Some unusual tea time snacks that will add zing to your tea time.
Jam Tartlets
Ingredients
Butter cubes - 120 gm
Plain flour - 240 gm
Salt - Half level tsp
Water - 2 tbsp
Filling: Various jams and lemon curd
Oven: Pre-heat to fairly hot ( 400 degrees F).
Method
Sieve the flour and salt together. To make short-crust pastry, mix the flour, salt and butter cubes either by hand until combined or using a food processor, until it has the texture of breadcrumbs.
Now, add water to form a dough (the butter should not be handled too much or it will turn greasy).
Wrap with cling film and chill for 10-15 minutes in the fridge. Roll out the pastry thinly and cut into rounds to fit 15-20 small patty tins.
Place one rounded teaspoon of jam or lemon curd in each (do not add too much or it will boil out.) Roll out pastry trimmings using small cocktail cutters cut out stars, hearts, clubs etc.
Place one on top of each tart. Bake on the second shelf of the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from tins carefully and cool on wire tray. Makes 15-20.
Lemon curd
Ingredients
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp
Cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces - 2 tbsp
Egg yolk – 1 or 2
Lemon zest - 1 tsp
Method
In a bowl, whisk the yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar together. Cook over medium flame, stirring throughout with a wooden spoon.
Make sure you stir the sides and the base of the pan. The mixture has to be thick enough to coat the back portion of the wooden spoon. This takes approximately five minutes. Remove from flame.
Add pieces of butter, one at a time, stirring until you have a smooth consistency. Place the mixture in a new bowl.
Cover the surface of the lemon curd with plastic wrap and wrap tightly.
Once cooled, refrigerate until firm for minimum an hour. Use for the above recipe.
Ingredients
Method
Hawaiian Flan
Serves 4 to 5
Ingredients
For the pie case
Digestive biscuits - 180 gm
Margarine - 90 gm
Caster sugar - 30 gm
For the filling:
Orange jelly – Half packet
Unsweetened evaporated milk - 1 small tin
Banana -1
For the decoration:
Orange slices - 8, crystallised
You will need a plain 8-inch flan ring.
Method
Put the digestive biscuits in a polythene bag and crush them finely with a rolling pin. Melt the margarine over a low heat, then stir in the crushed biscuits and sugar.
Stand the flan ring on a serving plate, turn the crumb mixture into it and, using the back of a wooden spoon, spread it over the base and up the sides.
Leave in a cool place for about an hour to harden. Dissolve the jelly in half cup boiling water, then make it up to one cup with cold water.
Whip the evaporated milk until it is thick and the whisk leaves a trail on the surface. When the jelly is almost set, fold it into the whipped milk. Peel and slice the banana and lay the slices in the base of the flan.
Pour over the filling and leave in a cool place for about one hour to set.
To serve, very carefully ease off the flan ring. Cut each orange slice in half and lay the pieces around the outside edge with the peel towards the centre. Serve the pudding with single cream.
