Mastering the art of pastry: Eric Lanlard tells us how

Tarts and pies are big news this autumn, so we asked our favourite French pâtissiere, Eric Lanlard, to share some of his trade secrets with us… plus his delicious recipe for salmon, wholegrain mustard and dill tartlets, all taken from his gorgeous book Tart It Up!

PERFECTING PUFF PASTRY

• Make sure you dust any loose flour away from the puff pastry, as it can prevent the pastry from rising properly when baked.
• Roll the pastry without pushing too hard, otherwise you will break all the lovely layers you made when creating the turns.
• As puff pastry contains no egg or sugar it needs to be brushed with egg-wash before baking.

HOW TO LINE A PIE DISH

• Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface or piece of clingfilm to 6cm larger than your dish. Grease your dish, then lift the pastry over a rolling pin and lightly drape over the dish. (Peel away the clingfilm if using.) For tarts, loose-bottomed pie tins are best.
• Gently lift the edges of the pastry upwards and ease the pastry into position. Press the pastry firmly but gently into place with your fingertips, ensuring that there are no gaps between the pastry and the dish.
• Turn any excess pastry outwards over the rim of the dish, then run the rolling pin over the top of the pastry case so that any excess pastry is cut off. Smooth any rough edges with the side of a blunt knife.

WHAT IS BLIND BAKING?

• Blind baking a pastry case means to bake it when it is empty so that the filling doesn’t make it soggy. Prick the base of the pastry case with a fork. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes; this will help to stop it from shrinking during baking.
• Place a large piece of nonstick baking paper over the base and sides of the pastry case. Fill the base with dry beans or rice.
• Bake in an oven preheated to 180˚C until the case is just set (usually 8 to 15 minutes).
• Remove the paper and dry beans/rice and bake empty for a further 5 to 10 minutes until the base is dry and crisp and the top edges of the tart are golden.
• Leave in the dish and continue with your chosen recipe.

ERIC LANLARD’S SALMON, WHOLEGRAIN MUSTARD AND DILL TARTLETS

Some of the classic combinations are still the best, and it would be silly to try to update them. Rich smoked salmon, an abundance of fresh dill and spicy French grain mustard … a perfect starter or light meal.

Serves 6
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes

15g butter
4 spring onions, finely chopped
175g smoked salmon, cut into strips
6 x blind-baked shortcrust pastry cases, each in individual mini pie dishes
2 eggs, beaten
150ml créme fraîche
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
2. Melt the butter in a small frying pan and gently fry the spring onions for 2–3 minutes, or until softened. Remove from the pan and leave to cool.
3. Arrange the smoked salmon in the base of the cooked pastry cases.
4. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, créme fraîche, dill, mustard and cooled spring onions and season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour the mixture into the tart cases, pulling up some of the salmon through the egg mixture so it is visible on the surface.
6. Bake in the oven for 18–20 minutes, or until just set and golden.

Recipe and pastry tips taken from Tart It Up!, published by Mitchell Beazley; photographs © Kate Whitaker.

WHEN LOOKS REALLY COUNT

While tarts and pies have hearty appeal, making them in individual mini dishes takes them up a notch for sophisticated table presentation. (And it’s a clever stress-busting move for dinner parties, when the way your culinary offerings are plated is a major part of the party experience.)

Once you’ve invested in a set of our mini fluted flan dishes and individual mini pie dishes, you won’t look back. They are perfect for savoury and sweet tarts and pies, and work brilliantly for individual starters and main dishes as well as irresistible desserts that will make your guests feel that you really are feeding them a labour of love.

Almond Tarts in Mini Fluted Flan Dishes – click here for recipe

Tomato Tarts in Mini Fluted Flan Dishes – click here for recipe

Passionfruit Tarts in Mini Pie Dishes – click here for recipe

Mini Fluted Flan Dish
11cm
The flan or tarte dish is made from our superior stoneware, which is well suited to baking and outperforms materials like aluminium to provide steadier and more even heat distribution. Its fluted sidewall adds charm to finished pastries while also serving the functional role of helping crusts bake perfectly. These dishes are perfect for savoury or sweet tarts as well as quiches. Shop now

Mini Pie Dish
13cm
This stoneware pie dish is cleverly designed with sloped sides and a gentle bowl shape that make it extra-easy to cut into the tasty contents straight from the oven. Our stoneware performs brilliantly when it comes to distributing heat evenly and steadily, so that the crust cooks perfectly every time. Shop now

TREAT YOUR MUM

Be a sweetie pie and spoil your mom. Buy her a set of three mini fluted flan or mini pie dishes and receive a fourth dish free in our Mother’s Day promotion until 11 May.

All prices are correct at time of publication, and are subject to change.
Mother’s Day promotions available between 7 April and 11 May 2014.