These traditional English tarts are made from puff pastry filled with almond-flavoured curd cheese and are quick to prepare.
It is believed that Henry VIII, King of England from 1509-1547, came across Anne Boleyn and her Maids of Honour (the young ladies who attended the Queen), eating the tarts from a silver dish. Tasting one for himself, the King was so delighted by its ‘melt-in-the-mouth’ sensation that he confiscated the recipe and demanded it be kept secret in a locked iron box at Richmond Palace.
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
Yield: 24-36 pies
Make the Pâte Sucrée.
Filling
50g/1¾oz butter, softened
50g/1¾oz caster sugar
1 free-range egg, beaten
1 tbsp plain flour
50g/1¾oz ground almonds
½ tsp grated nutmeg or ground mace or nutmeg
2 lemons, zest only
100g/3½oz curd cheese
Powdered/Icing sugar, for dusting
You will need a muffin baking pan, preferably nonstick.
A round pastry cutter.
Tips
Work fast with the dough – keep it cold.
STEP 1
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
Roll the pastry out to approximately 3mm, then stamp out twelve 9cm/3½in rounds and use to line a 12-hole non-stick patty tin. Place the tray of pastry discs in the fridge while you make the filling.
STEP 2
Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg, flour, ground almonds, nutmeg (or ground mace) and lemon zest. Stir in the curd cheese, being careful not to overwork the mixture as it can split.
Spoon the mixture into the tart cases and bake for 25 minutes, or until risen and lightly browned on top. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely before serving.
Dust with powdered/icing sugar.