Fruit Tart

A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. Modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with custard. Jam Tarts can be made by filling mini tarts with different flavour of jams.

Ingredients

Pastry 

2 cups maida

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup low-fat milk

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Filling

1/2 cup fresh cottage cheese (Without whey)

2 tbsp fresh cream

1/4 cup castor sugar (according to taste)

1/4 cup mango pieces

Topping

Cut fruits of your choice (kiwis, peaches, grapes, strawberries etc)

Method

Pastry

Whisk maida, baking powder & salt in a medium bowl.

Puree cottage cheese in a food processor. 

Add sugar, milk, oil & vanilla. Process until smooth. 

Add flour mixture & pulse 4 or 5 times, just until the dough clumps together. 

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface & gently knead several times; do not overwork. 

Take small portion & roll out, it should not be too thin.

Place in greased tart moulds or a pie dish & press lightly.

Prick with a fork.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes or until the tarts are golden in colour.

Remove, unmould and cool.

Cream Filling

Put the cottage cheese, cream, sugar & mango in a mixer & churn till everything is mixed. Keep refrigerated till needed.

How to Assemble 

Take the cool pastry & fill it with cream filling.

Arrange fruits of your choice over the filling.

You can again decorate it with cream filing or leave it just like that.

Refrigerate for 30 mins.

Serve cold.

Tips

* You can use sweetened whipped cream instead of cream filling.

* You can make any flavour of cream filling.

* When topping the fruits, always choose fruits that don't turn black after cutting or the tart won't look good.

* The recipe here is for sweet tarts & these should be filled with sweet fillings only. Use your imagination to fill these tarts.

* For making tarts in a different way, you can also refer to my earlier recipe of Fruit Custard Tarts.

Mini Berry Pies

A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. These can be a variety of sizes, ranging from bite-size to ones designed for multiple servings. Here I'm giving the recipe of berry pie that I turned into mini pies, but you can make them as regular size pies too. Ingredients (makes about 12) For Crust 1 cup + 2 tbsp maida, plus more for dusting 4 tbsp powder sugar Pinch of Salt 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2 to 3 tbsp cold water For Filling 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tbsp cornstarch 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest 2 cups blueberries/strawberries Pinch of cinnamon powder Method For Crust Preheat oven at 200 C. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar & salt. Cut in the Butter & mix using two knives. Now rub with hands n the mixture should be like bread crumbs. Add the water and gently bring the dough together. Refrigerate the dough & prepare the filling. For Filling Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest, and a pinch of cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add berries; toss to coat. Keep aside. How to proceed Grease the tart pans with butter & keep aside. Turn dough onto floured board & split it in half. Roll each half to a thin sheet & place your mini tart pans on the dough. Cut around with 1" to spare. Gently press the dough into the tart pan. Now if you want to make pies like shown in picture then you can cut the edges. But if you want to cover it & make it a closed pie then don't trim the edges. Fill the crust with filling, leaving little space so it doesn't ooze out when baking. Now either cut strips from dough and place on top like shown or make another round & place on top to cover completely, securing at the edges. If covering completely then remember to make slits for steam to escape. Bake until crusts are brown & filling is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly in tins. Run a knife around tarts; remove from tins. Let cool completely on rack. Warm these up a bit before serving. Tips * Do not roll out the dough too thin or after baking your pie crust can break while un-moulding. * Un-mould after the pies cool down or the crust might crumble. * Always cut the dough slightly bigger then the mould. * If covering the pie completely then remember to make slits for steam to escape. * Do not fill the tarts till top if you don't want to clean the burnt pans after baking. * Use same recipe to make bigger pies. * You can use muffin tray instead of tart cases to make mini pies.

