Contents

Introduction
7 Foreword by Melissa Leong
8 Why Tarts? by Gareth Whitton
10 The Makings of Tarts Anon
by Catherine Way
12 Our Tart Making Ethos
14 How to Use This Book
17 Key Ingredients
18 Key Equipment

The (not so) Basics

23 Our Pastry Recipe
28 In a Little More Detail
34 Glaze and Praise
39 Sliced to Perfection
The Tarts
44 Classic Tarts
72 Not Your Average Tarts
137 Calling Dr Dulce
140 Celebration Tarts
174 Savoury Tarts

The Trim
197 Quick Troubleshooting Guide
200 Index
206 Acknowledgements
207 Final Vows
Introduction
 INTRODUCTION

Foreword
by Melissa Leong

From a rustic quiche to a wobbly,

nutmeg-spiked custard, or an acute
angle of jewel-bright sharp lemon tang,
I’ve rarely met a tart I didn’t like.
And neither, I suspect, have you.
To me, tarts occupy a worthy place in the pantheon of pastry because a properly good
one manages to deceive us with doe-eyed innocence, while delivering an unexpected
punch in the face when it comes to flavour, texture and aroma. A heaping dose of nostalgia
doesn’t go astray, either. An open pastry shell occupied by a sweet or savoury filling, but
beyond that, the world’s your oyster. With so many possibilities, what sets a transcendental
tart apart from a middle-of-the-road one is the detail.
The birth of Tarts Anon is the story of what can go right, even in the wrong conditions.
Forged in the fires of a post high-profile pastry position, pandemic-related life (try saying
that thrice), Gareth’s lockdown baking and Cat’s entrepreneurial powers combined to
produce a gift for dessert tragics of Melbourne: tarts made with utter precision. Sharp
little slices of punchy flavour and sublime texture. Satisfyingly sharp wedges of goodness,
art in form alone. A study in realising that an effortless end result requires significant skill.
From classic to modern, their menu inspiration took us around the globe at a time
when we couldn’t take ourselves. An Italian-inspired tiramisu tart, a journey to the tropical
climes of Malaysia for lush coconut and pandan vibes, a very British-inspired Earl Grey,
chocolate and caraway nod to Heston Blumenthal, and a pumpkin spiced caramel tart
from the United States (naturally). All of it rooted in the foundations of classical French
pastry techniques. In a time where little made sense in the world, tarts became a life raft
of purpose for Gareth; a resounding answer to ‘what next?’ when it came to career.
What he didn’t see coming next was that by saying yes to the insanity of reality
television, tarts would lead Gareth to become MasterChef’s very first Dessert Master. To
compete among other professional pastry peers – and win – required more than just skill,
tenacity, and technique (they all have that). More even, than a distinct pastry identity
(they all have that, too). Gareth’s winning combo turned out to be a little luck, a lot of
hard-earned experience during the heat of service, and the ability to hit his straps when
it counts (late bloomers and those who find themselves lost at times, take note).
As the author of a foreword, I’m supposed to give you a bunch of reasons why
you should buy, read and cook from this book. That part’s easy: this book is a succinct,
approachable collection of well-honed tips, tricks, techniques and pieces of advice
on tart making. It also contains base recipes, sub recipes and essential equipment sure
to amp up damn near anyone’s tart game, no matter who you are.
With a great tart, the devil is in the detail. And all the detail you’re likely to need can
be found between these covers, whether you’re a keen home baker, or beyond.
 TARTS ANON

