Simple Rhubarb Tart

This post has been updated as of 21/07/2021 Every time rhubarb season rolls around, I’m IN on it, buying it as often as I can make an excuse to! This recipe is for a super simple rhubarb tart, which really lets the flavour shine. It’s possibly the simplest a rhubarb tart can get, with only 5 ingredients needed to bake up the prettiest dessert! Ingredients for this Simple Rhubarb Tart: Puff pastry (shop bought or home made) Rhubarb Sugar Pistachios (or your favourite nut) Egg The New Art of Cooking: A Modern Guide to Preparing and Styling Delicious Food For the past few years I’ve been lucky to assist Frankie Unsworth, an amazing food stylist who just is the loveliest, most talented person! Her book, The New Art of Cooking, came out in 2018 which is centred around delicious recipes with specific styling tips for each and every one. There are also notes on helpful tools to buy and sneaky methods to use to make food look its best. After reading the whole book last year, the 5-ingredient rhubarb tart from was stuck in my mind and, once the rhubarb started to appear in the market, it was destiny that […]

The post Simple Rhubarb Tart appeared first on Izy Hossack – Top With Cinnamon.

Simple Rhubarb Tart on a tray on the counter

This post has been updated as of 21/07/2021

Every time rhubarb season rolls around, I’m IN on it, buying it as often as I can make an excuse to! This recipe is for a super simple rhubarb tart, which really lets the flavour shine. It’s possibly the simplest a rhubarb tart can get, with only 5 ingredients needed to bake up the prettiest dessert!

Ingredients for this Simple Rhubarb Tart:

  • Puff pastry (shop bought or home made)
  • Rhubarb
  • Sugar
  • Pistachios (or your favourite nut)
  • Egg
Simple Rhubarb Tart with chopped pistachios by Izy Hossack

The New Art of Cooking: A Modern Guide to Preparing and Styling Delicious Food

For the past few years I’ve been lucky to assist Frankie Unsworth, an amazing food stylist who just is the loveliest, most talented person! Her book, The New Art of Cooking, came out in 2018 which is centred around delicious recipes with specific styling tips for each and every one. There are also notes on helpful tools to buy and sneaky methods to use to make food look its best.

After reading the whole book last year, the 5-ingredient rhubarb tart from was stuck in my mind and, once the rhubarb started to appear in the market, it was destiny that I would make it.

How to make rough puff pastry for rhubarb tart:

I made my life a bit more complicated by making my own rough puff pastry for the tart – see here for my tutorial on how to make some yourself! But if you stick to using shop bought stuff (especially if you can get the all-butter puff), it’s going to be incredibly delicious too.

Simple Rhubarb Tart with chopped pistachios

A simple frame of puff pastry is filled with sugar, pistachios and rhubarb before baking. It’s almost like a galette but more sophisticated thanks to the sharp, neat edges of the square pastry. As an optional extra, Frankie recommends brushing honey over the rhubarb to make it shiny! It’s a bit fiddly as you need to do some measuring to make it all fit together perfectly, but that really is the hardest part!

Other simple tarts:

Simple Rhubarb Tart with chopped pistachios by Izy Hossack

Simple Rhubarb Tart

Yield: a 25cm square tart, serves 6

Ingredients

  • 80 g (1/2 cup) shelled pistachios
  • 5 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 300-400g (11-14 ounces) rhubarb (see notes)
  • 320 or 375g (11.5 or 13.5 ounces) ready-rolled puff pastry (see notes)

To serve:

  • 2 tbsp clear honey, warmed
  • 6 tbsp creme fraiche or ice cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan / 400°F). Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
  2. Very finely chop the pistachios (or pulse in a food processor). Place in a small bowl with the sugar and mix well.
  3. In a separate small bowl, beat the egg until smooth.
  4. Trim the tough ends and leaves off of the rhubarb. Cut each stalk into 20cm (8-inch) lengths.
  5. Unroll the pastry and lay it out on a work surface. Trim to a 25cm (10-inch) square. Using the tip of a knife, make an incision all the way around the square about 2.5cm (1-inch) in from the outside edge. Do not cut all the way through. The rhubarb will sit within the resulting 'frame'. Transfer to a piece of baking parchment so you can move it around freely.
  6. Cut four 22.5 x 2.5cm (9 x 1 inch) strips out of the remaining pastry. Brush the scored pastry 'frame' with the beaten egg, then lay the strips of pastry over it. You don't want the strips to overlap so place each strip flush against the next and continue all the way around to make a frame. If at any point the pastry feels warm and is hard to work with, transfer to the fridge to chill for 10 minutes. Brush the strips with more egg wash.
  7. Prick the base all over with a fork then scatter three quarters of the pistachio mixture over it evenly.
  8. Transfer the pastry to a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and arrange the rhubarb as tightly and neatly as possible in a row inside the frame.
  9. Scatter the remaining pistachio sugar haphazardly over the rhubarb and flick a little water over it. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden, the base is crisp, and the rhubarb tender.
  10. To serve, brush the rhubarb with a little warmed honey (if using) and cut into portions. Add a dollop of creme fraiche or ice cream.

