Lesson 11: Tart it Up!

 

You all know that I love making tarts… You all know that I love making tarts for you!

 

It was finally time in class to make a conscientious move towards the type of baked goods I love!

 

Lesson 11: Assortiment de Tartelettes Individuelles ßà Individual Tartlets

• Tartelettes à l’Orange – Baked Orange Tartlets with a brûlée top
  
• Tartelettes au Citron – Baked Lemon Tartlets with a Caramelised Italian Meringue top
  
• Tartelettes au Chocolat – Multilayered Tartlet with a soft almond chocolate cake and ganache topping
  
• Tartelettes aux Poires Bourdaloue – Bourdaloue pear tartlets, pears surrounded by a soft almond cream
  
• Les Amandines – ‘Amandine’ tartlets with almond cream and flaked almonds
  
• Tartelettes Bretonnes à l’Abricot – Brittany Tartlets with apricots and Cointreau Pastry Cream
  
• Tartelettes Bretonnes à Le Pomme – Brittany Apple Tartlets with Calvados
  
• Tartelettes Cocktail – Fruit Cocktail Tarts with Fresh Fruit and Grand Marnier Pastry Cream
  

 

THE PROCESS WAS LONG, BUT SHHH…. THERE WERE ONLY 2 TYPES OF PASTRY BASE!

 

 

AND SO, MARVEL AT THE TARTELETTES… please no gawking!

 

 

THIS HAS BEEN VERY BENEFICIAL, THE ORDERS ARE ALREADY 2 MONTHS LONG …

… Get in line I am more than happy to make you happy!

 

 

 

NOW FOR THE TRIUMPHS AND TRIBULATIONS OF PRACTICAL CLASS!

 

This Practical was the beginning of my role as Assistant for this week.

 

That means I must arrive 30 minutes early to class and go down into the depths of the Sous Sol, the basement kitchens, round up all our ingredients and scramble up and down the stairs to the third floor practical kitchen until everything is in order!

 

Luckily, I am Assistant with the golden girl, my dear friend, who is a gun in the kitchen, very organised, smart and can actually speak French!

 

We are a great team and it is a pleasure working with her!

 

So getting back to the practical ….

 

We were charged with making the Chocolate Tartelettes and the Orange Brulée Tartelette.

 

First on the cards was making the very fine, 1.5-2mm thin, delicate but oh so perfectly crisp pre-baked tartelette shells!

Then onto the Orange filling which was not so secretly laced with both Cointreau and Grand Marnier as usual, and as advised by the esteemed Gourmand Chef!

Then onto making the soft chocolate almond filling; before we whipped up the chocolate ganache.

And finally the best part of all assembly and creating that crisp, crunchy caramelised sugar brulée topping with a massive industrial chefs blow-torch! So much fun!

 

 

May I present my…

Tartelettes à l’Orange – Baked Orange Tartlets with a brûlée top

Tartelettes au Chocolat – Multilayered Tartlet with a soft almond chocolate cake and ganache topping

 

Just a small slice anyone?