Cakes & Bakes: Cheesy baked bean tartlets

Home-made cheesy baked bean tartlet with jar of Tewkesbury hot mustard | H is for Home

I recently saw a picture somewhere (I can’t remember where) of little cheesy baked bean tartlets and thought they looked delicious.

Making shortcrust pastry | H is for Home

I started by making a basic, savoury shortcrust pastry. After that, all that’s needed is a small can of baked beans and a little bit of grated cheddar. Only 4 ingredients – not counting the pinch of salt and tablespoon of water.

cutting out pastry circles for tartlets | H is for Home Filling tartlet pastry cases with baked beans and grated cheddar cheese | H is fir Home

Just before I put them into the oven, Justin said something like, “Aren’t they getting any pie lids?”. As they’re cheesy baked bean tartlets, I wasn’t planning on topping them. However, I has some leftover pastry so re-rolled some and cut out four extra rounds.

Home-made cheesey tartlets and mini-pies cooling on a rack | H is for Home

The tartlets (and the mini-pies for, that matter) were lovely with a little smear of tewkesbury mustard that we got from Tracklements.

Home-made cheesy baked bean mini pie with bite out of it alongside a jar of tewkesbury hot mustard | H is for Home

These tartlets are really easy to make – you can even buy ready-made pastry if preferred. They’d be perfect for a picnic or served at a buffet or children’s party.

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Home-made cheesy baked bean tartlets recipe | H is for Home #tart #tarts #tartlet #tartlets #cooking #cookery #recipe #pastry #pie #pies #cheesepie #bakedbeans #minipies #baking
Cheesy baked bean tartlets
Yields 12
Cook Time
12 min
Cook Time
12 min
Ingredients
  1. 200g plain flour
  2. pinch of fine salt
  3. 100g cold butter, cubed
  4. 1-2 tbsp cold water
  5. (small) 220g tin baked beans
  6. 50g mature cheddar cheese, gratedHome-made cheesy baked bean tartlets ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Put the flour, salt and butter into a food processor and pulse about a dozen times until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
  2. Add a tablespoon of water and pulse again until small lumps begin to form. Add another tablespoon if necessary
  3. Tip the mixture out on to a cross made from two lengths of cling film. Bring the four ends of cling film together and squeeze and pat down the mixture to form a dough. Chill in the fridge for an hour.
  4. Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
  5. Grease a bun tin
  6. Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured work surface
  7. Using a round pastry cutter slightly larger than the holes in the bun tin, cut out circles of pastry and carefully and evenly place them over the holes (If you'll be adding lids, brush around the edge with a little milk
  8. Spoon about a teaspoonful of baked beans into each followed by a generous pinch of grated cheddar (brush the edge of the underside of each lid before carefully pressing it down on to the edge of the lower pastry round. Brush the top of the lid with a little milk or egg wash)
  9. Cook for 12-15 minutes in the middle of the oven until the pastry has browned slightly
  10. Remove from the oven and allow the tartlets to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing
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Cakes & Bakes: Cheese and celery pies

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Home made cheese & celery pies | H is for Home

National Pie Week is going from strength to strength here in the UK. It’s been talked about all over social media and in the traditional media too. Chris Evans and his team have been waxing lyrical about pies they’ve been sent by bakeries from all over the country.

Flour and cubes of butter in a food processor | H is for Home

Last year for Pie Week I made a lovely butter pie; this year I wanted to keep with the theme of a vegetarian, rustic, humble pie. I turned to my copy of Pie by Genevieve Taylor that we reviewed last year. I found just the recipe – cheese and celery pies – but with a little twist.

Flour and cubes of butter blended in a food processor | H is for Home

Pastry crumbs poured out on to clingfilm | H is for Home

The original recipe is a single pie done in a shallow pie plate. I quite liked the idea of doing little individual hand pulled pies. I used a couple of cling film-wrapped jars in lieu of a pastry dolly.

