Custard Tart and Decorating with Toffee

In 2009, David Herbert released 'The Really Useful Cookbook' as a follow up to 'Complete Perfect Recipes. It costs almost twice as much as his first book, contains a number of drool-worth colour photos encased in a hard cover. It is worth it? I can't say I have used it as much as 'Complete Perfect Recipes' but if you are a fan of David Herbert's non fuss food, it's a must.

My dear friend Mellie and her lovely fiancee Aaron are back in Brisbane for Christmas. So when Mel text me today to see if I had time to hang out, I just jumped at the chance and said I would bake a Custard Tart. Slightly selfish on my part as I love Custard Tarts and wanted to try out my brand new tart tin.

I've only made mini tarts from this David Herbert's Custard Tart recipe so I was keen to try out a 25cm tart. Here is a photo of the filled blind baked shell.

2 large eggs, 3 egg large egg yolks, 100g caster sugar beaten until thick. Combine with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of brandy. Heat 500ml of cream until small bubbles appear around the edge of the saucepan and pour into the egg mixture.

Because I was expecting guests I decided to present the tart with some toffee. I placed 250g of caster sugar and a tablespoon of water in a saucepan, stirred until all the sugar was dissolved and then left the mixture to become golden. Once it was golden I then grabbed a spoon and drizzled the mixture on oiled paper to create gorgeous webbing. Here is result, served with vanilla ice cream. Mmmm.

P.S. To clean your toffee coated saucepan, add some cold water to the pan and pop it back onto the stove to dissolve. So easy!

Shortbread: Biscuits wrapped in Lies

One of the first cook books I ever purchased was David Herbert's Complete Perfect Recipes. This cook book is indeed what the title proclaims it to be, 250 simple, solid recipes that work, enclosed in a small, no fuss, square, soft cover publication with black and white photography. I've made a number of recipes from this book including his Shortbread recipe.

For the majority of my life, I have believed that Shortbread are buttery biscuits wrapped in lies. It isn't bread, it's a delicious biscuit. Why would the Scottish People lie to us? So after a little research I discovered Shortbread originated from a medieval biscuit bread which was a twice baked bread roll, rolled in sugar and spices. I'm gathering it was as unappetising as it sounds as the yeast was eventually replaced with butter, resulting in the lovely buttery biscuits we know and love today. Let us now embark on a visual field trip into the world of Shortbread.

250g of butter combined with 1/2 cup caster sugar, 2 cups plain flour and 1/2 cup of rice flour.

After resting the dough for 20 minutes, I rolled it out on a floured bench, cut out my shapes and gently placed them on a lightly oiled baking tray.

Three trays in a preheated oven set at 150°C for 15-20 minutes.



The result? Delicious buttery Shortbread. Still wrapped in lies, but ignore this issue. I suggest you make your own and enjoy.

'When I Get Home' - Matt Moran

Super star chefs are today's celebrities and Matt Moran is no different with two restaurants, a string of media engagements and two published cook books. Following the super star chef mould Moran's first cook book was a compilation of his signature dishes and largely unusable for the average home cook. However his second foray into the world of cook books is far more user friendly and comes beautifully presented with a die cut hard cover and tactile spine. 209 pages of modern Australian cuisine which includes recipes such as Haloumi with Watermelon and Mint and Smoked Trout and Asparagus Tart. I've recently made this tart twice and it is just outstanding. It's delicious, presents well but a word of warning ... do not try unless you have a spring form tart pan. It's a must have piece of equipment.

Smoked Trout and Asparagus Tart
Serves six.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• 3 eggs
• 300ml cream
• 100ml milk
• 1/4 bunch dill, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 300g piece hot-smoked rainbow trout
• 50g parmesan (preferably reggiano)

Shortcrust pastry

• 250g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• pinch caster sugar
• 160g butter, slightly softened
• 1 egg
• 20ml milk

Method:

To prepare the shortcrust pastry, rub the flour, salt and sugar with the butter until you form a crumb consistency. Mix in the egg and milk and knead gently two or three times. Wrap the pastry in plastic film and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Remove from the fridge and allow the pastry to come back to room temperature before rolling.

Roll out the pastry to a thickness of about 5 mm and line a 25cm tart tin. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork, several times, then return to the fridge for about an hour to rest.

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Cut out a round piece of baking paper about 5cm larger in diameter than the tart tin. Line the pastry case with the paper and weigh down with some dried beans or rice. Bake for about 12 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes. Brush the inside of the tart case with some beaten egg and return to the oven for 2 minutes (this will prevent the pastry from becoming soggy). Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Slice each asparagus spear into three pieces. Blanch in boiling salted water for 10-20 seconds, then drain and cool in iced water. When the asparagus is cold, drain off the water.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, cream, milk, dill, salt and pepper. Remove the skin from the trout and carefully flake the flesh, taking care to remove any bones you find in the process. Scatter the trout and asparagus inside the cooled tart case, the pour on the custard. Finely grate some parmesan over the top and bake for 15 minutes or until the custard is set. Allow the tart to cool for 15 minutes, then remove from the tin and cut into wedges to serve.

Source: 'When I Get Home' - Matt Moran.