Recipes

Glazed Strawberry Tarts with Elderflower Cream

These dainty tarts have been topped with sliced strawberries but you may like to top with different fruits, so perhaps decorate 4 with strawberries, 4 with raspberries and the remainder with blueberries or try with a mix of different fruits, leaving the smaller fruits whole.

Makes 12

Preparation time 30 minutes

Cooking time 15 minutes

Pastry

225g/8oz plain flour

50g/2oz icing sugar

100g/4oz butter, diced

2 egg yolks

Filling

200ml/7fl oz double cream

25g/1oz icing sugar

2 tbsp elderflower cordial

400g/14oz strawberries, sliced

75g/3oz redcurrant jelly

1      To make the pastry, put the flour into a bowl, add the icing sugar and butter then rub in the butter with fingertips or an electric mixer until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the egg yolk then squeeze together with fingertips to make a dough, adding a little water if needed.

2      Knead lightly then roll out thinly on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 10cm/4in circles using a large biscuit cutter then press circles into buttered sections of a 12 hole deep muffin tin. Prick bases with a fork and chill for 15 minutes.

3      Line each tart with a circle of greaseproof paper and some dried lentils or baking beans and bake blind in a preheated oven set to 190oC/gas mark 5 for 10 minutes, remove paper and lentils or beans and cook for 3-4 minutes until pale golden.  Leave to cool.

4      Remove pastry cases from the tin, arrange on a serving plate. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and elderflower cordial until it forms soft swirls. Spoon into the tart cases. Arrange the strawberries on top. Warm the redcurrant jelly in a small saucepan until melted then brush over the tarts. Serve within 30 minutes of decorating.