This chapter title reminds me of those uncouth bogans we caught the school bus home with, waving their hands at the passing traffic and screaming out the window…

Frivolity aside, the beautiful thing about tarts is that a tart shell can carry the most delicate of mousses and make it transportable; the shell itself is delicious, and with a little care in preparation will add a wonderful texture to the dish.

Always, when making sweet tarts, brush them out with chocolate. Let’s not get fancy and turn this into a huge process — just melt a bit of chocolate and smear it on the inside of the tart shell to seal the pastry and stop moisture migration (aka soggy tarts). We’ve all been there, when we’ve purchased a tart and the pastry feels like a soggy biscuit.

When storing tarts, keep them in an airtight container to stop them absorbing moisture and odours from the atmosphere. Some of the tarts in this chapter have quite a few components, so protecting all your hard work by using the right type of container is well worth it.

The secret to our tarts is to prepare some of the bits a few days ahead. The best pastry chefs in the world may well not be the most technically advanced — just better at logistics. I will give you an example: if we were to make the Alfonso Pompelmousse tart, we’d start making the mango mousse and coconut mousse two days before, the following day we’d make the jelly and tart shells, then we’d serve the tart on the third day. It is so much easier to spread your workload.

We have a small team (just Teena and me!), so it’s easier to keep on top of things by preparing a few little bits every day. While a small team can be dynamic, we bore easily with monotony, so this also keeps life interesting, no two days alike.

If you’re having a dinner party, preparing most of the tart ahead will also leave you free to look after that expensive and all-important main-course protein. And of course give you a bit more time to settle back and relax!