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.

Save my recipe to Pinterest by clicking here

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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H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Jammy marzipan tartlets

One of my home-made jammy marzipan tartlets with a cup of tea | H is for Home

When I asked Justin what he fancied me making for this week’s Cakes & Bakes item, he replied: “I like jam, I like almonds, I like pastry.” So, that was my mission set; I’ve come up with jammy marzipan tartlets.

Round of pastry dough sliced into 6 portions | H is for Home

There are three stages to the method; the pastry, the marzipan and then the filling… four, if you count the bringing it all together.

Putting jelly into pastry cases | H is for Home Putting marzipan into pastry cases | H is for Home

Consequently, this means you can make the pastry and marzipan days – or even weeks (they can be prepared and frozen) –  in advance if needed; making the filling and finishing off on the day.

Tartlets before going into the oven | H is for Home Tartlets after coming out of the oven | H is for Home

The recipe is similar to a Bakewell tart – using marzipan rather than frangipane.

6 home-made jammy marzipan tartlets in a muffin tin | H is for Home

I have a cupboard full of my different home-made jams & jellies, so I chose a jar of mixed berry jelly for the bottom layer. If some of your jam/jelly bubbles up and leaks over (like half of mine did), don’t allow the tartlets to cool completely in the tin before trying to remove them. Unfortunately, my jelly set like cement and it was impossible to prise them out in one piece.

Tartlet with a cup of tea | H is for Home

Despite this, they were gorgeous, bite-sized morsels of sweetness… and went down a treat with a cup of tea. I’ll be making these again!

Jammy marzipan tartlets recipe | H is for Home  #baking #cooking #cookery #jamtart #jellytart #marzipan #pastry #recipe #sweettart #tart #tartlet

Save my jammy marzipan tartlets recipe to Pinterest

Jammy marzipan tartlets
Yields 6
Prep Time
1 hr 30 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
1 hr 50 min
Prep Time
1 hr 30 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
1 hr 50 min
For the pastry
  1. 90g/3oz plain flour
  2. 36g/1¼oz 'tant pour tant' (18g/⅔oz icing sugar + 18g/⅔oz ground almonds)
  3. pinch of salt
  4. 65g/2¼oz very cold butter, cubed
  5. ½-1 tbsp cold water
For the marzipan
  1. 150g/5oz ground almonds
  2. 200g/7oz icing sugar + extra for rolling
  3. 2 tsp almond extract
  4. 1 egg white
For the filling
  1. 100g/3½oz ground almonds
  2. 45g/1½oz caster sugar
  3. 2 eggs, beaten
  4. ½ tsp almond essence
  5. 1 tbsp fruit jam or jelly
  6. 15g/½oz flaked almondsHome-made jammy marzipan tartlets ingredients
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For the pastry
  1. Put the flour, icing sugar, ground almonds and salt into a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to combine
  2. Add the cold butter and pulse again until you get to the fine breadcrumb stage
  3. Whilst still pulsing, add the ice cold water until the mixture begins to get lumpy - like dry scrambled eggs
  4. Empty the pastry into ziplock bag and seal
  5. Form the dough into a ball by bringing it all together, still in the sealed ziplock bag, as if you’re making a snowball
  6. Chill in the fridge for ½ to 1 hour - you can use this time to make your marzipan (directions below)
  7. Once the pastry is chilled, grease a 6-hole muffin tin
  8. Lightly flour your work surface, remove your ball of dough from the fridge, unwrap and divide it into 6 equal pieces (about 20-22g each)
  9. One by one, roll each piece of dough into a ½cm thick round shape. Cut into perfect circles with a cookie cutter (or upturned drinking glass if you don't have one) that's slightly wider than the hole of your muffin tin. **Rolling each pie case individually means that you don't overwork the pastry by re-rolling over & over again**
  10. Gently press the pastry rounds into the muffin tin holes (handy hint: use a small lump of pastry to do this if you have long fingernails!)
  11. Set aside while you make the filling
For the marzipan
  1. Put the ground almonds, icing sugar, almond extract and egg white into a food processor and combine until a thick ball of dough is formed
  2. Turn the paste out onto a work surface and knead it a few times. Roll it into a short, fat log (you want the diameter to be slightly smaller than the pastry case base). Wrap the log tightly in cling film and chill in the fridge for ½ to 1 hour - you can use this time to make your filling (directions below)
For the filling
  1. Put the ground almonds and caster sugar into a bowl and combine
  2. Add the beaten eggs and almond essence and combine well
To finish
  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
  2. Spread a generous layer of jam/jelly onto the bottom of each tartlet pastry case
  3. Remove the marzipan log from the clingfilm, Slice off 6 x ½cm rounds. Any unused marzipan will keep for a month in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer
  4. Place a round over the jam/jelly in each of the tartlet pastry cases
  5. Spoon over enough filling to just below the rim of the pastry case
  6. Sprinkle the top with a few flaked almonds and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the filling is baked through and golden-brown all over
  7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes in the muffin tin. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
  8. Dredge a little icing sugar over the tops
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H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Lemon curd and jelly tarts

Home-made lemon curd and fruit jelly tarts with a cup of tea | H is for Home

I had a bit of leftover lemon curd from last week’s Pavlova recipe… I also have jar upon jar of home-made fruit jelly in the store cupboard. As someone who hates to waste anything, I thought I would make some simple lemon curd and jelly tarts.

