Recipes: Provencal tarte fines with grilled Cornish Sardines, Lemon tart

Provencal tarte fines with grilled Cornish Sardines

Serves 4

24cm x 24cm Puff pasty sheet rolled 4mm thick and well docked

4tblspn olive oil, infused with a garlic clove

2 Courgettes cut into 5 cm slices

4 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and quartered, seeds removed

1 tspn thyme leaves

25g Green and black olives cut in halves

4 salted Anchovies cut in thin strips

12 sardine fillets, scales removed

30ml extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon

2 sprigs picked small basil leaves

Few drops Cabernet wine vinegar

Method

Place the puff pastry on a baking sheet and pre-heat an oven to 200C, place a sheet over the puff pastry and a wire rack to stop it rising. place in the oven and bake for eight to ten minutes until nut-brown, remove from the oven, remove the rack and paper and allow to cool. When cooled cut 4x10cm discs from the pastry and reserve. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, and when hot place the courgette slices in until they take a little colour, about one minute each side, and remove from the heat and drain. Now divide the courgettes and tomatoes between the four pastry discs and arrange in a overlapping fashion. Sprinkle the tart with the thyme, olives and anchovies, lightly season, drizzle with a little olive oil and place the four tarts on a baking tray. Reduce the heat in the oven to 150C and place the tarts in the oven for five minutes. On another oiled baking tray, lay the sardines out side by side and brush with a little olive oil, season and place under a hot grill for two minutes until just cooked, remove the tarts from the oven and place in the centre of a plate. Carefully arrange three fillets of sardine over the top, sprinkle a little lemon juice over, the basil leaves followed by the rock salt and extra virgin olive oil. To finish, drizzle a few drops of cabernet wine vinegar over the sardines.

Lemon tart

Serves eight

For the pastry

100g unsalted butter, at room temperature

75g icing sugar

Half a vanilla pod, seeds scraped out

200g plain flour

One egg

Pinch of salt

Two egg yolks, (to seal pastry when it is cooked)

For lemon tart mix

Ten organic un-waxed leafy lemons finely zested & juiced (450ml juice)

500g sugar

1 litre double cream

six egg yolks

six whole eggs

Icing sugar to dust

To make the pastry first sieve the flour with a small pinch of salt, next beat the sugar, soft butter and vanilla seeds together until pale in colour with an electric mixer using a paddle attachment on a medium speed. Gradually add half the beaten egg, then half the flour then the remainder of the egg and follow with the last of the flour. Knead until you have a smooth dough but do not overwork. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for one hour.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly-floured table to about a 32cm round, then line a 2.5cm deep flan tin, or cake ring on a baking tray. Leave the pastry overhanging the edge of the ring, this will be trimmed after cooking. Refrigerate for 25 minutes. Preheat the oven 180°C.

Line the inside of the tart case with greaseproof paper then fill to the top with baking beans (if you don’t have baking beans at home you can use rice). Bake for 18/20 minutes. Remove the greaseproof and baking beans, and cook for another four minutes to finish cooking the pastry. Whilst still hot brush the inside of the tart with the egg yolk and bake for a further two minutes. Turn the oven down to 110°C.

For the lemon tart mix first boil the lemon juice and sugar together, remove from the heat then add the lemon zest. Allow to infuse for three or four minutes then pass through a fine sieve. In a separate pan bring the cream to the boil and allow to cool slightly. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl then add the egg yolks, whisk together then pour the lemon juice/sugar mix onto the eggs whilst still whisking and then follow with the double cream. Once again pass through a fine sieve. Skim off any bubbles from the top.

Place the tart case in the oven and gently fill it to the very top with the tart mix, be very careful to avoid any spillages. Bake for 40min at 110°C until set. The middle should wobble like a jelly when the tart is cooked. Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for at least three hours at room temperature, do not put in the fridge as the pastry will go soggy.

When cool trim the excess pastry from the edge of the ring, remove the ring then cut the tart into wedges. Dust with icing sugar and caramelise the top with a blow torch.