Why Tarts?
An Introduction by Gareth Whitton

Over and over, we’ve been asked,

‘Why tarts?’ It’s a good question.
It was never meant to be tarts.
I lost my job as head pastry chef at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Melbourne when the
restaurant closed down in early 2020 – and promptly slid into an early-onset midlife crisis.
After years of long nights and anti-social rosters, I reasoned it was the perfect time to throw
in the towel with hospitality. I applied for account manager positions in the food sector,
recruitment jobs, and I even entertained the idea of going to university. Then in March, when
the realities of COVID-19 set in, I was still unemployed. Eventually, I found myself applying
for anything that was going, which turned out to be a job at a supermarket. There’s nothing
like being well outside of your comfort zone to make you realise how good you had it.
I’d never truly thought of myself as a pastry chef, a feeling that had always been
reinforced by my colleagues. Too much of a chef for pastry town, too much of a pastry
chef for the kitchen. And, although I’d spent most of the last few years of my career in
pastry, I always wanted to stay in touch with the other side – to be a ‘jack of all trades’,
if you will. As a result, I’d never really plumbed the depths of pastry and pastry making,
working solely in restaurants and never in a bakery or boulangerie.
But over the months that I restocked and organised confectionery and cat soup
(literally soup for cats) on supermarket shelves, I found myself coming around to the fact
that the kitchen was where I belonged.
Meanwhile, my partner Catherine had suggested we do some baking at home as
a ‘fun’ lockdown activity. I didn’t immediately acquiesce. At that stage of lockdown I had
already found a fairly stable weekend routine of riding my bike much longer than the one
hour of exercise and 5 km (3 mile) limit allowed, then settling in for a long afternoon of
drinking red wine and watching TV on the couch. Catherine was persistent, however, and
sure enough doing some baking at home was enough to get my creative juices flowing
again. I started playing around with a few different techniques and recipes, but tarts
became the go-to.
Tarts have always been quite special to me. This started with making a plum and
almond tart in my first kitchen job in my hometown in the Southern Highlands of New
South Wales. It carried on later in my career to whenever it was my turn to make staff
dessert. I’d smash out a tart and fill it with whatever fruit or chocolate trim was taking up
real estate on the staff shelf. That tiny bit of extra effort to make a pastry base to fill with
the kitchen scraps that usually found their way to the staff table was enough to make the
rest of the team think that they had been treated to something special (possibly with the
exception of the huge failure that was a white asparagus and white chocolate ganache
tart that I once made – a recipe you will not find in the pages of this book). And yet, when
I arrived at Dinner by Heston in London, despite public expectations of fireworks, liquid
nitrogen, and culinary deception at every turn, I was somewhat taken aback to see a plain
custard tart on the menu. In time, I understood that this was the very essence of Heston’s
food – it was classic, consistent, delicious and unique enough to make it stand out in
 INTRODUCTION

its own way. Every element in every dish had a purpose and every recipe was tried and
tested to be the best version of itself.
This was the ethos I brought into Tarts Anon. Through many trials, we established
a good little business model that did exactly what it said on the box. We did one thing,
and we did it well (or, as well as we could with what we had at our disposal, which was a
domestic oven, a rolling pin and mostly home brand ingredients). It was the side-hustle-est
of all side hustles, baking tarts on the weekends in and amongst our two full time jobs.
I was always willing to abandon the lockdown project at the drop of a hat and regain
focus on my career. As the months ticked on, I’d swapped stacking shelves for working
at Lune Croissanterie – a workplace which became a huge inspiration for the eventual
direction of Tarts Anon – with its technically superb creations that would emerge from
the oven requiring little more than a dusting of this or that to reach their complete, perfect
form. My inclination to keep Tarts Anon small and not give it the validation that it deserved
was strong. We moved house to a bigger kitchen and a bigger oven, anything to keep the
business at home. As time went on, however, tarts were increasingly at the forefront of my
mind. It was hard not to keep wanting to make more and more tarts each weekend when
the demand was so high. Eventually I succumbed to the pressure (the local council were
onto us) and we signed a lease for a co-working kitchen space in Collingwood. The idea
that Tarts Anon would only be a lockdown project was growing weaker by the day.
People around me saw Tarts Anon’s potential far before I did. Catherine was rallying
friends and family to convince me to put more effort into expanding the business; even
my bosses at Lune Croissanterie saw promise in my side hustle. I started to see the faint
outline of a full-time job as a business owner appear.
So, why tarts? Perhaps the real answer is that my whole career to this point has
been leading up to what we now call Tarts Anon. We just had to add a global pandemic,
an existential pastry crisis and dodgy microwave-oven to get the recipe just right.
 TARTS ANON

