Tangy Feta and Spring Vegetable Tart

Recipe taken from the Lidl Easter brochure – April 2021.

Serves : 4; Preparation time : 15 mins Cook time : 40 mins

Ingredients :

125g feta
100g Greek-style yogurt
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
200g asparagus
200g radishes, halved
5 spring onions, cut into thirds
1 tbsp olive oil
100g frozen peas
80g pomegranate seeds
240g mixed salad leaves
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 180 C Fan / Gas Mark 6.
To make your creamy base even more flavourful, use feta for Tang and crush 100g of it in a bowl with a fork. Stir in the yogurt, garlic, lemon zest and half the juice, seasoning with plenty of black pepper.
Unroll the pastry and score a border 1 cm from the edges. Spread the feta mix over the pastry to cover up to the score line.
For the spring veg, use asparagus for earthiness and combine with crunch radishes and sweet spring onions. Toss together in a bowl with the olive oil and some seasoning, then scatter over the top of the tart. Transfer to a lined tray and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss the frozen peas in the leftover oil in the bowl and scatter them over the tart for the final 5 minutes of cooking time.
Bring an extra hit of fresh flavours before serving by crumbling over the remaining feta along with pomegranate seeds for fruitiness and a squeeze of lemon to add zing. Dress the salad leaves with another good squeeze of lemon and plenty of seasoning.

3 Ways to : power your pastries

Article from Lidl Easter brochure April 2021.

Add zing to spring brunches with these easy pastry twists, perfect for weekend feasting.

Crispy Bacon and Egg Slice

Makes : 6; Preparation time : 10 mins; Cook Time : 28 mins

Unroll a sheet of pastry (use puff for crispiness), cut into 6 even squares and arrange on a parchment lined baking tray. Stamp out the centre of each square with a 6.5cm ring cutter, replacing the circle back into the middle, and brush with beaten egg for colour.
Bake at 220 C / 200 C Fan / Gas Mark 7 for 10 minutes, then push the centres in a little and crack in 6 medium eggs for richness. Bake again, covered in foil, for 15 minutes.
Remove the golden pastries from the oven and garnish with a rasher of crispy bacon to bring smokiness.

Fruity Banoffee Bunnies

Makes : 12; Preparation time : 25 mins; Cook Time : 35 mins

Using 2 sheets puff pastry for crispiness, trim each into a 25cm square. Spread one with a generous layer of banoffee sauce for richness (leaving a border) and top with the other sheet. Seal along the border and slice into 12 even strips.
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 160 C Fan / Gas Mark 4. Fold the strips into a U-shape, then twist twice. Brush with beaten egg for colour and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Once cool, dot with banoffee sauce and garnish with banana for fruitiness and broken waffle for whiskers.

Crunchy Lucky Dip Croissants

Makes : 6; Preparation time : 20 mins; Cook Time : 5 mins

Slice open 6 croissants. Fill 2 with a generous layer of almond butter for richness. Melt 70g milk chocolate or drizzle over, topping with a handful of chopped pistachios and hazelnuts for crunch.
Fill another 2 croissants with strawberry jam, blueberries and raspberries for fruitiness. Top with 1 tbsp natural yogurt mixed with 70g melted white chocolate and decorate with flaked almonds.
Fill the last 2 croissants with chocolate orange spread for sweetness and zingy satsuma segments. Warm through and loosen extra spread to drizzle on top, garnishing with another segment.

Lemon Posset Tart

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (May 2020) and taken from Life Kitchen by Ryan Riley.

Creating a dessert with real impact, the Life Kitchen way, requires a high ratio of tang to sweetness. Pomegranate has been added in this recipe to increase tartness, with lemons adding an intense lift. For individual possets, pour the filling into glasses or ramekins.

Serves : 6-8

Ingredients :
500ml double cream
200g golden caster sugar
2 limes, zest and juice
2 lemons, zest and juice
Small handful of raspberries
Small handful of pomegranate seeds
1 shop-bought 23cm pastry case
Pomegranate molasses or Raspberry & Rose Syrup (see recipe), to serve (optional)

Method:

Place a large saucepan on a medium heat and add the cream sugar and zest and juice of both citrus fruits.
Stir gently for about 2-3 minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Then, bring the mixture to a gentle boil for 3-5 minutes, until thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Sprinkle most of the raspberries and pomegranate seeds evenly across the tart base and pour over the citrus cream mixture.
Put the tart in the fridge to set for 3-4 hours. When set, sprinkle over the remaining pomegranate seeds and raspberries, then drizzle over some pomegranate molasses or Raspberry & Rose Syrup, if you like.

For the Raspberry & Rose Syrup

Ingredients (Makes 200ml) :
200g raspberries
1/2 – 1 tsp rose water, to taste
2 tblsp maple syrup
1/2 lemon, zest and juice

Method :

Place a saucepan on a medium heat and add all the ingredients. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, until the raspberries break down slightly.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool. If you like your syrup smooth, strain the mixture through a sieve into a sterilised jar – but if you prefer it chunky, just store it as it is.

Everything stops for tea – Turkish Delight Profiteroles

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (October 2016) and taken from Twist: Creative Ideas to Reinvent Your Baking by Martha Collison.

