Tag: dessert

Strawberry and Chocolate Tartlet

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Canarian Recipes: Tartaleta de fresa y chocolate 

The combination of chocolate and strawberry is unmatched. That delicious combination is especially perfect when packed into a cute little mini tart. These tarts are best served the day they are made.

(for 3 units)

  • 400 g shortcrust pastry
  • 30 g sugar
  • 200 g strawberry purée
  • 200 ml double cream
  • 150 g dark chocolate
  • 150 g cooking cream
  • 2 sheets of gelatine
  • Icing sugar
  • Fresh berries
  • Flaked coconut
  • Unsalted pistachios

Instructions

  1. Combine the strawberry purée (or crushed strawberries) with the double cream, reserving 5 tablespoons of the mixture. Freeze the remainder for 1 hour.
  2. Line the tartlet cases with the shortcrust pastry. Prick the base with a fork, place baking paper on top, add some dried legumes, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 180ºC.
  3. Allow to cool.
  4. Melt the chocolate in the heated cooking cream, allow to cool, and fill the tartlets. Chill in the fridge.
  5. Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water. Heat the reserved purée and dissolve the drained gelatine in it. Combine with the remaining cold mixture and mix well.
  6. Whip the mixture with electric beaters and pour over the chocolate ganache. Smooth the surface with a spatula and refrigerate.
  7. Decorate the tartlets with strawberries and fresh berries, chopped pistachios, flaked coconut, and a dusting of icing sugar.

Lattice Apple Pie

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A classic lattice apple pie featuring a woven top crust made by layering 10-12 pastry strips over apple filling, allowing steam to escape for better caramelization.

  • 1kg apples, eg Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Braeburn
  • 120 g sugar
  • 2 tbsp cornflour level
  • 1 tsp cinnamon, to taste
  • Juice of 1 medium lemon
  • Pastry. 2 sheets of Shortcrust
  • Milk or egg wash to glaze/seal
  • 1 tbsp sugar to sprinkle on top

Pastry

  1. Gently place 1 sheet of pastry into your pie dish press the dough into the corners and edges, all the way to the top edge of the dish.
  2. Trim any excess with a sharp knife.
  3. Cut the second sheet into strips, width depending on how much you like your pastry 🙂 Between 1 and 2 inch thick.
  4. Put the pie dish, lattices and any spare pastry in your fridge to chill while you make the apple pie filling.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 200°C,180°C air fryer

Apple Pie Filling

  1. Peel, core and slice all of the apples (or chop into 1″ chunks) and place into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the lemon juice and mix together to coat the slices evenly.
  3. Next, add the sugar and cornflour and cinnamon and stir together to evenly coat the slices.
  4. Remove the chilled pie dish from the fridge and add your apple slices. You can do a fancy pattern if you want.

Begin creating your lattice!

  1. The design is up to you; simple weave where you lift one over and then one under.
  2. Brush the edges of the strips with milk/egg wash (where the strips meet the edge of the pastry base) and press firmly to seal the edges. This can get a little confusing so take your time. 😉
  3. Trim off the excess from the edges of the strips. If you like, finish it by pressing the back end of a fork into it to create pretty grooves round the edges!
  4. Brush the whole pie top with milk/egg wash and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on top.

Bake

  1. Place the pie in your preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
  2. After 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 180°C (160° air fryer) and bake for a further 30-35 minutes.
  3. The pie will be baked when the crust is a lovely golden brown colour, the filling should be bubbling slightly and an apple slice should feel very soft when you poke a sharp knife into it.
  4. Leave to cool completely before serving, as the filling thickens and firms up as it cools. This allows you to cut neater slices to serve.

No time for lattice?

Sweet Potato Trout

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Canarian Recipes: Trucha de Batata

Sweet potato dumplings are a delightful dessert and a cherished homemade recipe often made for Christmas. No-one seems to now why it has a “fishy” name. It’s  a pastry but with a sweet filling.

Ingredients for the Dough

  • 1 kg of flour
  • 200 g of sugar
  • 200 g of butter or lard
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder (Royal type)
  • Grated lemon zest

For the Filling

  • 1.5 kg of yellow sweet potatoes 
  • 50 g of almonds
  • Grated lemon zest
  • Cinnamon
  • 2 whole eggs
  • Anise seed (a little)
  • 3 tablespoons of sugar, plus extra for decoration

Making the Dough

  1. Knead the flour with the lard and a little butter until the dough no longer sticks to your hands.
  2. Allow it to rest for a while.
  3. Then, roll out the dough with a rolling pin and use a bowl or cutting ring to form the circles, which will be ready for filling.

Preparing the Filling

  1. Cook the sweet potatoes in salted water until soft. Peel them and mash well with a fork.
  2. Next, add the peeled and ground almonds, cinnamon, a little anise liqueur, and mix thoroughly.
  3. Taste the mixture to see if it needs any additional ingredients.
  4. Once the filling is ready, start filling the circles; place the filling from the centre towards the front and fold them in half, creating a crescent shape.
  5. Seal the edges with a fork, decorating the edge to resemble a shell.
  6. Fry them in hot oil, and as they darken, remove them from the pan.
  7. Drain excess oil by placing them on absorbent paper.
  8. Once drained, arrange them on trays and sprinkle with sugar on top.