Notes

  • From 'The New Art of Cooking' by Frankie Unsworth
  • You can make your own rough puff pastry using this recipe and use that instead of the ready-rolled puff pastry.
  • The amount of rhubarb needed is going to depend on how thick the stems are. Frankie recommends 5-7 sticks when using the thick stuff. I was using much thinner stems and needed 12 stems (which weighed around 300g).
  • This will be very easy to vegan-ise: use a ready made puff pastry that is vegan friendly (most of the ones in the supermarket are). Mix 2 tbsp non-dairy milk with 2 tbsp maple syrup and use that instead of the egg wash. Lastly, brush the rhubarb with maple syrup instead of honey and serve with non-dairy vanilla ice cream!

The post Simple Rhubarb Tart appeared first on Izy Hossack - Top With Cinnamon.

Butternut Squash & Caramelised Shallot Tart

Every year I try to come up with some plant-based alternatives to Turkey. Most of the time I’m drawn to winter squash for their versatility and beauty. This year for my veggie Christmas main (which was also for Thanksgiving), I made a savoury butternut squash tart in a walnut-oat crust. I topped it off with balsamic-caramelised shallots and some baby kale. It was an utter delight!! The filling is slightly creamy and sweet and you get the savoury flavour from the crust and shallots. It pairs VERY well with a bit of gravy (I make mine with veg stock, brown onions, lots of marmite and MSG) which I think is a *must* when it comes to a Holiday main. I use chickpea flour with water to set the filling but, if you’re not vegan/making it for vegans, an egg can be used instead. If you’re not feeling up for making a tart crust (understandable when theres 10000 other things to make for Christmas lunch), you can always buy chilled shortcrust pastry from the supermarket and use that instead as it’s usually vegan-friendly. Serving size/serving more people This recipe makes one smallish tart, enough for 4 people as a main with […]

The post Butternut Squash & Caramelised Shallot Tart appeared first on Izy Hossack – Top With Cinnamon.

Overhead image of sliced squash tart with shallots and kale

Every year I try to come up with some plant-based alternatives to Turkey. Most of the time I’m drawn to winter squash for their versatility and beauty. This year for my veggie Christmas main (which was also for Thanksgiving), I made a savoury butternut squash tart in a walnut-oat crust. I topped it off with balsamic-caramelised shallots and some baby kale. It was an utter delight!!

A squash tart with bowls of caramelised shallots and baby kale

The filling is slightly creamy and sweet and you get the savoury flavour from the crust and shallots. It pairs VERY well with a bit of gravy (I make mine with veg stock, brown onions, lots of marmite and MSG) which I think is a *must* when it comes to a Holiday main. I use chickpea flour with water to set the filling but, if you’re not vegan/making it for vegans, an egg can be used instead.

If you’re not feeling up for making a tart crust (understandable when theres 10000 other things to make for Christmas lunch), you can always buy chilled shortcrust pastry from the supermarket and use that instead as it’s usually vegan-friendly.

Serving size/serving more people

This recipe makes one smallish tart, enough for 4 people as a main with sides. You could even cut it into 8 pieces to have as a starter! If you’re cooking for more people, the recipe doubles very well and can be made as one large tart in a 28cm (11-inch) loose-based tart tin.

A sliced savoury squash tart with caramelised shallots with a slice removed on a side plate

To make ahead of time

To make this ahead of time you can prep the tart crust, filling and shallots the day before serving and leave them all separate. You can keep the crust out at room temperature but chill the filling & shallots. About 30 minutes before you’re about to serve, stir the filling up (as it may have thickened), spread it into the crust, and bake the tart as instructed in the recipe. Finally, warm up the shallots in their pan on the stove or in the oven (covered with a lid, for around 5 minutes) and top the tart with the warm shallots & a handful of leaves.