The Makings of Tarts Anon

An Introduction by Catherine Way
We went through the stages of Melbourne’s pandemic lockdown not too dissimilarly to many
(then) childless couples in their thirties. Puzzles, day drinking, indoor fitness and a newfound
love for walking. We applied to adopt a rescue puppy, learnt a dance to a trending song,
and did the Sunday quiz over Zoom – all pretty cookie-cutter stuff.
But as we trudged into the depths of winter, I convinced Gareth that we could bake
together on weekends as an activity. For full disclosure, I have no baking skills whatsoever,
and, in hindsight, I had little interest in learning. Really, I was trying to manufacture one of
those stereotypical movie scenes where we’d throw flour on each other’s faces and giggle,
as he held the bowl and I stirred the wooden spoon.
Turns out I had completely underestimated Gareth’s need for control in the kitchen
and his no-nonsense attitude towards baking. ‘Wait, why are you doing that?’ ‘Here, do
it like this.’ ‘Are you actually cutting those peaches with a serrated knife?’ (I was). Gareth
simply couldn’t follow the recipe I’d chosen, a tart from Beatrix Bakes (‘I have an idea!’)
and he certainly couldn’t let my substandard pastry techniques and fantasy of a romantic
afternoon get in the way of pastry precision. Soon enough, I had doffed my apron and
taken out my digital camera to photograph the process with not even a fleck of flour
on my face.
But as Gareth continued to return to baking (unforced) come weekends, I was
mesmerised by the utter precision of the tarts that he managed to create in our hybrid
microwave-oven (which had a tendency to malfunction and switch between the two settings
while baking).
I wondered if we could sell the tarts on weekends to earn us some extra income.
I enjoyed photography and knew my way around Instagram, I reasoned in my head –
but the catch was that Gareth, being the pastry chef, would have to do most of the work.
I broached the idea with him one morning. He literally groaned.
Months went by before I was able to convince Gareth to allow me to drop some flyers
in our neighbours’ letterboxes in an attempt to sell the tarts. ‘People are bored,’ I insisted.
‘These tarts are delicious,’ I gassed. ‘It’ll be fun,’ I nagged. Gareth’s initial resistance was,
for me, to be expected. However, after eight years of dating, I also knew that he’d eventually
succumb to my will. In fact, I had already set up an Instagram page with a logo and
images aggressively captioned ‘COMING SOON.’ While I waited for a virtual meeting to
start, I made a post in our local neighbourhood Facebook page. The response was beyond
believable and soon Gareth was baking ten tarts every weekend from home, then twenty.
I had to introduce a rule that people couldn’t order two weekends in a row. I stopped people
from ordering more than one whole tart and told people who wanted a half that there was
only a quarter left so we could serve as many people as possible week to week. It was never
enough, though, and the fervour was real. For the next year, there wasn’t a single week that
Gareth’s tarts didn’t sell out. He was so in denial about the whole thing that he didn’t even
try to negotiate on the name of the business, which, admittedly, we both now hate.
With a commercial kitchen and more fridges, Gareth could streamline his baking and
pump out seventy tarts per week. It still wasn’t enough. I got tendonitis from sending too
many DMs. Gareth was burnt out from working at Lune Croissanterie and baking for Tarts
Anon on the weekends. In September 2021, the opportunity came up to move into our own
kitchen and open a shopfront, and we decided to take the plunge. The rent was affordable
and Gareth was probably too tired to object.
Tarts Anon had found a home.
 TARTS ANON

