Neenish Tarts
The recipe for these uniquely Aussie tarts is from Ross Dobson’s Australia: The Cookbook.
“You wouldn’t be alone if you assumed these were British,” says Dobson. “They sound it, but these are, in fact, uniquely Australian. They have quadruple layers of sweetness. In order of appearance from bottom to top, the layers are: pastry, jam, mock cream, icing.”
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
Dobson points out you could be excused for using ready-made shortcrust pastry instead of making your own as there’s quite a bit going on. “But you really have to make your own mock cream and icing, and you may need to see a dentist immediately after eating one.”
The reason it’s called “mock” cream is that the butter mixture is “washed ” with cold water, transforming it into a creamy mixture which resembles thickly whipped cream.
“Albeit heavy and sweeter, it will last much longer than fresh cream,” he explains.
Ingredients
Makes 12 tarts
- For the pastry:
- unsalted butter, 60g, plus extra for greasing
- caster sugar, 80g
- egg, 1
- plain flour, 240g (1 cup), plus extra for dusting
- baking powder, 2 teaspoons
For the icing frosting: - icing sugar, 240g (2 cups)
- melted unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon
- whole (full-fat) milk, 2 tablespoons
- cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon
- rose pink food colouring, 1 -2 drops
- Mock Cream:
- unsalted butter, 125g
- caster sugar, 110g
- vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Lightly grease a 12 x 60ml hole patty cake or a 12-hole small muffin pan with butter. Set aside.
To make the pastry: beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 4 -5 miinutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times to make a creamy mixture. Add the egg and beat for one minute. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add the sifted flour and baking powder and beat together on slow speed. Add 2 tablespoons boiling water and beat for about a minute or until the mixture starts to clump together. Tip onto a lightly floured bench and briefly knead to form a smoothish ball. Be careful not to over-knead.
Cut the dough into 2 equal portions. This will make it easier to work with. Working with one portion at a time, roll out to a thickness of 3mm (1/8inch), then use a pastry cutter to cut out 6 x 9cm (3 1/2 inch) circles. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Press the dough circles into the holes of the prepared pan. Sit a cupcake or small muffin case in each one and fill with baking beans (pie weights). Bake for 15 mintues. Remove the beans and papers and bake another 2 -3 mintues until golden. Remove from the pan and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
Put the jam into a saucepan and stir over medium heat for 2 -3 minutes until it can be spooned easily. Spoon the jam directly into the cooled pastry cases. Set aside.
Make the mock cream: Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla on medium speed in a stand mixer for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until pale and creamy. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Pour 250ml (1 cup) cold water over the mixture. Don’t worry, it won’t dissolve, there’s too much butter (fat) in there. Swirl the bowl around for 1 mintues, then tip off as much water as possible. Return the bowl to the mixer and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and repeat. Do this 6 times in total to make a thick and creamy white mixture.
Transfer to a container, cover with plastic wrap and set aside until needed.
To complete the tarts: Put 1 tablespoon of the mock cream over the jam in the pastry cases. Use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly over the jam, then set aside.
To make the icing frosting: Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Put the butter and milk into a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the butter has just melted. Don’t allow it to boil. Use a balloon whisk to whisk the butter mixture into the icing sugar until smooth.
Pour about half the mixture into another bowl. Stir the cocoa powder through one portion of the mixture and stir the pink food colouring into the other. Leave to stand for about 5 – 10 minutes so it becomes less runny. Put about one teaspoon of the chocolate icing one one side of each tart and one teaspoon of the pink icing on the other. You can use the back of a spoon or a palette knife to spread but the icing should settle and become smooth.
Transfer the tarts to a tray and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.