Butternut Squash & Caramelised Shallot Tart

Butternut Squash & Caramelised Shallot Tart

Yield: serves 4
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Tart filling:

  • 500g (1 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed
  • 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 large or 5 small garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tsp chilli crisp (optional)*
  • 3 tbsp chickpea flour (see notes)
  • 3 tbsp water
  • zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
  • Salt, to taste

Tart crust:

  • 60g (1/2 cup) walnuts
  • 45g (1/2 cup) rolled oats
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 120g (1 cup) plain white (all-purpose) flour
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 to 4 tbsp non-dairy milk or water

Shallots:

  • 200g (7 ounces) shallots, halved, peeled
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • handful of salad leaves, to serve (optional)

Instructions

Cook the squash:

  1. Cut the butternut squash into roughly 2 inch (5cm) chunks. Heat the olive oil in a large pot (I use a dutch oven here) on the stove over a medium heat. Once hot, add the squash and a pinch of salt and stir to coat. Cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low. Leave to cook, stirring occasionally, until the chunks and soft and starting to break down (about 15 minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside.


Make the crust:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F).
  2. Place the walnuts and oats in a food processor and blitz until you get a scruffy mealy texture. Add the baking powder, salt, fennel seeds and flour to the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the olive oil and 2 tbsp of the non-dairy milk and pulse together until you get a cohesive dough. You may need to add more milk to get it to come together.
  3. Crumble the dough into the base of a 23-cm (9-inch) springform cake tin (or a loose-based tart tin) and use your fingertips to press it down into an even layer over the base and up the sides of the tin (in a springform tin it should come up about 3cm high). Reserve a little bit of the dough for patching up cracks later on. Prick the crust all over with a fork.
  4. Place the cake tin/tart tin on a baking sheet and then into the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until it looks dry. Remove from the oven and use the reserved pastry to patch up any cracks that may have formed. Set the crust aside.

Make the filling:

  1. Blend the cooked squash until smooth - you can either do this straight in the pot using an immersion blender (hand blender/stick blender) or by transferring it to a food processor/blender and blitzing, then transferring to a mixing bowl.
  2. Add the remaining filling ingredients and stir together. Taste and season with salt as needed.
  3. Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the top looks set and dry.

Cook the shallots:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy, oven-proof frying pan/skillet over a medium heat. Sprinkle over the sugar in an even layer and then lay the shallots cut side-down over the sugar.
  2. Lower the heat to medium-low and leave to cook until you get a nice brown crust underneath (about 5 minutes). Flip each half over and allow to cook until the other side is browned (about 5 minutes again).
  3. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and then pour in the balsamic vinegar. Cover with a lid or a piece of foil and transfer to the oven - roast for 15-20 minutes until the shallots are soft all the way through. Remove from the oven and uncover.

Finish the tart:

  1. Top the cooked tart with some leafy greens (I used baby kale) and the caramelised shallots. Serve warm.

Notes

  • *I use the Lao Gan Ma 'crispy chilli in oil' which is BANGING!! Get yourself some from your local East Asian food shop, or online.
  • If you're not vegan, you can use 1 egg instead of the 3 tbsp chickpea flour + 3 tbsp water in the filling.
  • Tart crust adapted from Amy Chaplin
  • This recipe makes one smallish tart, enough for 4 people as a main with sides. You could even cut it into 8 pieces to have as a starter though. If you're cooking for more people, the recipe doubles very well and can be made as one large tart in a 28cm (11-inch) loose-based tart tin.

Have you made this recipe?
I’d love to see how it went! Tag me on instagram @izyhossack and hashtag it #topwithcinnamon so I can have a look & reshare in my stories!

The post Butternut Squash & Caramelised Shallot Tart appeared first on Izy Hossack - Top With Cinnamon.

Chocolate Fudge Pecan Pie Tart.

I am desperately in love with this chocolate pecan tart. Desperately, I tell you! Crazy desperate.  You know how holidays are so magical when you are a child, then you grow up and realize how much work the adults put into that one day? Because you are an adult? Well  a few years ago I […]

The post Chocolate Fudge Pecan Pie Tart. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

I am desperately in love with this chocolate pecan tart.

This chocolate pecan tart is the best dessert ever. Chocolate fudge and gooey pecan pie in a shortbread crust - everyone goes crazy!

Desperately, I tell you! Crazy desperate. 

pecan pie filling

You know how holidays are so magical when you are a child, then you grow up and realize how much work the adults put into that one day? Because you are an adult?

Well  a few years ago I had an epiphany and realized that I LOVE the work and prep leading up to a holiday. That’s what I adore about it.

Sure, I love the actual DAY. It’s amazing spending that day with my family and cooking delicious food. But now that I’m a certified grown up (or, so they say, even though I’m convinced I’m 16), I realize that a lot of magic for me comes in the planning and the prep. It makes the magic last longer too!

pecan tart prepped for the oven

So I’m rambling all about this tart today because you can make it ahead of time! Prep it a day before (even though to be honest, it’s totally delish two or three days after too!) then hide it from yourself so you don’t eat it all. 

It’s a game changer!