Our Tart Making Ethos

Tarts are, in our opinion, the perfect dessert.
They are the one pastry form that is able to
transcend all genres, from top-end dining
to regional bakeries.
At a minimum, you get buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pastry, which is in turn a vessel for an
unlimited array of flavours and textures. Then there’s the beauty of taking something so
entrenched in history and bringing it into the twenty-first century with modern techniques.
This is not a new concept by any means, but is something that inspires Gareth as a chef.
Once a tart comes out of the oven, there is minimal interference with the product
lest the integrity be lost. It’s all in the technique. Not garnishing techniques, or plating
techniques, but solid fundamental pastry techniques that dictate how the tart will taste
and look without any finishing touches. Something that would just come out of the oven
complete, its aesthetic left in the hands of the elements. We’ve never gone down the path
of building desserts inside tarts shells, or adorning with fruits and tuiles. And to this day,
with a few notable exceptions, this is something that we have not only refused to employ,
but has never tempted us. Sure, the finishing touches may have become more complex
than dustings of icing sugar or cocoa powder – carpets of chives or velvety coatings of
pectin-set glazes have joined the repertoire now, but the philosophy remains the same.
But for all our focus on technique, our tarts are not really designed to be thought
provoking or ‘educational’ like some dishes that have come out of restaurants Gareth
cut his teeth in. Theyʼre designed to be relatable. Although the odd one comes up that is
completely original, for the most part flavour combos the world over have almost all been
done; the good ones anyway. So we accept this – knowing full well that the best way we
can be creative here is to help our customers revisit old memories, or surprise them with
something that they thought they knew. We have tried to set ourselves apart by ensuring
that everything we want to include in the tart would be part of its composition. If it couldn’t
be worked into the body of the tart, it would usually be back to the drawing board.
Our process of flavour building revolves around how you eat it. Given the shape of
a tart slice, the most logical way to eat it is point to crust, pizza style. We imagine most
people are getting a mouthful of the cross section, so we want that mouthful to involve
every layer, and experience the same texture and flavour profile all the way through.
To achieve a balanced mouthful, we employ something called flavour encapsulation.
This means that instead of diluting the intensity of a certain flavour and increasing its
volume, we add intensified and concentrated elements in a certain area of the tart,
so that when it is eaten, then its flavour disperses evenly through the other elements,
providing the balance.
A good example of this is the Passionfruit and Ginger Tart (page 124). The custard
itself could have lovely, subtle undertones of ginger through it, and the jam could be
a perfumed passionfruit jam with a suggestion of spicy ginger notes. What we’ve done
instead is made an offensively strong ginger jam that when eaten alone could summon
the dead. But, underneath a refreshingly tropical passionfruit custard, it strikes the
perfect balance.
 INTRODUCTION

This all said, our approach to tart making doesn’t mean we don’t think the tarts you get
at the local bakery aren’t also bloody incredible. I mean, it’s butter and sugar, right? But if
you take the refinement of fine-dining cooking and the familiarity of your local bakery, then
you have an idea of what we’re aspiring to. Capturing what makes a tart exceptional and
being able to serve that same thing in a pizza box is a fine line of high–low balance we try
to tread seamlessly.
Moving into a shared commercial kitchen space and then to our own kitchen, hiring
staff and using quality suppliers has meant the benchmark for what we consider doing
something ‘well’ has increased immeasurably. With the equipment, staff and space to push
every element in every tart to its ‘best version’, doing something ‘well’ became more of an
understatement. In fact, we’re striving to do it brilliantly – and it’s this desire to innovate that
keeps us going.
 TARTS ANON

How to Use This Book

It may seem self-evident, but tarts are no
piece of cake. And although the scale of
what we do has changed since we moved
into a commercial kitchen, remember this
was once a home project too.
 INTRODUCTION

