Bacon, leek and reblochon open tart

I sometimes like to make one large rustic-looking tart, rather than the traditional round quiche. The hand-shaped tart is slid straight on to a preheated upturned grill pan or baking tray at a high heat, so there is no need to chill or to blind bake the pastry; the heat of the tray will help to give a nice crisp base. Here, the topping is quite thin, so it bakes quickly.

MAKES A 25CM TART
salted pastry 1 quantity. Instructions here

For the base filling
crème fraîche 800g
eggs 8, large
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
nutmeg 1 freshly grated

For the savoury filling
smoked bacon 4 slices, chopped or 200g smoked lardons
small potatoes 4
thin leeks 2
reblochon 2 slices (or emmenthal, port salut, goat's cheese, camembert, brie or even cheddar are fine)

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7 and, if necessary, put an upturned baking tray in to heat. Make the salted pastry and roll into a rough circle, about 25cm in diameter. Place it on a sheet of baking parchment and use your fingers to pinch a rim all the way around to contain the filling.

To make the base filling, whisk the crème fraîche a little to loosen it, then mix in the eggs with a wooden spoon (using a spoon instead of a whisk prevents overmixing, which can make the filling dense). Season well and add the grated nutmeg.

To make the savoury filling, gently heat a dry frying pan and, when hot, add the bacon. When golden, transfer to kitchen paper to absorb excess fat. Boil and slice the potatoes and very finely slice the white part of the leek. 

Place the bacon, potatoes and leek in the pastry case. Spoon some of the basic filling over the top and finish with slices of reblochon.

Open the oven and carefully slide the tart, still on the baking paper, on to the hot grill pan or tray. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden.

Spelt biscuits

These crispy wafer biscuits, which are great with cheese, are made with spelt pastry, a variation of salted. I substitute all the flour in the basic recipe with wholemeal spelt flour and add some extra wholegrain spelt so that you get a really good, crunchy texture.

MAKES ABOUT 20

salted pastry 1 quantity, but substitute all the plain flour with wholemeal spelt flour. Instructions here
wholegrain spelt 1 tbsp

Make the salted pastry, but add the wholegrain spelt to the spelt flour at the beginning. Rest the neatly squared-off pastry in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably several, or, better still, overnight. The firmer it is the better.

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3.

Using a very sharp knife, cut the chilled pastry into wafers about 2-3mm thick. Lay these on one or more baking trays and bake for 10-12 minutes. They will be a dark golden colour, thanks to the spelt. Remove from the oven and leave to cool and crisp up a little on the tray(s) before transferring to a rack to cool completely. The biscuits will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks.

Lemon tarts

I like to make small lemon tartlets, but you might prefer just a big one (26cm x 4cm), which can be cut into slices. You can blind bake the pastry cases in batches, two to three days in advance if you like, and keep them in an airtight container, ready to fill. You can then finish the baking when you want to serve them. If you have any lemon filling left over, spoon it into ramekins and bake in the same way, but without the pastry. Serve with biscuits and a little crème fraîche.

MAKES 24 X 8CM TARTLETS

sweet pastry 1 quantity. Instructions here
butter for greasing the tins
egg 1, beaten with a pinch of salt, for sealing the pastry
icing sugar for glazing (optional)

For the filling
unwaxed lemons 7
eggs 9
caster sugar 400g
double cream 250g

Make the sweet pastry, then rest it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably several, or, better still, overnight. Lightly grease 24 loose-bottomed tins, 8cm in diameter and 2cm deep. (If you don't have this many tins, you can bake in batches.) Skim a fine film of flour over your work surface, roll out the pastry 2-3mm thick and use to line the tins. Line with baking paper and ceramic beans. Place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5.

Remove tins from the fridge, place on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes. Lift out the paper and beans, brush pastry with beaten egg, and bake for another 8 minutes, then set aside.

Lower the oven to 150C/gas mark 2. To make the filling, zest four of the lemons and squeeze the juice from all of them. Whisk the eggs, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl until smooth, then add the lemon juice. Lightly whip the cream and fold it into the egg mixture. Skim any froth from the top, then pour into the pastry cases.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until the filling doesn't wobble if you shake the tins very gently, and the centre feels just set when touched. Don't wait until it feels very firm, as it will firm up a little as it cools. Leave in the tins for about 15 minutes, then lift out and cool on a rack for 2 hours before eating. If you like, before serving, you can dust the top of each tart with a little icing sugar and melt with a blowtorch to glaze.

Peach and rosemary almond tarts

Peach and rosemary might sound like an unusual combination but the flavours of the fruit and herb work really well together – though you could substitute some sprigs of thyme or lavender if you prefer.