This chocolate pecan tart is the best dessert ever. Chocolate fudge and gooey pecan pie in a shortbread crust - everyone goes crazy!

Now. 

For years, we have all loved these salted chocolate pecan pie bars. They are SO flavorful and delicious. I get messages all.the.time. from those of you who make those bars and enjoy them a few times per year. 

This is like that, in tart form!

Sometimes a tart is prettier. Sometimes you don’t need a gigantic pan of bars that you want to devour every night. 

This chocolate pecan tart is the best dessert ever. Chocolate fudge and gooey pecan pie in a shortbread crust - everyone goes crazy!

The tart is where its at! 

This chocolate pecan tart is the best dessert ever. Chocolate fudge and gooey pecan pie in a shortbread crust - everyone goes crazy!

It’s crazy, because growing up, pecan pie NEVER drew me in. Ever! Mother Lovett made the best pies, but she never made pecan pie. She did, on the other hand, make mince meat pie and we absolutely lost our minds over that because as kids we thought she made raw meat pie.

But anyhoo. 

I figured that pecan pie was full of… nuts. And only nuts. Right? It sounds logical in your a tween brain. 

This chocolate pecan tart is the best dessert ever. Chocolate fudge and gooey pecan pie in a shortbread crust - everyone goes crazy!

It wasn’t until I tasted it years later that I realized pecan pie is basically homemade candy. But, like, ooey gooey, melt-in-your-mouth candy. Almost too rich candy. The richest, most decadent candy that you crave!

I loved it. 

However, it wasn’t until I added chocolate that it CHANGED MY LIFE. 

Seriously. We went from being a pumpkin pie family on Thanksgiving to needing a chocolate pecan treat no matter what. It’s expected now. Because look at that, HELLO.

This chocolate pecan tart is the best dessert ever. Chocolate fudge and gooey pecan pie in a shortbread crust - everyone goes crazy!

P.S. Okay wait! This is semi-embarrassing but considering I live for pop culture, do you know what I always think of when pecan pie pops into my head? If you were an OG True Blood fan, you may remember the scene where Sookie sits at the kitchen table eats an ENTIRE pecan pie. 

Remember?

That’s crazy. How did she survive? Because pecan pie is the richest pie on the planet.

Can you even imagine? Because I cannot.

This chocolate pecan tart is the best dessert ever. Chocolate fudge and gooey pecan pie in a shortbread crust - everyone goes crazy!

All rambles aside, this tart is a dream! Shortbread crust, the richest, fudgiest chocolate pecan filling, topped with crunch whole pecans. Baked to perfection.

Sliced for your life! 

This chocolate pecan tart is the best dessert ever. Chocolate fudge and gooey pecan pie in a shortbread crust - everyone goes crazy!

Chocolate Pecan Tart

Chocolate Fudge Pecan Tart

This chocolate pecan tart is the best dessert ever. Chocolate fudge and gooey pecan pie in a shortbread crust – everyone goes crazy!

crust

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, (softened)
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

filling

  • 2 large eggs, (lightly beaten)
  • 2/3 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, (chopped)
  • 1 ½ cups pecans, (chopped)
  • 1 cup unsalted whole pecans, (for topping)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch tart pan with nonstick spray.
  2. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, flour and salt together, starting on low speed and increasing to medium. The mixture will be in coarse crumbs and almost crumbly and dough like. Press it evenly into the bottom of the greased pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until slightly browned. Let it cool for about 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. To make the filling, whisk together the eggs, syrup and sugar until smooth. Whisk in the bourbon and vanilla extract. Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate and chopped pecans. Pour the filling on top of the crust. Top with the whole pecans.
  4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the center is set. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving. You can make this a day or two ahead of time and store it in the fridge.

This chocolate pecan tart is the best dessert ever. Chocolate fudge and gooey pecan pie in a shortbread crust - everyone goes crazy!

This is literally heaven on earth.

The post Chocolate Fudge Pecan Pie Tart. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Snickers Almond Butter Tart.

Don’t even have words for this snickers almond tart. I mean, NO WORDS. This is like grown up Halloween candy! Homemade adult candy. Not to mention, it’s insane. Yes please. I’ve rambled on and on and on here on this little corner of the internet about how growing up, Snickers bars were my favorite candy […]

The post Snickers Almond Butter Tart. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Don’t even have words for this snickers almond tart. I mean, NO WORDS.

This snickers almond tart is made with an almond crust, homemade almond butter caramel and a chocolate ganache. It's to die for!

This is like grown up Halloween candy! Homemade adult candy.

Not to mention, it’s insane.

