Loretta Sartori

Presented in 1996

Neenish tarts

Makes 24

Sweet shortcrust pastry

200 g (7 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

1 egg (55 g/2 oz)

300 g (10½ oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

Buttercream

260 g (9¼ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

2 eggs (60 g/2¼ oz each)

400 g (14 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

To assemble

raspberry jam

150 g (5½ oz) fondant icing (available from Greek delicatessens)

sugar syrup, for thinning (if needed)

pink food colouring

50 g (1¾ oz) dark chocolate, melted

Sweet shortcrust pastry

Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale. Add the egg and mix until absorbed. Stop the machine and add the flour, then mix on low speed until the ingredients are blended. Do not overmix. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour prior to use.

Divide the pastry in half and refrigerate or freeze one half for another use. Knead the dough lightly and roll out on a lightly floured surface to approximately 3 mm (¹/₈ inch) in thickness. Using a 5–6 cm (2–2½ inch) cutter, cut out rounds and line twenty-four 6 cm (2½ inch) tartlet tins with the pastry. Refrigerate the tartlet cases for 30 minutes prior to baking.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Bake the tartlet cases for 12–15 minutes. The cases do not need to be lined and weighted down with rice (otherwise known as blind baking).

Buttercream

Place 200 g (7 oz) of the sugar in a small heavy-based saucepan, cover with water and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and continue cooking to 120°C (235°F).

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs with the remaining 60 g (2¼ oz) of sugar. When the sugar syrup is at 120°C, slowly pour into the whisking egg. Continue whisking until cool, then gradually add the butter. At this stage, the butter may initially appear to curdle, however, with further whisking it will soon appear light and creamy. (You can enhance the buttercream with a splash of kirsch, if desired.)

Note: If you add the butter when the eggs are still warm, then you will have a heavy, greasy cream. If the butter is too cold, then the mixture will remain curdled. In this instance, carefully warm over hot water and re-whisk.

To assemble

Place a small amount of the raspberry jam into the baked tartlet cases. Add a dob of buttercream and smooth over using a palette knife. Allow the tartlets to set in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Carefully heat the fondant in a small saucepan or over a bain-marie to blood temperature (35–40°C/95–104°F). If the fondant is still thick, soften with sugar syrup — do not heat further. Lightly tint the fondant with pink food colouring. Using a palette knife, cover half of each tartlet with pink fondant. When all the tartlets are completed, add some melted chocolate to the remaining fondant to colour it. Cover the remaining half of each tartlet with the chocolate fondant. Do not refrigerate. Neenish tarts will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for 6 days.