Traditional Neenish Tarts Recipes

NEENISH TART

Steps:

• Add the flour, butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and. Mix until forming a moist, sandy texture.
• Add the egg yolk and mix until everything is well combined. Finally, add the ice water (½ tablespoon at a time) and pulse between each addition of water until the dough begins to come together.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead very quickly until obtaining a smooth consistency (not long).
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
• Spread the dough out about ⅛ inch thick and use a round cookie cutter (about 3 to 4 inches) to cut circles of dough.
• Place each circle in an individual tart pan (greased and floured).
• Place the tartlet pans for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 390F / 200C.
• Prick the dough of each tartlet with a fork, and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes until the dough begins to turn golden.
• Then transfer the tarts to a cooling rack until completely cooled.
• Add the boiling water into a small bowl and add the gelatin. Mix and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Add the sugar and milk into a small saucepan and heat over very low heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir the gelatin, then add it into the hot milk and stir until completely dissolved.
• Allow the milk mixture to cool to room temperature before continuing.
• Beat the butter and vanilla until they are light and creamy. Slowly add the milk mixture, constantly beating.
• Add a layer of raspberry jam into the cooked and cooled tartlets.
• Using a small spatula, spread the cream over the raspberry jam and scrape with the spatula so that the cream is straight and even.
• Mix the sifted icing sugar and the milk until obtaining a smooth spread (add a little water or milk if necessary).
• Transfer half to a separate bowl and add the cocoa, then mix well.
• In the other half, add a small amount of pink food coloring and mix.
• Using a small offset icing spatula, spread the pink icing over half of each tart and let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature.
• Repeat with the chocolate icing on the other half of the tartlets.

NEENISH TARTS

Steps:

• Process flour, icing sugar and butter until crumbly. With motor operating, add egg yolk and enough of the water to make ingredients come together. Turn dough onto floured surface, knead gently until smooth. Wrap pastry in plastic, refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Grease two 12-hole (2-tablespoon/40ml) deep flatbased patty pans. Roll out half the pastry between sheets of baking paper until 3mm (¹/8 inch) thick. Cut out 12 x 7.5cm (3-inch) rounds, press rounds into holes of one pan. Prick bases of cases well with a fork. Repeat with remaining pastry. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan forced).
• Bake cases about 12 minutes. Stand cases 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool.
• Meanwhile, make MOCK CREAM. Stir sugar, milk and ¼ cup of the water in small saucepan over low heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Sprinkle gelatine over remaining water in small jug, stand 5 minutes then stir into milk mixture until gelatine dissolves. Cool to room temperature. Beat butter and extract in small bowl with electric mixer until as white as possible. With motor operating, gradually beat in cold milk mixture, beat until light and fluffy.
• GLACÉ ICING Sift icing sugar into medium bowl, stir in butter and enough of the milk to make a thick paste. Divide icing between two small heatproof bowls, tint icing in one bowl with pink colouring. Stir sifted cocoa into other bowl of icing until combined. Stir each bowl over small saucepan of simmering water until icing is spreadable.
• Divide jam between pastry cases, fill cases with mock cream, level tops with spatula. Spread pink icing over half of each tart; cover remaining half with the chocolate icing.

MARTHA'S FAVORITE TARTE TATIN

Steps:

• Halve and core apples. Set aside one half. Quarter remaining apples and transfer to a large bowl. Squeeze lemon over apple slices and set aside.
• Combine sugar and water in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat; immediately reduce heat to medium and cook until mixture begins to thicken and turn amber. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
• Place reserved apples in center of skillet. Decoratively arrange remaining apple slices, cut side up, in skillet around reserved apples. Continue layering slices until level with top of skillet. Cut any remaining apples into thick slices to fill in gaps. If fruit does not completely fill pan, tart will collapse when inverted.
• Place skillet over low heat and cook until syrup thickens and is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Do not let syrup burn. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• Roll out pate brisee to a 10- to 11-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick; transfer to a baking sheet and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Place pate brisee over apples and tuck edges. Transfer skillet to prepared baking sheet; transfer baking sheet to oven and bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool 15 to 20 minutes. Loosen pastry from skillet using a sharp knife. Place a rimmed platter over skillet; quickly and carefully invert. Serve immediately.