Yes please.

homemade almond butter caramel

I’ve rambled on and on and on here on this little corner of the internet about how growing up, Snickers bars were my favorite candy bar by FAR. We didn’t really get to eat candy bars often, but on Halloween? I was all about the Snickers. I mean, I would give my brothers all my peanut butter cups JUST for their Snickers. Oh, and their mallo cups.

The joke was on me, because they hated peanuts (and coconut!) anyway and probably would have just handed them over freely.

chocolate ganache pour

Remember when I made Homemade Snickers Bars?! They remain one of the most popular recipes here on the blog. They make me so happy! And tastes (insanely) exactly like legit Snickers.

chocolate ganache

The weirdest thing about my love for Snickers? I really don’t care for nuts in desserts. Cookies and brownies with nuts are disastrous for sure, especially the classics. I’ve always said that nuts ruin desserts and sure, these days, I know there are a few desserts that are enhanced by nuts. 

But still. 

This snickers almond tart is made with an almond crust, homemade almond butter caramel and a chocolate ganache. It's to die for!

So what all goes in this tart? A TON OF DELICIOUSNESS!

First, an almond tart crust. It’s easy! It’s good! Almond flour, butter, maple syrup.

While the tart filling is no bake, you do want to bake the crust for a few minutes just to set it. No big deal, it only takes a second. 

This snickers almond tart is made with an almond crust, homemade almond butter caramel and a chocolate ganache. It's to die for!

The filling? Homemade almond butter caramel. YES. Say it with me. 

Almond butter caramel.

I cannot! This stuff is so so so good. 

All you do is make a quick classic caramel with cream and sugar and then stir in almond butter until it all melts. Let it cool and thicken a bit and try not to eat the entire pot! Because it’s heavenly.

This snickers almond tart is made with an almond crust, homemade almond butter caramel and a chocolate ganache. It's to die for!

Even though it freaked me out a bit at first, I stirred chopped almonds into the caramel layer of the tart because my forever Snickers loving heart told me to. It adds the best crunch! 

The top layer is a classic ganache. Topped with flaked salt. 

Then! 

You stick this baby in the fridge and serve it cold. 

It’s rich. Like super rich. Decadent and ridiculously delicious! You see the slices I cut above in my tart? You can even cut in them half again, it’s so rich. However, a small bite is the perfect dessert.

If you want to serve something homemade and wildly wonderful, this is it. 

This snickers almond tart is made with an almond crust, homemade almond butter caramel and a chocolate ganache. It's to die for!

Snickers Almond Tart

Snickers Almond Butter Tart

This snickers almond tart is made with an almond crust, homemade almond butter caramel and a chocolate ganache. It’s to die for!

almond tart crust

  • 2 cup almond flour
  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter, (melted)
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup

almond butter caramel

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup creamy almond butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup raw almonds, (chopped)

chocolate ganache

  • 6 ounces high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, (chopped)
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Spray a tart pan (mine is a 9-inch round) with nonstick spray.
  3. Place the almond flour, butter and maple syrup in a large bowl. Stir until combined and the mixture is all moistened. Press it into the tart pan, pressing up the sides slightly.

  4. Bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly golden. Let it cool completely.

almond butter caramel

  1. Combine the sugar, butter, cream and almond butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk to combine, then cook and stir until the mixture is bubbling. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until it slightly thickens and is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Let it cool to room temperature – it will thicken as it cools!
  2. Once it’s cool, pour the caramel into the almond tart crust. Top with the chopped almonds. Stick the tart in the fridge while you make the ganache.

chocolate ganache

  1. Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl.
  2. Heat the cream in a saucepan over low heat just until it’s warm and the edges bubble. Pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute or two.
  3. Stir continuously until the chocolate melts, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the tart from the fridge and pour the ganache over top. Sprinkle with the flaked salt. Stick the tart back in the fridge.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or even overnight. To serve, slice into very thin slices because it is so rich. Serve immediately!

This snickers almond tart is made with an almond crust, homemade almond butter caramel and a chocolate ganache. It's to die for!

Probably going to frame that corner.

The post Snickers Almond Butter Tart. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Tomato Tart

I didn’t know what to make for dinner the other night. I had some tart dough tucked away in the freezer, and because I was having trouble closing the door (er…what else is new?), I realized it was time to clear some of the stuff out. But I also had some beautiful tomatoes on hand, and a tub of fromage frais (fresh spreadable cheese), which…

I didn’t know what to make for dinner the other night. I had some tart dough tucked away in the freezer, and because I was having trouble closing the door (er…what else is new?), I realized it was time to clear some of the stuff out. But I also had some beautiful tomatoes on hand, and a tub of fromage frais (fresh spreadable cheese), which the universe seemed to be telling me that I should make a tart out of.

