Fruit Tarts & Tartlets

Fruit Tarts !!!

Tart pastry
Ingredient:
350g plain flour
175g butter
100g sugar
1 egg


Method:
1. Preheat oven at 170 degree C
2. Cream butter and sugar until sugar is dissolved, add in the egg and mixed well.
3. Add in sifted plain flour slowly and mix until a dough holds together.
4. Divide dough into small portions (est. 20g) and place into tart moulds and press dough evenly onto moulds.
5. Bake at 170 degree for about 15 mins or until golden brown
6. Let the tart shell cool down before removing it from the moulds.

Custard
Ingredient:
500g water
150g sugar (I usually reduced the sugar)
50g butter
50g fresh milk
100g custard powder
1 egg

Method:
1. Boil water, sugar and butter together
2. Mix milk, egg and custard powder together and pour into above.
3. Cook over gentle fire until mixture thickens and pipe into baked tart shells.

PS: or you can get the instant custard powder from Phoon Huat. :P

For glazing :Boil together 1/2 tbsp agar agar powder, 130 ml water and 30g sugar until dissolved. Brush onto fruits. (note: Do not brush onto the tart shell)

Butter Cookies

My kids fell in love with Winnie the Pooh after visiting Hong Kong Disneyland.  After looking high and low, I have also managed to find the Pooh & Piglet cookie cutters so here are the Pooh and Piglet cookies!!! 

Ingredient:
100g butter, softened at room temperature
80g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
180g cake flour
20g corn flour


Method:
1. Sift cake flour and corn flour together and set aside.
2. mix sugar to the butter and cream till the mixture turns pale and fluffy.
3. Add in egg yolk and mix well.
4. Add sifted flour mixture in 2 ~ 3 additions, stir w/ spatula to form a soft dough.
5. Place dough in a plastic bag and flatten with rolling pin.
6. Refrigerate the dough for about half an hour.
7. Remove dough from fridge. Roll out dough on slightly floured work surface (at this moment the dough may crack) If the dough appears to be a little to hard and breaks into pieces while rolling, leave it at room temperature for a few minutes. The dough will soften up and can be rolled easily.
8. cut out with slightly floured cookie cutters.
9. Bake at pre-heated oven at 175 degC for 15 ~ 20mins.
10. Let cool and store in air-tight container.

Japanese Cheesecake

I have made japanese cheesecake many times. The main differences between this cheesecake and a standard baked cheesecake is that the Japanese version is crustless, it uses less cream cheese, and that it has a whole lotta whipped egg whites for lightness. It is super, super fluffy!   Below are some I have baked. :-) 

Ingredients:
250g cream cheese
50g butter
100ml fresh milk
60g plain flour
20g corn flour
6 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
6 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
140g fine granulated / caster sugar

Method:

1. Whisk cream cheese, butter and milk in a bowl over a pot of water.
2. Cool the mixture.
3. Beat in egg yolks and lemon juice. Fold in flour and mix well.
4. Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Whisk in cream of tartar and sugar.
5. Fold in egg white into cheese mixture
6. Pour into cake pan (do not grease pan) and bake in pre-heated oven (180 degrees) for five minutes and lower heat to 160 degrees.
7. Bake for an hour. Remove from oven and invert cake pans onto a cooling rack.
8. Leave to cool for 30 minutes before releasing cake from pan.