I know I don’t post dessert recipes very often, as you may know, I don’t have a sweet tooth.
But hey! Sometimes I treat myself too and it’s strawberry season, so I have no excuses.
These foolproof mini tarts are really, really easy, full of flavour and everyone who tried them so far, couldn’t believe they are vegan. Yes, there is no butter, no eggs, no milk, no whatever, yet they taste amazing and they remind me of the Italian “pasticcini” (fresh pastries) which are really common in Italy.
INGREDIENTS for the shortcrust pastry:
180g all-purpose flour
40g brown sugar
5g baking powder
50g rapeseed oil
40g unsweetened soy milk
A pinch of salt
INGREDIENTS for the custard:
250ml unsweetened plant-based milk
35g sugar
20g cornstarch or potato starch
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ organic lemon
A pinch of turmeric (optional)
200g fresh strawberries to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
Start by making the custard: in a pot, mix the sugar, the vanilla and the cornstarch. Add a splash of milk and start whisking. Move the pot over low to medium heat and keep stirring whilst pouring the milk. At this stage, replace the whisk with a fork tucked on half lemon and continue to whisk until it is well thickened. Leave the custard to cool and make sure to cover it or the surface will dry.
For the shortcrust pastry, in a bowl mix the flour together with the baking powder and salt whilst in another whisk the liquid ingredients together with the sugar.
Mix the dry and liquid ingredients together and knead until the pastry looks smooth. Cover with a tea towel and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Using a rolling pin, stretch the pastry on a floured surface and about 5mm thick. With a cookie cutter, cut it into small circles and place each one in a muffin tray or moulds.
Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes. Once cooled, fill each tart with 2 to 3 tbsp of the custard and garnish with fresh strawberries.
You can store these mini tarts in the fridge for up to three days and you can make them any time of the year using fresh, seasonal fruit.
