Ingredients
Makes: 12–15
PASTRY SHELLS
FILLING
Method
- Preheat the oven to 230°C and thoroughly grease a 12-hole jumbo muffin tin.
- Prior to preparing, place all ingredients in the fridge to keep them as cold as possible, including the mixing bowl.
- Using a food processor, pulse the flours and salt together until combined. Add the shortening and pulse until the mixture is very crumbly and fine. Next, pour in the cold water and pulse until a cohesive dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to the chilled glass bowl and use your hands to knead it into a smooth ball. Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 3mm thick, making sure it’s completely even.
- Using a 10cm round cookie cutter, cut out circles and press them into the prepared muffin tin. Smooth out the pastry in each mould so that it’s completely flat on the bottom. Prick the bottom of each pastry with a fork a few times, creating small vents to allow hot air to escape while baking.
- Bake for 10 minutes and remove, the reduce heat of the oven to 200°C.
- While the shells are baking, make the ‘egg’ filling. Place all the filling ingredients, except for the tomatoes and basil, in a high-speed blender or food processor. Puree on high speed until completely smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
- Fill each baked pastry shell almost to the top with the ‘egg’ filling. Place the tomato pieces on top, pressing them gently into the filling.
- Bake for another 10–12 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned.
- Garnish the top of each tart with fresh basil and serve either warm, at room temperature, or thoroughly chilled.
TIPS:
- Blanched almond flour is made from almonds that have had the skins removed, so doesn’t have the brown flecks typical of almond meal.
- Perfect baking is all about precision. For the best results, use a digital kitchen scale set to grams and weigh the ingredients where these weights are given.