Making pastry tart cases | H is for Home

Whether you’re rubbing in by hand or using a food mixer, the shortcrust pastry is a breeze…

Filling pastry tart cases | H is for Home

…then fill with your preserve(s) of choice and bake. Start to finish in an hour or so. Perfect if you want to rustle up something quickly – or try a bit of baking with the kids.

Cooked lemon curd and fruit jelly tarts | H is for Home

You can leave them plain & simple – or perhaps pretty them up a bit. I garnished the top of the lemon curd tarts with a single blueberry and the jelly ones with a little sprinkle of dessicated coconut.

Adding garnishes to lemon curd and fruit jelly tarts | H is for Home

They’re a good finger food for a party or an afternoon or high tea. They’re simple, inexpensive and delicious – a great combination!

Click here to save the recipe for later!

Home-made jelly and lemon curd tarts | H is for Home
Lemon curd and jelly tarts
Yields 24
Cook Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Ingredients
  1. 180g/6oz plain flour
  2. pinch of salt
  3. 90g/3oz cold butter, cubed
  4. 3-4 tbsp cold water
  5. 8tbsp lemon curd
  6. 8tbsp fruit jelly or jamHome-made lemon curd and jelly tart ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Put the flour and salt into a food processor and whiz briefly together to mix
  2. Add the butter cubes and pulse briefly a dozen times or so until you have coarse crumbs
  3. 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
  4. Tip the clumped crumbs onto a sheet of cling film and gently squeeze together into a ball without pressing too hard
  5. Wrap & chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
  6. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 6
  7. Lightly grease a tartlet tin
  8. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry out thinly
  9. Using a pastry cutter slightly larger than the circumference of a tartlet hole, cut out pastry rounds
  10. Press the pastry rounds evenly into each hole (I use the end of my rolling pin as a tamper)
  11. Fill each pastry case with about a teaspoon of lemon curd or jelly/jam
  12. Bake for 15 minutes
  13. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin before attempting to remove them
  14. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack
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H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Bookmarks: Pie

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'Pie' book by Genevieve Taylor

Today’s Bookmarks review features Pie by Genevieve Taylor. What a treat, as we love a good pie… who doesn’t?

foreword in 'Pie' book by Genevieve Taylor

We haven’t met the world’s lone pie-hater yet either!

game pie

Buttery pastry & rich fillings – tasty, hearty & homely. What’s not to like?

salmon encroute

You can, of course, find bad examples – the infamous petrol station pie springs to mind – cold, pale, soggy & bland. A very poor substitute for the wonderful offerings in this book.

apple pie

They’re not difficult things to make. A bit of preparation maybe, but once they’re in the oven, they look after themselves. No last minute running around. Just the gorgeous smell of bubbling fillings &  pastry browning to heighten the appetite.

double crust pie

This book expertly guides you through the whole process.

lamb filo pie

There’s an early chapter covering pastry – different types, methods, techniques & tips.

different pastry recipes

Then lots of examples of what to do with it.

suet pudding

Hot pies, cold pies, sweet & savoury pies.

smoked gammon pie

Pies from Britain & the rest of Europe , North Africa, America and the Caribbean.

leek, bacon and cheese quiche

It features meat & vegetarian options.

Greek pie

Some very traditional pies such as steak & ale, cheese & onion and raised game. Others are far less familiar – Tunisian egg pastry pie, creamed celeriac & Serrano ham tartlets, greengage & ginger strudels.

steak and ale rough puff pie

There are a hundred recipes in all, so you’ll never run out of ideas!

lattice pie pie

The wonderful photography by Mike Cooper is sure to inspire you. The pies are beautifully staged with wooden boards, old knives, vintage enamelware, tins & crockery. The lighting is superb and the images really live.

summer tartlet

Recipes are clear & concise – each neatly fitting onto its own page so there’s no turning backwards & forwards.

Moroccan carrot tart tatin

When it comes to pie, home-made is definitely best so this book is a must for any kitchen shelf. Pies can provide the perfect meal for a relaxed family gathering, a light lunch or a dinner party.

weekend pies

We defy you to read this book and not want to get baking.

smoked salmon tarts

So what’s keeping you – there’s pie to be made!!

stargazy pie

Pie is also available from Hive and Amazon.

Here’s a little preview of the first pie we tried from the book. It’s a leek, blue cheese & wild garlic pie – an interesting combination of ingredients that could all be locally sourced… and truly delicious which is the most important thing. Blog post with recipe to follow in a couple of days!

blue cheese with wild garlic pie

[Many thanks to Bloomsbury for this review copy]