Recipes from professional Chef Tallyrand:

SHORT PASTRY for Quiche and Onion Tart Recipe

Bora da everyone! I hope you all had time to make and enjoy some of the Welsh cakes from last week's recipe? I sit here on watching the sun set typing this, its St David's (March 1st) I have a pot of tea, a freshly baked batch of cakes in front of me and some wonderful New Zealand cheddar to eat with them. On the stereo I have my sister's Xmas present playing, a CD of Bryn Terfyll singing all the Welsh classic's . . . what a way to celebrate!

But I digress as usual . . . this week's recipe was at the request of our very own David, who asked me about pastry making. So I am sharing with you the recipe I always use for savoury tarts, tartlets and quiches. It is a short pastry that uses butter and cream cheese, it gives the pastry a very delicate texture and have a melt in the mouth feel, not to mention being easy to make, with no fancy techniques or baking knowledge needed.

Following the pastry recipe is a special bonus this week! Well there is no point in having a cooked pastry case sitting there and nothing to do with it, is there? So we are also going to make an onion tart, a classical French dish that I love to share with friends over a glass of Beaujolais, an espresso, some brie or camembert and a little cranberry sauce with a splash of lemon juice in it for extra tartness and not a hint of meat in sight!

We will be looking at other pastries over the coming weeks, so you will always have an easy to prepare recipe on hand when the occasion arises. Oh and a special recipe soon to help the Irish celebrate St Patrick's Day!

Until then, bon appetit and enjoy!

Ingredients for Short pastry

butter (at room temperature)	125	gm
cream cheese (at room temperature)	125	gm
plain flour	250	gm

How to make Short pastry

1. Cream the butter and cream cheese together
2. Add flour and combine quickly to a homogenous paste (add more pastry if it seems to wet)
3. Refrigerate for one hour to allow it to rest
4. Remove from chiller and allow to come up to temperature before rolling (enough to line 1 x 20cm flan ring)
5. Lightly grease and flour a 20 cm flan ring, roll out pastry and line the flan ring
6. Lightly pierce the bottom of the pastry with a fork (this is called docking the pastry) to stop any air bubbles forming when baking, place on a tray
7. Line with some greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans, lentils or similar
8. Rest again for 1 hour
9. Blind bake in a pre-heated oven (170ºC) for 20 minutes

Chef's Tip for Short pastry

Do not worry if the pastry tears when lining the case, the texture of it means patching up is easy and undetectable when cooked.

Onion Tart Recipe

Hub-UK comment:
I could not resist having a go. Pastry is something I have avoided using over the years. I don't know why but I feel I have been missing out on a whole range of recipes. Anyway last night I rolled up my sleeves and got baking - I certainly recommend the Onion Tart.

Ingredients for Onion Tart

blind baked pastry case	1	pc
onions	6	pc
eggs	3	pc
cream (or milk)	300	ml

How to make Onion Tart

1. Peel and finely slice the onions
2. Heat a pan and add a little olive oil
3. Place in the onion and cook gently for 30 minutes until the onion has turned a light golden brown, stirring often. This slow cooking process will caramelise the natural sugars and turn the onion very sweet
4. Drain if required and place in the pastry case
5. Lightly whisk the cream and eggs together, season with sea salt, freshly milled pepper and grated nutmeg
6. Pour over the onions, the mixture should be just below the edge of the pastry case
7. Place in a pre-heated oven (170ºC) and bake until the egg mixture sets (approx. 20 minutes)

Enjoy and bon appetit . . . . .

Published 05 March 2001