A comment from Nicola, who had found my previous post on Pease Pudding Pastry, has inspired an experiment today. She asked if I had tried make a sweet version to make mince pies.
Now a sweet version is not a problem. The problem really lies in the consistency of the pastry which can make a great crust but as it is couldn’t be guaranteed to make a tart case that can be lifted whole from a mould.
I had thought on this issue previously and had considered adding gram flour to form up the mix. However I had not tried this yet but a recent investment in a bag of gram flour made this an option to try today.
The benefit of gram flour is that is gluten free although it does have a calorific hit to take.
Today I have tried an experimental bake with standard pease pudding pastry and with a batch with gram flour added. I will repeat the main recipe at the end and for now will focus on the success or otherwise of each option.
For ease I made a savoury quiche filling using eggs, cottage cheese, ham and chilli flakes.
Half the tray (6 tarts) were made using with the regular mix and half with gram flour so that both sets were baked under the same conditions.
Both batches looked similar when they came out of the oven.the four on the right and the lower two on the middle row used the standard mix. However lifting them out quickly showed that the batch with gram flour included could be lifted more easily and retained their shape completely.
These ones used the regular recipe and as you can see from the images the base has crumbled and fallen apart when lifted.
The batch that used gram flour lifted with a little teasing and made a tart that had a firm base and top and worked very well. I would cook them for longer next time just to firm up the base even further.
I will try again in the coming week to perfect the timing and to make a sweet version but for now clearly this is a great addition to the available menu. I will also try chilling the mix as you would with regular pastry
The Recipe:
- 1 tin of pease pudding (410g)
- 1 egg
- 75g of gram flour
Mix the pease pudding and egg into a smooth mix and then stir in the gram flour until a pastry ball has been made.
Spray the muffin tin with fri-light oil.
Without chilling shape a lump of dough into a ball and then flatten into a patty.
Gently press the pastry into a mould until there is a thin and even covering over the area. Make sure it is thick enough so that the dark of the tin cannot be seen through it but not too thick leaving no room for filling.
Fill each base with filling and then repeat the exercise with a smaller amount of dough to create a top, gently pushing it against the filling and edges of the tart.
Bake in a medium oven (Gas mark 6/7 180-200c) until golden brown on top with browning edges.
Put on a wire rack to cool and then gently lift each tart from the tin. You may have to use a knife to gently loosen the edges.
If you have a try and perfect the recipe please share you success here for others to see.
Change how you cook and still enjoy what you eat. 