Pastry wrapped in clingfilm | H is for Home

Veg stock | H is for Home

Pulled pies are usually made using hot water pastry, but I was being lazy and just whizzed up a quick batch of shortcrust pastry. I think it worked just fine, but I’m sure Paul Hollywood wouldn’t approve!

Cooked off onions and celery | H is for Home

Hand pulled pie cases | H is for Home

This recipe made 4 small pies but you can easily scale it up. We had one each so I put the other two in the freezer – pre-baked – so that they can be taken out and baked off the next time we fancy a pie.

Filling pulled pie cases | H is for Home

Making pie tops | H is for Home

There was a little bit of pastry left over – isn’t there always? I quite like rolling it out thinly, slicing it into long thin strips, sprinkling over with cheese and baking for 15 minutes. What do you do with yours?

Glazing pie tops | H is for Home

Sliced home made cheese & celery pies | H is for Home

Now that I’ve done these cheese and celery pies, I’ve already started thinking about what pie I’m going to make next year!

Cheese and celery pies

Pie by Genevieve Taylor
Course Main Course
Cuisine British
Servings 4 pies

Ingredients
  

For the pastry

  • 360 g/12½oz plain flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 180 g/6⅓oz cold butter cubed
  • 6-8 tbsp cold water

For the filling

  • 25 g/1oz butter
  • ½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • ½ head celery sliced
  • 125 ml/4 fl oz veg stock or ½ veg stock cube + 125ml boiling water
  • 30 g/1oz mature cheddar cheese grated
  • salt & ground black pepper to taste
  • a little beaten egg to glaze

Instructions
 

For the pastry

  • Put the flour and salt into a food processor and whiz briefly together to mix
  • Add the butter cubes and pulse briefly a dozen times or so until you have coarse crumbs
  • Trickle in the water continuing to pulse until the mixture resembles rough lumps and looks a bit like overcooked and dry scrambled eggs. Add only as much water as you need
  • Tip the clumped crumbs onto a sheet of cling film and gently squeeze together into a ball without pressing too hard
  • Wrap & chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using

For the filling

  • Melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan
  • Add the onions and celery and cook over a medium-low heat for around 10 minutes or until they are just starting to soften
  • Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper and then pour in the stock
  • Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for around 30 minutes or until the celery is really soft and the stock has virtually all evaporated, stirring every now and then
  • Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely
  • Once the filling is cold, preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas mark 6

To make the pies

  • Get the pastry out of the fridge, divide into two - ⅓ (for the pie lids) & ⅔ (for the pie cases). Put the smaller piece back into the fridge
  • Divide the larger piece again into 4 equal pieces, rolling each into a ball
  • Wrap four small, clean, empty, straight-sided jars with cling film (I used a couple of empty Lidl Deluxe mushroom pâté jars)
  • In turn, put each ball of pastry onto a lightly-floured work surface and place a jar on top of the pastry
  • Sculpt the pastry around the jar, making sure the pastry is an even thickness all around. Make sure the bottom isn't too thick and that there are no holes in the pastry
  • Once you've done them all, put the pie bases in the fridge for about 20 minutes
  • Roll out the reserved ⅓ of pastry and, using a round cutter (slightly larger in circumference to the jar) cut out 4 circles. Make a hole in the centre of each and chill in the fridge.
  • Remove the pastry cases from the fridge and carefully work the jars out of the cases. If they don't come away easily, pour hot water into each jam jar to soften the pastry slightly to release them
  • Fill the pastry cases ⅔ of the way up with the cooked celery mixture and top each with a large pinch of grated cheese before pressing down gently and topping with a little more cheese
  • Remove the pastry lids from the fridge, and one by one brush the outer circumference with a little water, lay on the filled case and crimp the edges to seal
  • Brush each top with a little beaten egg to glaze
  • Put the pies on a baking tray and cook for 35-40 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp & browned on top and sides
  • Allow to cool on a wire rack before devouring!
Cheese and celery pies ingredients
Keyword celery, cheese,, pie