This cookbook is the culmination of all the techniques and tips we have tirelessly refined
since starting Tarts Anon – and in technique we trust. We hope you find this without
pretence, the same way we wish to serve our tarts. We want you to create tarts that we
would want to eat ourselves, every day of the week and for every occasion.
All the foundational techniques are explained in detail here at the beginning of
the book. In the first chapter, ‘Classic Tarts’, you’ll find the tarts we think are the perfect
building blocks to master before tackling some of the more challenging recipes in the
following chapters. It includes the recipes for the very first tarts that we made in our home
kitchen, including some that are, to this day, our most popular creations.
As you move through the book, you’ll also notice that many of the processes that we
use for making custards, jams and frangipanes use similar techniques. This is intentional,
we are not trying to reinvent the wheel with each recipe, but simply make a tart that is
undeniably the best version of itself.
Each tart will require a preprepared shortcrust pastry shell, which is the very first
recipe. Some tarts will require one more bake to set a custard filling, some even two more
bakes. Loosely, our tarts can be divided into the categories of: ‘custard based tarts’,
‘cake tarts’ and ‘hybrid tarts’ (cake tarts with a custard layer).
When you make a batch of dough, you could make a double or triple batch and
freeze this to use in future bakes, which will save you some time as all our recipes use this
same dough recipe.
Please pay attention to the ‘tips and tricks’ we offer throughout the book (we have
compiled these through both a near lifetime of working in professional kitchens and some,
at times, devastating failures in our own baking escapades). A word of warning, do NOT
start any baking until you have flipped through to page 137 and become one of the most
loyal patients of dulce de leche, aka Dr Dulce. Trust us – he bulk bills. And if Dr Dulce can’t
ease your tarty ills, then we’ve included a ‘Quick Troubleshooting Guide’ (page 197) to use
as a reference point. But remember, imperfections in your tarts will most certainly ensure
an improvement in your next bake so, keep on rolling (we couldn’t resist)!
Our recipes have been put together with a lot of consideration. Where possible, we have
thrown in suggested swaps, but there are also some that just won’t yield the same results if
tweaked. If there is something you’re not able to get your hands on, then in many cases,
that recipe just won’t be achievable. We have made a concerted effort to make sure these
recipes are achievable in the home kitchen, but on occasion, a particular setting agent or
a hand-held blender are absolute musts. Likewise, some of the recipes for the components in
the tarts will yield slightly more than you will need for one individual tart. Excess wastage isn’t
ideal but we’d rather you make slightly more of a perfect glaze or caramel, versus the perfect
amount of an inferior product.
Finally, you won’t find dustings of gold leaf (okay, once) or pastry tuilles, etc. for
covering up mistakes because we believe if you can get the building blocks right, the rest
should be, as they say, a piece of cake.

A note on oven temperatures and measurements:

Oven temperatures in this book are for fan-forced ovens. If you’re using a conventional
oven, increase the temperature by 20˚C (35˚F).
Measurements are generally given by weight to ensure consistency. You’ll notice that
assembly instructions will often require you to weigh out the components. This is to
ensure consistency across your bakes.
 INTRODUCTION