These profiteroles are drizzled in a sticky, rose syrup and garnished with vibrant pistachio nuts – all coated in a light dusting of icing sugar. I like to include small pieces of real Turkish delight, too, for a contrasting texture, but the are not essential. People often say that they aren’t sure about rose as a flavouring but, when I ask if they like Turkish delight (which is rose-flavoured), the answer is almost always yes. It doesn’t have a soapy or overwhelming flavour; in fact, it is delicate and floral.

Use your own choux pastry recipe for these profiteroles and follow the recipe below for filling and decoration.

Makes about 30

Ingredients :
Choux pastry recipe

For the Filling :
200ml double cream
1 tsp rose water
2 tblsp icing sugar

For the Topping :
100g caster sugar
1 tsp rose water
75g pistachio nuts, chopped
Icing sugar and Turkish delight cubes, to serve (optional)

Step One : Preheat the oven as per your Choux pastry recipe. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.

Step Two : Make the pastry and spoon the mixture into a large piping bag. Snip off the tip and pipe about 30 small balls of the pastry on to the baking sheet, leaving space for them to spread out. Bake as per your recipe until they are risen and a dark golden brown colour. If they are too pale, they will become soft before they are filled with cream. Turn off the oven and leave the profiteroles inside to dry out and cool completely.

Step Three : To make the filling, whip the cream with the rose water and icing sugar until it forms soft peaks, then spoon into a piping bag. Pierce the bottom of each cooled profiterole with a skewer, snip the tip of the piping bag and fill each profiterole with the rose cream.

Step Four : Make the rose syrup by putting the caster sugar and rose water into a saucepan with 75ml of water and heating it gently. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil for around a minute so that the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Step Five : When you are ready to serve the profiteroles, pile them on to a large plate. Pour the rose syrup on top, then sprinkle over the pistachios and Turkish delight cubes (if using). Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

French-style Strawberry Tart

Recipe courtesy of Co-op Magazine

Serves : 4

Ready in 1 1/2 hours

Ingredients :
175g puff pastry

Filling :
3 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
40g plain flour
1 vanilla pod
300ml semi-skimmed milk
Zest of half a lime
1 tsp butter, melted

Topping :
450g strawberries, sliced
A few mint leaves, chopped
1 tblsp pine nuts, toasted

Step One : Heat oven to gas mark 6 / 200oC / Fan 180oC.

Step Two : Roll out pastry and cut out a 20cm round. Score edge with a knife and place on a baking tray and cook for 20 to 30 minutes in oven. Allow to cool.

Step Three : Meanwhile, beat egg yolks with sugar until pale and creamy. Stir in flour. Put vanilla pod and milk in a saucepan, bring to boil and then remove pod, beat milk into custard mix. Return to pan and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring all the time. Add zest and melted butter, cool. Spread on pastry base and top with strawberries.

Step Four : Scatter over mint and toasted pine nuts.

Courgette Tart

Serves : 4-6

Preparation Time : 25 mins

Cooking Time : 30 mins

Ingredients :
4 sheets of filo pastry
2 tblsp olive oil
3 courgettes, sliced
500g (1 lb) ricotta
4 eggs, beaten
3 tblsp basil leaves, shredded
Small grating of nutmeg
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
75g (2 1/2 oz) Parmesan, freshly grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Large handful of pine nuts

Step One : Heat the oven to 200oC / Gas Mark 6. Grease a large tart tin and line with 4 layers of filo pastry, brushing each sheet with a little oil and slightly overlapping the sheets. Transfer to the oven and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until just golden.

Step Two : Heat 1 tblsp olive oil in a frying pan and saute the courgettes for 5-7 minutes until golden around the edges, then set aside. In a bowl, beat the ricotta with the eggs, basil, nutmeg, chilli flakes, two thirds of the Parmesan and the garlic. Set aside.

Step Three : Spread the pastry with the ricotta mix. Press the courgette slices into the ricotta, then scatter over the pine nuts and the remaining Parmesan.

Step Four : Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is golden. Serve warm with a green salad.

Pistachio, Orange and Cardamom Tart

Recipe taken from Psychologies Magazine (May 2019) and published in Moorish: Vibrant recipes from the Mediterranean.

Use super green Iranian Pistachios for this, not only for their colour but also for their sweet flavour. The cardamom works beautifully alongside the zesty orange. Gran Torres is a brandy liqueur from Spain, great for giving desserts a kick!

Serves : 8-10

Ingredients :
220g plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
A pinch of salt
10 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground in a Pestle and Mortar
140g unsalted butter, diced
1 egg yolk
Goat’s milk yogurt, to serve

For the filling:
280g green pistachios (ideally Iranian)
180g blanched almonds
240g caster sugar
1/4 tsp freshly ground cardamom seeds (from pod)
125ml fresh orange juice
5 egg yolks
Grated zest of 1 orange
20ml Gran Torres orange liqueur or Grand Marnier

Step One : First, make the pastry. Put the flour, salt and ground cardamom seeds in a food processor and blitz. With the machine running, gradually add the butter and pulse for a few minutes more, until reduced to tiny lumps. Mix in the egg yolk. Tip the mixture into a bowl and knead together to make a dough. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour or so.

