These have been a massive success at school and I can’t believe how stunning they’ve all looked. It’s a great way to get the kids eating vegetables as lots of colours look pretty to put inside and when the tarts come out the oven they smell so good you can’t resist eating them up before remembering all of those healthy vegetables in there. Now, if you’re in a rush, like we were at school, this recipe can work just as well by lining the tart cases with pastry and filling them before blind baking – just bake the tarts at 200C for 15-20 minutes in the middle of the oven – move them down a shelf if they’re getting too brown. We use loose bottom tart cases, so to get the tarts out of their cases, place the cases on top of a tall thin object such as a drinking glass and lower the sides, then use a palette knife to lift them off the base – works like magic the kids said!
Ingredients
(Makes 4 x 10cm Round Tarts)
Shortcrust Pastry:
- 125g Plain Flour
- Pinch of Salt
- 70g Chilled Butter
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 2 Tbsp chilled water
Filling:
- Choice of Vegetables (tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, spinach, leeks, courgette, sweetcorn, spring onion, asparagus, etc)
- 30g Cheese, plus extra for topping
- 1 Egg
- 120ml Double Cream
- Salt and Pepper
Directions
- Start by making the pastry; sift the flour into a large bowl with the salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour. Use your hands to rub the butter and flour together until you get a breadcrumb like texture.
- Mix the egg yolk and water together in a small bowl. Add 1 Tbsp of the egg mix to the crumb. Use a cutlery knife to quickly and evenly distribute the liquid in the crumb. This will begin to create flakes of pastry – if the pastry seems dry or isn’t flaking, add another Tbsp of egg mix. Now use your hands to bring the pastry together. Knead the pastry a tiny bit to make sure the texture is even throughout.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to 3mm thickness. Line the tart shells with the pastry, making sure you press it firmly into the edges. Use a cutlery knife to cut the overhanging pastry off and neaten them up. Place in the fridge and chill until firm. Preheat the oven to 200ᵒC.
- Blind bake the tart shells with parchment paper and baking beans in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and baking beans and bake for a further 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the egg, cream and grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
- Reduce the temperature of the oven to 150ᵒC.
- Carefully fill the tarts half way with the filling. Place your choice of vegetables carefully into the tart. Fill the tarts up to the top with the remaining filling and sprinkle with a little cheese.
- Carefully place the tarts in the middle of the oven and cook for 15 minutes or until the filling has set and is slightly golden on top. Don’t forget to check that the pastry is cooked underneath as well!
