Pies and Tarts

Sarah used her pocket money to buy the latest Martha Stewart book, Pies and Tarts. She has the Cookies and Cupcakes books in her library and they are well used and offer plenty of baking inspiration. She was really pleased that the book arrived this week – just in time for the school holiday period which starts today.

Martha Stewart’s Pies and Tarts is 352 pages and has loads of recipes that are divided into: Classic, Free-Form, Sleek, Dreamy, Rustic, Layered, Dainty, Artful, Holiday, and Savoury. There really is a pie for every occasion. It also includes a section on pastry recipes and techniques.

We highly recommend the Pies and Tarts Book for the range of Pies – both sweet and savoury. Some of our favourites are the Nectarine and Raspberry Tart, Crème Brulee Tarts, and the Coconut Cream Pie. Many of the savoury pies and quiches also look delicious for a family meal. It is currently available from the Book Depository for AUD $22.50 (including free shipping).

Sarah was anxious to try out a recipe and whipped up her version of the Chocolate Almond Tart with Fleur de Sel for dessert last night. It is one of the free form recipes and I was surprised that the preparation took her less than 10 minutes. It was a delicious sweet treat on a cold wintry night. Of course, Sarah always likes to put her own spin on recipes and made a number of changes.

Ingredients:
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
60 g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
castor sugar, for sprinkling
Home-made Caramel sauce
Sea salt for sprinkling
2 tablespoons macadamias coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 220 degree C. Layer pastry on baking paper and fold in each edge to form a 2.5 cm (1 inch) border. Pierce base with a fork. Brush edges with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. Refrigerate until firm.

Bake until pastry is golden brown about 15-20 minutes. Press the middle of the shell down, leaving the outside border puffy. Cover centre evenly with a layer of caramel sauce. Cover with chopped chocolate and a sprinkling of sea salt. Return to the oven until the chocolate melts.(approx 2 minutes). Sprinkle with macadamia’s and cut into 4 squares. Delicious with vanilla ice-cream.

We have a family party tomorrow and Sarah and I will be taking some Pies/Tarts for dessert. We just have to decide which ones to make. Tune into our Weekend Baking on Sunday to see the results!