Key Ingredients
Flour Condensed milk
Use all-purpose (plain) flour or cake flour Woolworths Homebrand is the only one
for all the recipes unless stated otherwise. we will ever use, unless we are literally
Low protein flours such as these (as opposed without any other option. Please don’t
to 00 or T55 flours, which are higher in sell them out. If you are unable to source
protein) help to slow gluten activation within this one, any brand will do the same job,
the flour, resulting in a light, fluffy cake and however it is worth playing around with
crisp, short pastry. the brands available to you to find one
that will come out of the can once cooked
Butter as firm as possible.
Use unsalted butter for these recipes unless
stated otherwise. In our kitchen we use Pectin (and its variants)
Pepe Saya butter, which we find to be the Interestingly, the majority of the world’s
most consistent and delicious (and can be pectins are made in the same place, so
sourced readily in Australia). you won’t find many differences between
the different brands. Certain pectins used
Cream in these recipes can be tricky to find. You
Most of the recipes will either call for pouring will need to buy them online or at specialty
cream or double cream, or sometimes pastry shops (e.g. Savour, Simon Johnson).
both. Double cream is used in recipes that The pectins you readily find at the
feature custards, where an increased fat supermarket (e.g. Jamsetta) have added
percentage is required to enable your mix sugars and acidity regulators and therefore
to set once cooked. As such, they’re not will not work in the glazing recipes.
interchangeable! For pouring cream, use a
minimum of 30–35% fat. Double cream has Cheese
a fat percentage of 45% or more. For the love of god, please use good quality
cheese!
Sugar
We use lots of different sugars. The type of A note on dietaries
sugar you use will set the foundation for the Our business leans heavily on gluten and
flavour profile of your recipe. For example, dairy. We receive multiple requests for
we tend to use the least refined (brown gluten free or vegan products in the shop
sugar, golden syrup, etc.) for tarts with each week, and while we’d love to cater
darker, warmer and more caramelly vibes to these requests (and take your money),
and leave white sugars for the lighter and unfortunately gluten-free pastry or swapping
fruitier preparations. vegan alternatives for the fundamental
ingredients in our recipes could make that
Chocolate particular tart possibly still delicious, but
Most supermarket chocolates are fine, unlikely as delicious as the rest of the menu.
but make sure you’re only using couverture That said, it’s very likely that you’ll be able
chocolate in these recipes. We prefer to use to find a great gluten-free pastry recipe to
callets and buttons because they melt more use instead of our recipe and fill it with
evenly, however you can achieve a similar many of the recipes in this book that don’t
result by chopping a block of chocolate into contain gluten.
small pieces before melting.
 TARTS ANON

Key Equipment
Tart tin Maryse spatula
25 × 3.5 cm (approx. 10 × 1½ in) fluted These flat, flexible spatulas are necessary
tart tin with a removable base. This is our for removing all the contents from your
standard size of tart tin and is required for mixing bowl (so your recipe remains
your tarts to come out the same way. You accurate) and for stirring custard mixes.
can purchase these online or from a kitchen We suggest you invest in one!
supply store.
Hand-held blender
Rolling pin You will need this for most recipes. It’s
Preferably one without handles on the ends. imperative for creating emulsions (such
as custard and caramel mixes) and integral
Baking paper if you plan on making any of the tarts that
Silicone-coated greaseproof paper. Note: you have dairy-based glazes.
get what you pay for with cheaper brands.
Knives
Aluminium Foil Sharp knives are critical for precision cuts
Try to get yourself some that is 40 cm and portioning. You’ll need a paring knife,
(approx. 15¾ in) wide. This will make lining a good bread knife and a large chef’s knife.
pastry shells that little bit easier, as you will And the sharper the better, in all cases.
be able to use a single piece.
Heat-proof bowls
Microplane You’ll need these to melt chocolate and
Useful for shaving down the edges of for working with hot mixtures.
the pastry shell once baked for a smooth,
straight edge. Also necessary for finely Measuring jugs
grating finishing touches over the tarts. But not for measuring (this is what a scale
is for). You will need these to pour your
Mandolin custards into the pastry shells. A smaller,
Use for thinly slicing fruit and vegetables. narrow jug will come in handy for when
Also, make sure you pretend to cut your you need to blend your glazes.
finger off each time you use it for a hilarious
gag (but don’t actually cut your finger off, A good set of scales
as this is decidedly less hilarious). Digital, please. As a wise man once said,
‘Speak to me in grams or portions.’
Sieves
We use four different types of sieves at Plastic scraper
the shop. The finer ones are for passing The great, multi-purpose kitchen tool.
(e.g. custard mixes and caramels); the
coarser ones are for dusting (e.g. icing/ Whisk
confectioners’ sugar or cocoa) on top Gareth is a man of many whisks, but you
of your tarts. You can get away with just will need at least one approx. 20 cm (8 in)
one good one. balloon whisk.
Thermometer Saucepans, pots, frying pans
A digital one is key for accurately measuring Yep, you’ll need ’em.
the temperature of the caramels and jams.
The (not so)
Basics
 THE (NOT SO) BASICS

