Pear and Raspberry Mini Tarts — ALICIA'S KITCHEN ANTICS

Jan 4

Jan 4 Pear and Raspberry Mini Tarts

I did not get my mince pies this year... there was some snow and we didn't want to risk our lives for mince pies (which I still think would have been worth it but you know how men are...) so I had to make up my own Christmas / end-of-year tarts with what I had in my fruitbowl and freezer. I am a cr*ppy baker (I leave baking desserts up to my sweet-toothed boyfriend) but I ended up with these yummy little raspberry and pear tarts covered in grated marzipan. They are quite simple to make and because the shortbread crust does not contain any sugar they are not overly sweet.

Have a go ;)

WHAT DO YOU NEED? (about 8 to 10 tarts)

For the filling:

200g of frozen raspberries
1 pear peeled and cubed (center removed)
1 tbps of sugar
1 tbsp of honey
1 tsp of butter

Shortbread crust:

50g self raising flour
80g regular flour
65g cold butter in cubes
1 tbsp of cold water
a pinch of salt

Topping:

grated marzipan (fresh out of the fridge to make it easier to grate)

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

First of all, start with the dough. That way it can rest while you make the filling. Sieve both flours together. Then add the salt and butter. Mix it all together by squeezing it in between your hands so it becomes a crumble. Do make sure you don't warm it up in your hands, try and keep it cool. Make a little well in the middle and add the water. Carefully mix it around and finally start kneading on a floured surface. When done, wrap in some plastic and rest in the fridge.
Make the fruitmix by simply melting some butter in a pan. Add the raspberries, pear, sugar and honey and mix it all together leaving it to caramelize on a low heat. The pear does not need to melt into a puree, they can stay slightly hard so your tart will have an extra texture.
Pre-heat the oven at 200°C. Warm some dough in your hands to make it more malleable. Roll it out with a pin roller between two sheets of plastic foil until it is a couple of mm thick. I used a wide glass to cut the dough into circles. Line a muffin tin with some baking paper squares and push the dough in the muffin shapes. Poke some holes with a fork and place the tin in the oven. After about 10 minutes, add the filling and top with the marzipan. Leave in the oven for another 5 minutes or until the marzipan begins to colour.