gobbled up by people who all wanted:  "only a small piece, I am on a diet". Yeh right, that must be the popular 5 pieces diet.


The following day, as I was invited to a 90th birthday party, I thought what could be best but to make another couple of tartes. If fact by then, I didn't want to admit it but I was thoroughly hooked, nothing could stop me. It is then that  I realised that you could not take the topless tarte out of a French person. 

I baked a tarte aux raisins and


a tarte aux pommes



and when I got to the party, the first thing I did was to dash to the kitchen to see if there wasn't a tarte or two to inspire me, thanks goodness for this spinach and cherry tomato guiche. I never thought I would say that "I think I need therapy otherwise I am afraid to be baking toplesses every single day

So if you are not worried about getting the topless tart addiction here is the recipe for the grape tart can be adapted for pear tart ....or strawberries..endless possibilities.
                                                                     Grape Tart
Ingredients
250 g sweet shortcrust pastry  (sorry I used the ready made kind)
For Creme Patissiere:

290 mls milk
2 egg yolks
55g caster sugar
20 g plain flour
20g corn flour
Vanilla extract (optional)


For topping:
650 gr of grape seed (not the stalk)60 mls water

Method
Preheat oven to 180 C.
  1. Roll out the pastry into a rectangle to line a 35 cm X 13 cm fluted side tart tin.
  2. Bake the pastry blind (i.e. line with baking paper and weights to avoid the pastry rising). Bake until cooked. Remove the paper and weights and return to the oven to bake the uncovered base for another few minutes.
  3. Cool on a cooling rack.
For the Creme Patissiere
  1. Scald milk by bringing to just below boiling point.
  2. Cream egg yolks with sugar and a little milk and when pale, mix in the flours. Pour the scalded milk on to the egg yolk mix and mix well.
  3. Return the mix to the saucepan and bring to the boil slowly, stirring continuously.
  4. Allow to cool slightly and stir in the vanilla extract.
  5. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate until cold.
  6. Place the mixture into a food processor and whiz until smooth. Turn into a bowl.
  7. To assemble the tart, spoon the creme patissiere into the tart filling to the edge of the pastry. Smooth with the back of the spoon until even.
  8. Carefully arrange the grapes
  9. Chill in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before serving.

2 comments:

Jeanne @ CookSister! said...

Wow - you're just a topless tart fiend this month :)) Love all of them - but I think I have a special fondness for the first one (must be my adopted Englishness showing through hahaha!) Thanks for mingling!

Sally - My Custard Pie said...

Custard tarts are my absolute favourite (no surprise there) so I really enjoyed reading through this abundance of recipes. The grape tart is really interesting.

si

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