Our Pastry Recipe

Our pastry, in its essence, is what makes
Tarts Anon Tarts Anon. It’s a showcase
of technique and does take practice
(and patience) to master.
All of our tarts, sweet and savoury, use the same pastry recipe. In fact, it’s the same
recipe we’ve been using since day one (although the method has changed slightly to
accommodate larger and larger batches).
Traditional pâte brisée is a lot ‘shorter’ than our recipe. The name itself (which
translates to ‘broken pastry’) suggests that it should crumble and dissolve in the mouth,
and as wonderful as this is to eat in a controlled environment, it isn’t very receptive to being
placed in a box and being driven halfway across Melbourne in the passenger foot space
of your car (note: we don’t recommend this transportation method). So to get the texture,
robustness and flavour that we require, we removed enough butter to create a biscuity
texture that is still delicious in its own right, but that can still be picked up and eaten ‘hand-
pie’ style by the most discerning of tart fans (ourselves included).
The process for making our pastry in the shop takes three days, but for the book we’ve
put together an abridged version. We figured that after three days you’d almost certainly be
planning to sneak a slice under the light of the fridge door, away from the judging eyes of your
loved ones, not gearing yourself up for phase two of making pastry. Also, as we discuss in the
next section, this much resting is unnecessary for smaller batches of dough. This version will
be just as successful and delicious. We recommend nailing it, because it will form the basis
for all of the following recipes.

Shortcrust
Makes 1 tart shell
Pastry (Pâte Brisée)
200 g (7 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
100 g (3½ oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3 g (0.1 oz) salt
50 g (1¾ oz) water
 TARTS ANON

The Process

Mix together ingredients

1st rest

Roll out your dough

2nd rest

Fit into pastry tin

Trim edges

Blind bake

Choose your filling

 THE (NOT SO) BASICS

1 Place the butter, flour and salt into a bowl

(this process can also be done in a kitchen stand
mixer or food processor). Using your fingers, work
the ingredients together until they resemble fine
bread crumbs and no lumps of butter are present.

2 Add the water a little at a time (or in a steady

stream if using a kitchen stand mixer), until
it forms a firm but malleable mixture. If you
used a food processor earlier, it’d be best to
finish this one off by hand.

3 Move the dough to your benchtop and work

into a puck-sized shape. Wrap with plastic
wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for at
least 30 minutes.
 TARTS ANON

4 Preheat your oven to 180°C (360°F). Place the

pastry on a piece of baking paper and cover with
a second piece of baking paper. Using a rolling
pin, roll out the pastry into a circle roughly 35 cm
(approx. 13¾ in) wide, and around 3 mm (⅛ in)
thick. Allow the pastry to firm up again in the
fridge for at least an hour before lining the tin
(if lining the tin immediately, be sure to rest it for
at least an hour).

5 Remove one piece of baking paper from the pastry

and drape the pastry over your tart tin. You may
find this easier to do by using a rolling pin.

6 Press the pastry into the knuckles of the tart

tin using the flats of your fingers.
 THE (NOT SO) BASICS

7 Use a sharp knife to remove any excess trim from

the edges of the pastry. Allow the pastry to sit for
15 minutes or so in the freezer for one final rest.

8 Take one large sheet of aluminium foil and

gently press into the edges of the pastry shell,
ensuring that the sheet is big enough to go over
the edge and completely line the tart. Fill it to
the brim with uncooked rice, then fold the foil
gently back over the top and place into the oven.