I’ll admit that I’m not the most creative person with tomatoes. I usually eat them just as they are; I have a hard time messing too much with heirloom tomatoes since they are so precious around here. My usual M.O. is to slice them up, drizzle them with good olive oil, sprinkle them with salt, and eat them that way. But when the stars – or ingredients – aligned in my kitchen, a Tomato Tart seemed destined for our dinner.

Continue Reading Tomato Tart...

Brown Butter Gooseberry Tart

This post has been updated as of July 2021 Gooseberries are such a funny fruit, often covered in fine hairs with a translucent green (or pink!) colour and COME ON, that NAME! My boyfriend and I keep calling them geese because… we are incredibly easy to entertain. The berries are pretty sour by themselves with small seeds inside, they cook down into a soft, squishy compote. Their sour nature means you basically have to have them cooked in a dessert as the sugar is essential. This brown butter gooseberry tart is SO good, it’s incredibly easy to make because of a melt & mix press-in crust which means that all you pastry-making haters out there can rejoice. The filling is also a doddle to make and results in a custardy, creamy texture bursting with tangy gooseberries. The recipe is adapted from this one by Bon Appetit from 2009! My mum made a version of it with rhubarb from The Bojon Gourmet before so I knew it was bloody delicious. The gooseberries are the perfect fruit for this tart as it is quite sweet itself. The sourness of the fruit balances that out so well and is a lovely dinner party […]

The post Brown Butter Gooseberry Tart appeared first on Izy Hossack – Top With Cinnamon.

This post has been updated as of July 2021

Gooseberries are such a funny fruit, often covered in fine hairs with a translucent green (or pink!) colour and COME ON, that NAME! My boyfriend and I keep calling them geese because… we are incredibly easy to entertain.

The berries are pretty sour by themselves with small seeds inside, they cook down into a soft, squishy compote. Their sour nature means you basically have to have them cooked in a dessert as the sugar is essential. This brown butter gooseberry tart is SO good, it’s incredibly easy to make because of a melt & mix press-in crust which means that all you pastry-making haters out there can rejoice. The filling is also a doddle to make and results in a custardy, creamy texture bursting with tangy gooseberries.

The recipe is adapted from this one by Bon Appetit from 2009! My mum made a version of it with rhubarb from The Bojon Gourmet before so I knew it was bloody delicious. The gooseberries are the perfect fruit for this tart as it is quite sweet itself. The sourness of the fruit balances that out so well and is a lovely dinner party dessert as you can make it ahead of time.

The easiest pastry you’ll ever meet: Melt, Mix & Press-in Pastry

As mentioned above, this pastry is not your usual shortcrust! It’s made by melting the butter (usually a forbidden thing to do in pastry making) and mixing in the dry ingredients. This results in a crumbly, slightly damp-feeling dough which is easy to break up into small pieces and press into the tart tin. No need to roll out the dough i.e. less mess & less stress. Honestly it’s the ideal pastry for warmer weather as it’s not reliant on everything staying cool.

I like to include a bit of wholegrain flour in my pastry for a boost to the flavour e.g. wholemeal pastry flour, buckwheat flour or dark rye flour. However, you can just go with all white flour if that’s what you’ve got!

Hands adding gooseberries to an unbaked brown butter tart
Hands holding an unbaked brown butter gooseberry tart with flowers and a tea towel
Hands removing baking paper from a brown butter gooseberry tart
A brown butter gooseberry tart with fresh gooseberries next to it

Easy custard filling

The filling is made of mostly melted butter, eggs and sugar with a bit of flour for thickening. It’s a bit like a custard-y frangipane as it has some almond extract mixed in there too (although you can leave the almond extract out as I know some people hate it!). The filling is quite sweet but, since the gooseberries are V SOUR, it all balances out perfectly.

Adapting the recipe to use different fruits

You can easily swap out the gooseberries for other fruits. I think small-ish stone fruits would be delicious here – like sliced plums, damsons or apricots. You may just want to decrease the sugar content of the filling by 15-20% as these fruits are sweeter than gooseberries. The original recipe from Bon Appetit uses raspberries & I’ve seen it made with rhubarb too which are both quite sour fruits and work great. Other ideas could be pitted cherries, blackcurrants (sour!), blackberries or strawberries.

I think this tart could even be baked without any fruit in it & instead you could top it with fresh summer fruits (like strawberries or peaches) piled on top post-bake.

Hope you enjoy this one! It has become a firm fave of mine.

