19 February, 2007

Raspberry and Apricot Tarts

There is something about rusticity in food which always attracts me, like rustic charm of puff pastry and I'm a total devotee of it:) The pre-rolled puff pastry in my freezer which thaws out so swiftly is one of my favourites. You may have to pay little for the privilege of having your own pastry rolled for you. But I'm not complaining as long as it has the perfect thickness for making tarts or pies of all shapes and sizes with all kind of fillings whether sweet or savoury.

This weekend when we got a big packet of raspberries from weekend farmer’s market, which were the best one I had it in years. They were juicy, sweet with a hint of tanginess. Although I got them for making crumble I ended up stuffing in puff pastry which was perfect for our lazy Sunday. They were crunchy with sticky-syrupy fillings. And best thing is they require very less preparation time. This is my entry for Trupti’s Little Chef’s in Kitchen (err… am I late?).

Raspberry and Apricot Tarts

Ingredients:
A roll of Puff Pastry
Sugar
Raspberries
Dry Apricots
Little butter
Raspberry/Apricot Jam for glazing
Icing Sugar


Raspberry and Apricot Tarts


Method:
Preheat the oven at level 5.
Thaw the pastry as instructed and roll them on floured surface.
Sprinkle sugar (according to how sweet you want) on the pastry surface and roll them a little.
Cut them into squares using sharp knife.
Grease the cup cake tins and place the pastry sheets giving them desired shapes. If required cut out the excess sheets or leave as it is as it gives the rustic look.
Place 4-5 raspberries, apricot and drizzle more sugar on top and add little unsalted butter on top and bake them for about 15-20 minutes till puff pastries turn brown and crisp.
Cool them little and transfer to serving dish and glaze them with jam.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.


Raspberry and Apricot Tarts


What is puff pastry?

The key to using puff pastry is knowing what it is and how it works. There are four main ingredients in puff pastry: flour, butter, salt, and water. No leavener. So what makes it rise up so high and fluffy? It's the way these ingredients are combined and their reaction.

Once it comes together is when the true labor begins. The dough is rolled around a thick slab of butter. Through a process of folding, turning, and rolling, the butter is dispersed throughout the dough creating hundreds of very thin layers of dough separated by a film of butter.

Raspberry and Apricot Tarts


The butter layer is what causes the rise. When the pastry is heated, the butter melts and boils, creating steam which lifts the successive layers higher and higher. At the same time, the heat is cooking the flour, hardening it around those minute air pockets, creating the puff. Puff pastry expands 6 to 8 times its pre-baked height. Puff pastry is known as Pâté feuilletée, in France and is used in the making of Napoleons, palmiers, croissants, allumettes, turnovers, en croute dishes, pithiviers, tartes tatain, beef Wellington, bouchées, and vol-au-vents.

(Source: www.homecooking.com)


Raspberry and Apricot Tarts

33 comments:

  1. hey u changed ur blog's look. Just like ur tarts Raspberry and apricort are my fav fruits, I use to take them to school and eat when get bored:).
    Both ur blog and trats are simple and elegant

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  2. Nope,just in time!!Tomorrow is the deadline!:))
    I love the photographs,you are getting better and better my dear little sister!:D
    Dessert if yummy and easy to make,very creative!

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  3. The tarts look so pretty !!!! Want to grab them and pop them in my mouth :)

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  4. Nice banner! Your blog always looks pretty.
    Raspberry and apricot tart look great.

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  5. yummmm.....I'd eat this anyday!! nope you aren't late at all my dear!

    hey,I read your comment about the pickle masala, I usually get mine freshly ground from a mill in Baroda...and my inlaws bring it back for me, but I know that it has equal amounts of fenugreek seeds,and red chili powder and salt in it.. you have to roast the methi first,then then add it to chili powder. Some ppl add cumin, and turmeric..I usually don't. Hope that works for you. Try a gujarati brand of this powder if you can find it..like Laxmi, or Nirav brand, they are nice and better than some other ones.

    Good luck!

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  6. Wow..perfect tarts...looks delicious.Will try them soon.

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  7. Hi Sups,

    This is something nice try....i have recently got puff sheet...Thanks for sharing

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  8. Absouletly delicious tart.
    wonderful pics, especially I love the last pic.

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  9. I just love the new header. Looks really Indian and very artistic.
    I have some filo sheets lying in my freezer, will try making these treats with them.