Step Two : Roll out the dough on a floured surface and use to line a 24cm round, loose-bottomed tart tin. Prick the pastry with a fork before placing it in the freezer to chill for an hour or so.

Step Three : Preheat the oven to 180oC / Gas Mark 4. Line the tart case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and has turned golden. Remove the paper and beans, then set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.

Step Four : For the filling, blitz the nuts, sugar and cardamom in a food processor until fine and smooth. With the machine running, slowly add the orange juice to form a paste. Add four of the egg yolks and the orange zest, and blitz again, then add the liqueur.

Step Five : Spread the filling in the tart case. Bake for 15 minutes or until the top has just set. Lightly beat the remaining egg yolk and brush over the surface. Bake for 10 minutes more or until glazed. Leave to cool for at least an hour before serving. Top each piece of tart with a dollop of creamy goat’s milk yogurt.

Minced Beef Pasties

Serves : 4 (makes 8 pasties)
Prep time : 12 mins
Cook time : 50 mins

Ingredients Filling:
1 tblsp vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
2 oz (50g) turnip, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 potato, peeled and finely diced
6oz (175g) lean minced beef
1oz (25g) plain flour
¼ pt (150ml) beef stock
2 oz (50g) frozen peas.

For the pastry:
1 lb (450g) prepared shortcrust pastry
1 small egg, beaten

Step One : To make the filling, heat the oil in a large frying pan and sauté onion, turnip, carrot, potato and minced beef for 7 mins. Add the flour, cook for 1 min, then stir in stock. Season well. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins. Leave to cool slightly.

Step Two : On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to form a 16 x 8 in (41 x 20.5 cm) rectangle. Cut equally into eight squares, then place an eighth o the filling in centre of each. Brush edges of pastry with egg, then fold over filling and crimp to seal.

Step Three : Place pasties on a baking sheet and brush with egg. Cook in oven for 20 mins until golden. Serve with salad.

Pea and Basil Tart with a Buttery Oat Crust

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (July 2017) and taken from Food for a Happy Gut by Naomi Devlin.

Oat flour makes a crisp, rich crust – the perfect foil for a smooth pea filling and some cool probiotic labneh. The tart is easily digestible, but you could increase its probiotic value by adding a garlic clove and using the white of the onions.

Serves : 4

Ingredients Oat Crust:
70g oat flour (or porridge oats, ground)
70g buckwheat flour
70g ground linseed
2 pinches of sea salt
70g cold salted butter, diced
80-100g live Greek-style yogurt

Pea and basil filling:
225g frozen peas
3 large organic eggs
150ml double cream
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus juice of 1/2 lemon
Large handful of basil, plus extra to dress
3 pinches of sea salt
4 spring onions, green parts only, sliced
120g labneh
Olive oil, for drizzling
Freshly ground black pepper

Step One : For the crust, put both flours, the linseed and salt into a bowl, rub in the butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, and use a knife to stir in half the yogurt. Add the remaining yogurt in teaspoons, until the mixture starts to clump, then gather into a ball and knead till smooth. Form into a disc, then wrap and chill for 20-30 minutes.

Step Two : Preheat the oven to 200oC / 390oF / Gas Mark 6 and line the base of a 23cm loose-based tart tin with baking parchment.

Step Three : Lay a sheet of clingfilm on the worktop, place the pastry on it and cover with clingfilm. Roll into a circle to line the tin, peel off the top layer of clingfilm, and ease the pastry into the corners before removing the clingfilm and trimming the top edge. Chill for at least half an hour.

Step Four : Line the tart case with parchment, fill with baking beans and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the parchment and beans and bake for 5 minutes. Set aside. Turn the oven down to 180oC / 390oF / Gas Mark 4.

Step Five : To make the filling, blanch the peas in boiling water until just cooked. Refresh in cold water, then drain and reserve 25g. Put the remaining peas into a blender with the eggs, cream, lemon zest and juice, basil and salt. Blend and pour into the case, then scatter over the onions and reserved peas.

Step Six : Bake for 30 minutes, until set. Put side till just warm, then scatter with labneh and basil and drizzle over the olive oil. Season with black pepper and serve.

Za-Atar Flatbread (Mana’eesh)

Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (August 2017) and taken from Syria: Recipes from Home by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi.

If there’s one thing Syrians can’t live without, it’s mana’eesh. In the same way that pubs are a huge part of life in Britain, mana’eesh bakeries are integral to Syrian culture. Being as cheap and readily available as they are, not many people make their own, so this recipe is an homage to the original.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
3 tblsp Za’atar
5 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1 x 320g pack of puff pastry
Fresh mint leaves, to serve
½ tomato, diced, to serve

Step One : Mix the za’atar with the olive oil. Roll out the pastry and, using a pastry brush, spread the za’atar olive oil all over, leaving a 2.5cm border around the edges.

Step Two : Bake in the oven on 160oC / 320oF / Gas Mark 3 for about 15 minutes, until the pastry puffs up and turns golden brown. Serve with fresh mint and tomatoes on top.