Tart up your lunches

BURNT BUTTER + PEAR TART

For the pastry:

• 150g / 5.3oz plain flour

• 75g / 2.6oz unsalted butter

• 1 tbsp coconut oil, or flavourless oil

• 1 tbsp water

For the filling:

• 100g / 3.5oz butter

• 1/2 pear, quartered and thinly sliced

• 2 eggs

• 50g / 1.7oz sugar

• 2 tbsp flour

• 1 tsp vanilla paste

1. For the pastry, grease and line 4 small tart tins.

2. Melt butter and oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add remaining ingredients and stir until combined and a crumbly dough forms. When butter starts to fizz around the edges, stir continuously and keep mixture on heat for another minute.

3. Remove from heat and scrape into tart tins. When the dough is cool enough to handle, press it into tart tins as evenly as possible.

4. Pop in the fridge and chill for 30 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.

6. Remove tart cases from fridge. Use a sharp knife to trim edges.

7. Line tarts with baking paper and blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove baking weights and baking paper and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until tarts are a light golden colour.

8. Reduce oven temperature to 150°C / 300°F / Gas Mark 2.

9. Put butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir occasionally to ensure it melts evenly. It will foam and then turn a warm amber colour before, finally, a dark, warm brown. Remove from heat.

10. Pour butter through a strainer to separate solid bits at the bottom of pan.

11. In a stand mixer, beat egg, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Spoon in flour. With the beater running, slowly pour in burnt butter and continue to beat for a minute or two until mixed well.

12. Sprinkle pear slices into tart cases and then pour burnt butter filling to just below the rim.

13. Place in oven for 15 minutes (or 20 minutes if you have a large tart), or until top is golden and filling has set.

14. Once cooled, dust with icing sugar and serve with yoghurt.

SALMON + FENNEL TART

For the tart case:

• 1 sheet of flaky pastry

• 1 egg, beaten

For the filling:

• 1 tsp grapeseed oil

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 1/2 tsp ginger, grated

• 100g / 3.5oz sour cream

• 50ml / 1.7 fl oz vegetable stock

• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

• 1 tsp chopped dill or fennel

• 75g / 2.6oz salmon or tuna, cooked

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.

2. Grease a shallow muffin tray.

3. Cut out your pastry shapes, making sure they’re big enough to fit in the muffin tray holes and extend up the sides. Pop them in the tray, and then brush pastry with egg.

4. Heat oil, garlic and ginger in a small frying pan over low–medium heat.

5. Add sour cream and stock, stirring often, until sauce is combined and begins to thicken.

6. Add lemon juice and parmesan, and season to taste.

5. Stir through salmon and chopped dill or fennel.

6. Spoon into prepared pastry cases and bake for 10 minutes or until pastry is golden.

OAT, WALNUT + BEETROOT TART

For the tart case:

• 80g / 2.8oz oats

• 100g / 3.5oz walnuts (you could also use almonds or pistachios)

• 2 tbsp cornflour

• 50g / 1.7oz butter

• 2 tbsp chilled water

For the filling:

• 4–5 balsamic baby beetroots^*, quartered

• 2 tsp onion jam^* or chutney

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 large handful baby spinach or chopped chard

• 6 eggs

• 125g / 4.4oz feta cheese

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tbsp oregano leaves

1. For the tart cases, chop walnuts into small pieces in a food processor.

2. Add rolled oats and whiz again briefly until mix resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

3. Pop into a bowl and stir through cornflour, and then rub in butter with your fingertips.

4. Mix in water to make a stiff and slightly sticky dough.

5. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.

7. Grease and line bottom of 4 small tart tins.

8. Press mixture into tins, and pierce bottom and sides with a fork. Chill for a further 30 minutes.

9. Blind bake for 10 minutes. (See Issue 3 for instructions about how to blind bake.)

10. Remove weights, bake for a further 10 minutes and then remove from oven.

11. For the filling, cook garlic with a splash of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.

12. Add spinach or chard and cook until slightly wilted.

13. Pop beetroot in tart shells.

14. Whisk eggs and mix in all remaining ingredients.

15. Poor egg mix evenly between tarts and then pop tarts in oven.

16. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until filling is set.

17. Cool, and then serve.

These recipes are from issue 6 of Lunch Lady Magazine. If you like this and would like more recipes, articles and craft ideas you can buy the mag in our shop here or download the Lunch Lady app from your app store and purchase digital issues here