Chocolate Tarts

Christmas is here & here is a simple recipe that you can either send across as gifts or enjoy yourself ;)

Ingredients

For the tarts

2 tsp low fat butter

1 tbsp castor sugar

3/4 cup plain flour (maida)

pinch of baking powder

1 tbsp custard powder

For Chocolate Filling

1/2 tsp butter

1 tbsp heavy cream

4 tbsp chopped dark chocolate

Method

For the tarts

Sieve together the flour and baking powder.

Cream the low fat butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon till light and fluffy.

Add the flour and custard powder in 2 batches and mix lightly to form a dough.

Knead the dough on a light dusted surface until smooth.

Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.

Press each portion into greased tart moulds (approx. 25 mm. (1") diameter).

Prick with a fork.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes or until the tarts are golden in colour.

Remove, unmould and cool. Store in an air-tight container.

For Chocolate Filling

Pour the heavy cream into a small saucepan.

Heat the cream over medium-high heat, & bring it just to a boil.

Pour the hot cream over the chopped dark chocolate. Add butter.

Gently whisk the mixture together until it is smooth & shiny.

How To Proceed

Take tarts & fill them with chocolate filling.

Sprinkle some colorful sprinklers & refrigerate.

Serve at room temperature.

Tips

You can make tarts in advance & store in airtight containers.

You can fill them with whatever filling you like, just use your imagination :)

Fruit Custard Tarts

Yummy !!

Ingredients

For the tarts
2 tsp low fat butter
1 tbsp castor sugar
3/4 cup plain flour (maida)
pinch of baking powder
1 tbsp custard powder

For the low fat custard
1 cup low fat milk
1 tbsp custard powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Other ingredients
1/2 tsp oil for greasing
plain flour (maida) for dusting

For the garnish
Slices of fruits (I used Grapes & Strawberries)

Method

For the tarts

Sieve together the flour and baking powder.

Cream the low fat butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon till light and fluffy.

Add the flour and custard powder in 2 batches and mix lightly to form a dough.

Knead the dough on a light dusted surface until smooth.

Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.

Press each portion into greased tart moulds (approx. 25 mm. (1") diameter).

Prick with a fork.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 15 minutes or until the tarts are golden in colour.

Remove, unmould and cool. Store in an air-tight container.

For the custard
Mix the custard powder in ¼ cup milk and keep aside.

Heat the remaining milk with the sugar and mix well.

Add the custard powder mixture and vanilla essence and cook over a low flame, stirring continuously till the mixture coats the back of the spoon.

Cool and keep aside.

How to proceed
Fill the tarts with the custard, and refrigerate until the custard is set.

Serve garnished with slices of kiwi, strawberry and orange segments.

Tips:

Set the custard in tarts 2 hours before you want to serve, keeping them filled longer will turn them soggy.

Orange Marmalade & Apple Tarts

I bet you cant stop eating these :)
Ingredients (makes 8 to 12 tarts)

For the Tarts
2 tsp low fat butter
1 tbsp castor sugar
3/4 cup plain flour (maida)
pinch of baking powder
1 tbsp custard powder

 

For the filling
350 gms cooking apples
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp orange marmalade

Other ingredients
1 tbsp biscuit crumbs

Method

For the Tarts

Sieve together the flour and baking powder.

Cream the low fat butter and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon till light and fluffy.

Add the flour and custard powder in 2 batches and mix lightly to form a dough.

Knead the dough on a light dusted surface until smooth.

Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.

Press each portion into greased tart moulds (approx. 25 mm. (1") diameter).

Prick with a fork.

For the filling
Peel and core the apples. Slice thinly into a bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice.

Add the sugar and marmalade.

How to proceed

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C (400 degree F).

Put biscuit crumbs in each tart.

Spread the apple filling over it.

Roll out the left over dough into a thin sheet and cut into strips.

Cover with lattice strips (criss cross) of pastry.

Bake for 30 minutes till golden in colour.

Serve hot or cold with cream/custard/Jam or just like that :)

Tips:  

This makes about 8 to 12 Tarts, depending on the size of mould.

You can make a single Tart using pie dish and then cut the slices.