Brown Butter Gooseberry Tart

Brown Butter Gooseberry Tart

Yield: serves 10
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 100g (7 tablespoons/ 3.5 ounces) unsalted butter
  • 50g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
  • 60g (1/2 cup) buckwheat flour OR wholemeal pastry flour
  • 70g (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) plain white flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

  • 110g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
  • 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
  • 2 medium UK eggs (large US eggs)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
  • 30g (1/4 cup) plain white flour
  • 350-400g (12.5-14.2 ounces) gooseberries

Instructions

Make the crust:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). You'll need a 9-inch tart or cake tin with a removable base - if using a cake tin, line the sides of the tin with some baking paper.
  2. Place the butter (for the crust) in a medium pot and melt over a medium heat. Once melted remove from the heat and set aside.
  3. Combine the remaining crust ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour in the melted butter and mix until combined.
  4. Crumble the crust dough into the tart/cake tin all over the base. Press the crust in an even layer around the base and up the sides of the tin (if using a cake tin, the crust should come up the sides by ~1 inch).
  5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is starting to go golden - it may have puffed up slightly, this is fine. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Make the filling:

  1. Grab the pot you used earlier to for melting the butter. Add the 110g (1/2 cup) of butter for the filling to the pot. Place over a medium-low heat and allow the butter to melt. Keep cooking it until it foams up and smells nutty then remove from the heat and stir to prevent the milk solids sticking to the pot. The butter should be golden with brown flecks at the bottom of the pot.
  2. In a medium bowl (you can use the bowl you used earlier for the crust) combine the sugar, eggs, salt, vanilla extract and almond extract. Whisk together to combine until smooth.
  3. While stirring, pour a thin stream of the browned butter into the egg mixture until all poured in (including the browned bits at the bottom of the pot). Add the flour and stir to combine.
  4. Pour the filling into the tart/cake tin with the baked crust. Top with the gooseberries. Place the tin onto a baking sheet (to catch any butter/liquid that may seep during baking).
  5. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling is golden and a tester inserted into the middle of the tart comes out clean. Set aside on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting and serving.

Have you made this recipe?
I’d love to see how it went! Tag me on instagram @izyhossack and hashtag it #topwithcinnamon so I can see your beautiful creation & reshare in my stories!

The post Brown Butter Gooseberry Tart appeared first on Izy Hossack - Top With Cinnamon.

Eton Mess Tart

As soon as strawberries come into season in the UK, I’m ALL OVER THEM. It’s usually starting to get warm outside (although as I’m writing this my view is of a very grey sky), so a strawberry-heavy dessert like Eton mess is my idea of heaven. I have such strong memories of having it at primary school, served unglamorously in plastic cups, when we would have our annual ‘sports day’. It was effectively the last day of school so even though there was sports involved (gross), the fact that it was almost summer holidays made the day filled with so much excitement. Now, Eton mess isn’t the most beautiful dessert ever – strawberries, raspberries and crushed meringues folded into whipped cream will never look stunning. It was apparently borne out of someone dropping a meringue on the floor, it shattering, and them deciding to serve it anyway so you get the idea. But if you take those flavours and add them to a different dessert you can get a beautiful result. There are so many variations on Eton mess you could make by taking those basic flavours to make something else delicious. Here I made an Eton mess tart, using […]

The post Eton Mess Tart appeared first on Izy Hossack – Top With Cinnamon.

Eton mess tart with strawberries, raspberries and torched meringue

As soon as strawberries come into season in the UK, I’m ALL OVER THEM. It’s usually starting to get warm outside (although as I’m writing this my view is of a very grey sky), so a strawberry-heavy dessert like Eton mess is my idea of heaven.

A slice of Eton mess tart on a pink scalloped plate

I have such strong memories of having it at primary school, served unglamorously in plastic cups, when we would have our annual ‘sports day’. It was effectively the last day of school so even though there was sports involved (gross), the fact that it was almost summer holidays made the day filled with so much excitement.

Now, Eton mess isn’t the most beautiful dessert ever – strawberries, raspberries and crushed meringues folded into whipped cream will never look stunning. It was apparently borne out of someone dropping a meringue on the floor, it shattering, and them deciding to serve it anyway so you get the idea. But if you take those flavours and add them to a different dessert you can get a beautiful result. There are so many variations on Eton mess you could make by taking those basic flavours to make something else delicious.

Multiple slices of eton mess tart on pink plates

Here I made an Eton mess tart, using an enriched pastry which I rolled out ‘galette style’ so you don’t need a fluted tart tin to make it. The pastry is baked alone so it gets crisp and flaky. It’s then topped with whipped cream, berries and blobs of meringue ‘frosting’ which are torched.

The enriched pastry uses up the egg yolks that would be leftover from making the meringue so you don’t have random yolks sitting around in the fridge. But why even add eggs to pastry? The yolks help bind it together and, because of the fat content, keep it tender by preventing some gluten formation in the dough. You also get that slight yellow tinge to the pastry which can make it look even more appealing.