Granulated sugar is cheaper than caster sugar, and is fine for making syrups. The syrup used to poach the peaches in this recipe can be stored in the fridge and simply boiled again when you want to use it for another recipe. Remember to skim off any impurities that come to the surface, and add a little water if the syrup needs to be thinner. It can also be used instead of apricot jam to glaze the tarts.

MAKES 4 X 16CM TARTS

sweet or almond pastry 1 quantity. Instructions here
butter for greasing the tins
almond cream 1 quantity
clear apricot jam about 200g, for the glaze (optional)
rosemary sprigs for decoration

For the poached peaches
granulated sugar 500g
rosemary 2 sprigs
peaches 10

For the almond cream
unsalted butter 250g
caster sugar 250g
ground almonds 250g
flour 50g
eggs 3
Poire William liqueur or rum, or equivalent 2 tbsp

Make the sweet pastry, then rest it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably several, or, better still, overnight.

To make the poaching syrup, put the sugar and rosemary in a pan with 1 litre water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer until you have a colourless syrup. Put the whole peaches into the syrup, bring to just below a simmer, then cook gently for 20 minutes. Take off heat; leave to cool.

Lightly grease four 16cm loose-bottomed tart tins (2cm deep). Skim a fine film of flour over your work surface, roll out the pastry 5mm thick and use to line the tins. Place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.

To make the almond cream, beat the butter until very soft, preferably in a mixer. With the motor running, add the sugar and ground almonds and mix some more. Now mix in the flour, then the eggs, and finally the alcohol. transfer to a small bowl and put in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Using a spoon or piping bag, fill the pastry cases with the almond cream, then place on baking trays and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden. Leave in the tins for 15 minutes, then lift out and cool on a rack. Remove the peaches from the syrup (keep to one side), peel the fruit, then cut in half carefully, as they can be fragile. Remove and discard the stone. With a skewer, make small holes in the baked almond cream and gently pour about 1-2 tablespoons of the syrup over each tart so it soaks in.

If making the apricot glaze, put the jam into a pan with a tablespoon or two of water and bring to just under a simmer – don't let it boil or the jam will become too gooey to spread properly. Alternatively, make the syrup glaze below. Using a pastry brush, lightly glaze the top of the tarts: this will give the fruit something to stick to. Place five peach halves on top of each tart, cut side downwards, then glaze a bit more. Push small sprigs of rosemary into the fruit to decorate.

Variation: poaching syrup glaze. Put 200ml syrup into a small pan, bubble it up to reduce a bit, then take off the heat. Soak 2 gelatine leaves in cold water for a few minutes, then squeeze them out and put into a cup or bowl. Add a little of the hot syrup and stir until the gelatine has dissolved, then mix into the rest of the syrup. Leave to cool, then brush over the tarts.

Rhubarb and white currant tarts

This is a very simple but chic combination: the pink of the rhubarb and pearly white "necklace" of currants give it quite a feminine appeal. Lightly poached rhubarb is a favourite of mine, and the recipe came about when I had some of the early season, bright pink, forced rhubarb (a speciality of West Yorkshire) in the kitchen, and decided to use it as a topping for an almond tart. I felt that an extra flavour and colour was needed so I added some white currants. It has become one of my favourite tarts. If you wish, you can fill the pastry cases with almond cream, then freeze them, ready to bake. Alternatively, you can bake and then freeze them until needed. Just defrost and warm them through before poaching the rhubarb. You can use the poaching syrup for a glaze.

MAKES 4 X 16 CM TARTS

sweet pastry 1 quantity. Instructions here
sugar 250g
rhubarb 6 sticks, cut into 6-8 cm lengths
butter for greasing the tins
almond cream 1 quantity, see peach and rosemary almond tarts
crème de cassis 2 capfuls
white currants 1 punnet
clear apricot jam about 200g, for the glaze (optional)

Make the sweet pastry, then rest it in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably several, or, better still, overnight.

Put the sugar and 500g water into a pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until you have a colourless syrup. Add the rhubarb and cook for 4-5 minutes, until it has softened but still offers resistance when you prod it with a sharp knife. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rhubarb to a rack placed over a baking tray to drain and cool. Set aside the pan of poaching syrup.

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Lightly grease four 16cm loose-bottomed tart tins (2cm deep), preferably fluted. Skim a fine film of flour over your work surface, roll out the pastry 5mm thick and use to line the tins. Place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the almond cream, see peach and rosemary almond tarts, above.

Using a spoon or piping bag, fill the pastry cases with the almond cream, then place on preheated baking trays and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden. Leave in the tins for about 15 minutes, then lift out and cool on a rack.

Mix the crème de cassis with an equal quantity of the poaching syrup. Prick the top of the tarts with a skewer, then pour the liquid over the almond cream, letting it soak in. Arrange the rhubarb and white currants on top.

If making the apricot glaze, or the syrup glaze, see peach and rosemary almond tarts. Using a pastry brush, lightly glaze the top of the tarts.