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  10. A Nice Writeup and beautiful photos. Valuable info also. Tks for sharing. Viji

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  11. Hi Supriya! I like the changes in the look of your blog! And I'm quite fond of puff pastry anything! Thanks for that info about puff pastry sheets, was really educating. This recipe also goes on my must try list!:)

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  12. @padma,
    oh thats good. u will surely gonna like this:) thank u for ur compliments girl:)

    @asha,
    he he... as usual just before deadline for me;)
    thank u ashakka for all ur kind words:)

    @sandeepa,
    go on girl... grab some;)

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  13. @manjula,
    thank u girl. glad u liked the new look and tarts:)

    @trupti,
    thank u for the info:) i am not sure which brand we get here. so will check in gujarathi store. if i dont get it there i will try making it at home and let u know:) it sounds quite easy to make them at home. my uncle and aunt(dad's sis) stay in baroda, so might as well ask them to parcel;)

    @mahi,
    thank u dear:) do let me know when u give it a try.

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  14. @soumya,
    thanks kuse:)

    @usha,
    thats good usha. u can use any fruit of ur choice but try to use berries. they taste really good.

    @JFF,
    thanks dear. so u liked the pics or recipe;)? just kidding:)

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  15. @priya,
    thank you girl:) glad u like the header. i was not very sure abt it in the begining:)
    do let me know when u give it a try. hope u like it too:)

    @viji,
    thank u sweetie. looking forward to ur marathon of recipes;)

    @jyothsna,
    thank u. even i love anything using puff pastry:) was googling to get more info about puff pastry and bumped into this. so thought i'll share it with with u all:) glad u found it informative:)

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  16. Sups,
    Beautiful photography gal. U getting just better and better. How about you open a photography school and me in that bahana will visit you and enjoy both ( your food and photography).
    Nice looking yummy tarts.
    -
    Seems

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  17. Your blog looks smart, you re-did it! I liked the pix too, and nice info about the mysterious workings of the puff pastry!

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  18. oh my god sia they are looking sinfully delicious..beautiful snaps of tarts.
    I love your new look too..

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  19. @seema,
    he he... yavaga bekadru baa... adre A ninna biduga henge?;)

    @sra,
    thanks girl:) glad u liked my blog makeover;)

    @lakshmi,
    welcome back buddy... hope u had great time:)

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  20. @sri,
    do try them sometime girl:) i am sure u will like it:) and thanku for ur compliments:)

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  21. Ho Ho,looks like you posted just when I was not looking!I kept checking your blog till yesterday morning, and here you are,with a new post.I just love puff pastry.I usually make curry puffs with it,a favourite with bot my hubby and daughter.I buy the ready rolled puff pastry too sups!it is soo easier than rolling out the block,though I have worked with the block too in the past.

    These tarts look so great and yet such a simple recipe!

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  22. hi supriya
    nice picture.those tarts are lovely..and yummy too!!!!!!

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  23. Puff Pastry makes thing so much easier, right?? :D I love this product. Your Raspberry and Aricot Tarts are looking so delicious, I have to try it the next time i'll get puff pastry.

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  24. Hi Supriya,
    As usual it is looking del...i..ci..ou..s :-b.......drool.
    Hema too has used puff pastry even you hve used them!!!I am feeling jealous now:) You all are so lucky to get them readymade. We do not get them here, even in metros :(
    So many recipes can be dished out with these sheets(our very own Indian patties sold in bakeries can be made).
    I think they are scared to introduce it in the market,fearing the local bakeries will close down then :))))So now I can only gaze at ur photos n dream:)

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  25. Hi Supriya,
    Sorry did not notice the new look of ur blog , server problem. Just saw it The look is really elegant and Indian and not to forget the pretty 'maharani' who completes the look:)

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  26. @vini,
    u have worked with block too? i should have guessed that myself:) its so much easy with rolled one i too loved it with curry stuffing:)

    @sawpna,
    thank u girl:)

    @nidhi,
    u r absoulutely right nidhi... life is so much simpler with ready to roll pastry sheets:) do let me know if u try this:)

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  27. @archu,
    girl... u r the lucky one. here we don't get many vegetables and ingredients we get back in india. we have to satisfy our craving with canned or frozen stuffs which cant be compared with fresh ingredients. so what if you don't get puff pastries? u still can get them readymade from dozens of good bakeries:) we cook them at home coz its much cheaper than the ones from bakeries or super markets;) consider urself really lucky for all these and more. wish i could come back to india and settle there:(
    and thank you for ur compliments. so sweet of u girl:)

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  28. Hi Sia, Firstly, loved ur presentation and photos. And as u said, its an easy recipe too. I have tried the same once with apples. Made the filling with apple bits, a small piece of butter and sugar and a touch of cinnamon too. Perfect for those days when u have a craving for some dessert after a dinner or lunch.

    Shn

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  29. @shn,
    our thoughts match a lot;) i too have tried tarts with apple and just loved it. isn't it a simple dish which we can make with minimum preparations:)

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  30. Wonderful looking tarts. They make my mouth water. Love apricots and I usually eat apricot jam to satisfy my tastebuds.

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  31. @hema,
    even i like aprocot jam hema:) just checked ur recipe with puff pastry:)

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