If you’re more up for a standard Eton mess recipe, I also did one for Food52 a while ago which you can check out here. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy this tart recipe!

Eton Mess Tart

Eton Mess Tart

Yield: serves 8-10
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Ingredients

Pastry:

  • 240g (2 cups) plain white flour (all-purpose flour)
  • 90g (3/4 cup) wholemeal (whole wheat) pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 200g (7 ounces) unsalted butter, cold, cubed
  • 2 egg yolks (save the whites)
  • 100-125ml (6-8 tablespoons) cold water

Meringue:

  • 2 egg whites
  • 100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar

Toppings:

  • 150ml (2/3 cup) double cream (heavy cream)
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) plain yogurt
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar (powdered sugar)
  • 200g (7 ounces) strawberries
  • 100g (3.5 ounces) raspberries

Instructions

Make the pastry:

  1. Place both the flours and salt into a large bowl. Add the cold butter and toss to coat the cubes in flour. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you have a mostly sandy/breadcrumb texture with some pea-sized lumps of butter remaining. (You can also do this by pulsing the same ingredients in a food processor)
  2. Add the egg yolks and about half of the water. Start to bring it together with your fingertips, gently kneading. Drizzle in more water as needed, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to stick together and feels slightly moist but not sticky.
  3. Smush the dough together into one big ball with your hands then flatten it into a disk shape. Place in a resealable sandwich bag and chill for 1 hour so it can rest.

Shape and bake:

  1. Let the chilled dough warm at room temp. for a few minutes so it softens slightly. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Dust the pastry lightly with flour and roll it out into a circle about 35cm (14 inches) in diameter. It doesn't matter if it is slightly larger than the baking tray at this point. Roll up the pastry around the rolling pin, then unroll over the lined baking sheet.
  3. Roll and tuck the outer 5cm (2 inch) border of the circle under itself to neaten the edge and create a thicker crust, a bit like a pizza! NOTE: You may need to trim the edges of the pastry before rolling up to get it to fit onto the baking tray properly.
  4. Now crimp the edge of the pastry all the way around with your fingertips (see video above for how to do it) OR use the tines of a fork to make impressions all the way around the edge.
  5. Prick the centre of the pastry all over with a fork to prevent it bubbling up when it bakes.
  6. Chill the pastry for 10-15 minutes as your oven preheats to 190 C (170 C fan / 375 F).
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Keep an eye on it and use a metal spatula to press down any big air bubbles that may form as it bakes.
  8. Let the crust cool before filling.

Meringue:

  1. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a medium, heatproof bowl. Set over a pot of simmering water making sure the bottom of the bowl isn't touching the water.
  2. Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved (the mixture shouldn’t feel gritty when you rub some between your fingertips) and registers 71 C (160 F ) on a thermometer.
  3. Remove the bowl from the pan and use electric beaters to whisk until cool, very fluffy and thickened - you should be able to lift up the beaters and form stiff peaks in the mixture which do not sink back into the meringue. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a wide plain tip (or you can dollop it with a spoon if you don't have piping bags).

Assemble:

  1. When you're ready to serve: Whip the double cream in a large bowl with a whisk until thickened. Fold in the yogurt and icing sugar.
  2. Prep the berries by removing any stalks and cutting up larger berries into slices.
  3. Spread the whipped yogurt cream over the pastry. Top with the berries. Pipe on (or spoon on) blobs of meringue all over. If you have a blowtorch you can use it to toast the meringue blobs but it's not necessary.
  4. Serve!

Notes

MAKE IT EASIER:

  • you can use ready made shortcrust pastry for this recipe if you'd like. You'll need about 350g (12 ounces) of pastry. You can go with plain or 'dessert' shortcrust..
  • If you don't want to make the meringue yourself you can buy the meringues from the shops, usually in the baking aisle. Just crumble them up and scatter over the tart.
  • Alternatively, could buy marshmallow fluff and pipe dollops of that all over the tart and torch it, instead of making meringue.

MAKE AHEAD:

This Eton mess tart is best assembled just before eating as the crust can go soggy if it sits around with the toppings on it. You can pre-bake the crust, whip the cream, prep the berries & meringue. Then when you're ready to eat, just layer it up and serve!

Have you made this recipe?
I’d love to see how it went! Tag me on instagram @izyhossack and hashtag it #topwithcinnamon so I can have a look & reshare in my stories!

eton mess tart with whipped cream, strawberries, raspberries and meringue

The post Eton Mess Tart appeared first on Izy Hossack - Top With Cinnamon.