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People love baking for all sorts of reasons. There’s a scientific exactness to it, which rewards the more precise and obsessive of us with fantastic results that simply can’t be achieved if corners are cut. There’s a never-ending list of recipes, techniques, methods and schools of baking from cultures all around the world to discover. There’s the satisfaction when you finally master something that looks pretty enough to adorn a Parisian patisserie window. But what many of us secretly like more than anything is when you bring something beautiful, completely homemade and delicious to the table, basking in the oohs and aahs as everyone bows down to your culinary prowess.
A well-made tart is about as impressive as you can get when baking – get the pastry case perfect, fill it with something deliciously indulgent and decorate it however you like, and you’ve got something that is bound to generate plenty of cooing from your lucky guests. Whether you’re expressing your love for someone on Valentine’s Day, want to celebrate a birthday but don’t fancy cake or simply have some friends coming round for dinner that you want to impress, preparing a tart might take a long time but it’s certainly worth the effort. But of course, following a good recipe is key. That’s why we asked Lani Greenhalgh – a chef at The Laughing Heart in east London who is particularly skilled in the arts of tart-making – to share three incredible recipes from her repertoire. See which one takes your fancy below, dust some flour over your work surface and get ready to create something truly swoon-worthy.
Rhubarb, ginger and custard tart
When it’s in season, rhubarb is a triple threat of colour, flavour and texture. When introduced to sugar and heat, these bright pink stalks soften and release their tart, piquant flavour – the perfect antidote to the cold weather at the start of the year. Lani macerates sliced stalks with a hit of star anise to decorate the top of her tart, before liberally brushing them with a rhubarb-flavoured jelly for a shiny finish. Cut into it and you’ll reveal a thick layer of ginger-flavoured custard, which offers a soothing, indulgent, creamy contrast to the shocking pink layer above. Rhubarb tarts are always a huge hit on Instagram, with the stalks painstakingly arranged in pleasingly geometric designs. While Lani has gone for a beautiful circular arrangement, the stalks can be laid out to create all sorts of eye-catching patterns.
Blood orange and chocolate tart
Blood oranges are a rare treat, coming into season during the winter and only hanging around until spring. If you can get your hands on some then the striking flecks of red will add bags of wow-factor to the finished tart, but regular oranges work fantastically well too. The segments of citrus are embellished with a blood orange jelly, and the chocolate filling is perfectly set so there’s just a slight wobble to it when cooked. A stunning iteration of the classic combination of chocolate and orange.
Meyer lemon meringue tart
Meyer lemons are sweeter than run-of-the-mill lemons and are a result of crossbreeding lemons with mandarins. This means they’re incredible in desserts, providing all that lemony flavour without the accompanying overpowering tang. Lemon curd has been paired with meringue since the nineteenth century, and the lemon meringue pie remains an incredibly popular dessert to this day. By using Meyer lemons, Lani packs as much flavour as possible into the curd, before piping blobs of Swiss meringue on top with a French star nozzle to create those beautiful ridges. For added drama, the meringue is quickly brushed with the heat of a blowtorch to emphasise the pattern.
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