Neenish Tarts Food

TRADITIONAL NEENISH TARTS

Steps:

• Place the flour, butter, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until it looks like wet sand. Add the egg yolk and pulse until mixed through. Finally add the ice water ½ tablespoon at a time and pulse between each until the dough just starts clumping together.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly flour surface and knead just until smooth (not for too long). Press into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F / 180C fan forced. Grease and lightly flour a 12 hole muffin tin (notes)
• Roll the dough out to about 3mm thick and use a large round cookie cutter (8.5cm / 3.5in), to cut rounds of pastry. Gently drop them down into each hole of the muffin tin, making sure they're level. The pastry should come about 2cm up the side of the holes. Return to fridge for 15 minutes.
• Prick the base of each pastry case with a fork and bake for around 10-12 minutes until starting to turn golden. Then transfer to a cooling rack until completely cooled.
• Spread about 1.5 teaspoons of jam over the base of each tart case.
• Tip the boiling water into a small dish and sprinkle the gelatine over the top. Mix with a fork, then allow to sit for 5 minutes.
• Add the sugar and milk to a small saucepan and heat over very low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Give the gelatine another stir, then pour it into the hot milk and stir until completely dissolved.
• Let the milk mixture cool to room temperature before continuing
• Beat the butter and vanilla until light and creamy. Slowly pour in the milk mixture while constantly beating.
• Spread the mock cream over the tarts and use a spatula to make the top level.
• Mix the sifted icing sugar and the milk together until you have a smooth spreadable consistency (see notes).
• Transfer half to a separate bowl and add the cocoa, mix well.
• In the other half add just a small amount of pink food colouring (optional) and mix.
• Use a small spatula to spread the pink icing over half of each tart then allow them to set a little at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes.
• Repeat with the chocolate icing.

NEENISH TARTS

Steps:

• Spray the bases of two 12-hole tart pans (or muffin pans) with oil.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured bench to about 3mm thick.
• Using a 6cm cookie cutter, cut 24 rounds from the pastry. Press each round carefully into the bases of the prepared pans. Prick all over with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake the bases for 10-12 minutes until golden. Cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
• To make the filling, mix together the butter, icing sugar, condensed milk, lemon juice and zest until smooth. Spoon the filling into the cooled pastry bases and refrigerate.
• For the white icing, place 1 cup of icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk in a heatproof bowl. Stir over gently simmering water until smooth and glossy.
• To make the chocolate icing, repeat the process, then add the cocoa powder.
• Start with a line of white icing across the middle of the tart, then work your way towards the side. Turn the tart around and repeat with the chocolate icing. (I found transferring both icing mixtures into small squeezy bottles made icing these much easier.) Keep refrigerated.

NEENISH TARTS

Steps:

• Turn the oven on to 350 deg F.
• Cream the butter and sugar, add egg and beat well.
• Mix in sifted dry ingredients.
• Knead well.
• Roll out and line patty tins, prick and bake about 10-15 minutes.
• When cold, fill with the filling.
• Filling: Soften the butter, add the sifted icing sugar, condensed milk and lemon juice.
• When set, ice half the top with white icing and half with chocolate icing.