9 Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the edges of

the pastry are a nice medium-golden colour.
Remove from the oven and sneak a look under
the foil to check the doneness. Cook until the
colour is consistent, then allow to cool at room
temperature. Remove the foil and rice when cool
enough to touch.
 TARTS ANON

In a Little More Detail

with, or if you handle your dough too much
and warm it up – then you run the risk of
this happening before each flour granule
has had the opportunity to protect itself
from the moisture with its fatty barrier.
(If you’re baking in a warm room, you could
refrigerate your flour to make sure both
the flour and butter remain cold enough to
avoid this situation.) This also tends to make
the dough shrink in the oven, as no gluten
network has formed, and the fat just melts
away as it heats.
When making this type of pastry,
we are looking to establish connections
between gluten proteins, but not strengthen
them. This means that the pastry will be
robust enough to hold its shape, but still
Consider the following pages your extra be delicate enough to crumble when eaten.
credit reading on pastry making. We’ve For water to eventually absorb into
broken down the five major steps – mixing, the flour and create this gluten structure,
resting, rolling, lining and baking – in a little the temperature of the butter and the size
more detail. of the pieces are key. The size impacts
the speed at which the fats in the butter
liquify, and subsequently absorb into the
Mixing flour particles.
It’s important to remember that gluten
We mix our pastry together using a strands will form in your dough while you
‘crumbing method’, which ensures a crisp- are working it, so the goal is to mix the
yet-tender result and prevents the pastry dough only to the point where it just comes
shell from shrinking in the oven. together. The more you work your dough, the
It works like this: By mixing cold more gluten strands will form, leading to a
butter into flour, the butter remains cold tough dough that will shrink in the oven.
as it mixes and can break up into smaller Water is essential to the formation of
pieces that coat each granule of flour with the gluten structure, and this structure is
a layer of solidified fat. Ideally, the mixture critical – particularly in our recipe. Not only
will resemble almond meal when you finish does it make the dough able to be handled
mixing it. This crumbing method encourages at every stage of the pastry-making process,
the creation of air pockets that become but it also allows for the creation of texture
trapped in the pastry as the fat melts away, in the pastry. The pastry is hydrated by
which will make the pastry tender and crisp. adding, well, water, but also with butter. Most
If you were to use liquid fat, such as butters sit at around 15% water content, so
oil or melted butter, it would absorb into it is perfect for creating the desired texture
the flour particles and make it impossible for our pastry without compromising on
to establish bonds between the gluten flavour as you would with other solid fats
proteins present in the flour, causing your such as vegetable shortening or lard (which
pastry to become excessively crumbly and are closer to 100% fat). The important
impossible to handle. If the ingredients takeaway here is that the less water your
aren’t cold – say if the pieces of butter butter contains, the crispier your pastry
haven’t been cut small enough to begin will be.
 THE (NOT SO) BASICS

Another critical consideration in 1st rest

mixing is the equipment you use. When After the dough has been mixed, we have
making pastry for one tart shell, you’ll our first rest. In the shop, where we work
be able to get away with making the with large batches of dough, the pastry
pastry by hand. You should be able to pucks are stored in containers overnight,
work by hand when making up to five or which is a sufficient length of time for all of
six batches, but after that it gets tricky. the reactions mentioned previously to occur.
Getting enough friction through the mixture This timing is going to differ when you
to properly distribute the flour requires execute the recipe at home as the mixing
a lot of hard work, which only increases sees less aggravation due to the size of the
the larger the batches become. With this batch. Less tension has been established so
hard work comes increased time, which less time is required for it to rest. For your
in turn will start to generate the problems single batch recipe, we are just looking at
with the strengthening of gluten structures getting the fats in the dough (butter) set
mentioned earlier. To make larger batches of enough to be able to handle.
dough, you’ll need to introduce some level
of assistance, such as a kitchen stand mixer. 2nd rest
This will not only speed up the process, but The second resting stage happens once the
also make your results more consistent. dough has been sheeted (or rolled). This is
the most crucial rest of the two, particularly
if you’ve foregone a longer rest immediately
Resting after mixing. If you have the time and
space, we recommend keeping your dough
As the dough sits, the water molecules will covered on a tray and refrigerated for at
hydrate the flour particles. During this time, least an hour. However, if you feel that the
the bonds that were formed between the consistency of the pastry is at a point where
gluten proteins during mixing will have a it can be shaped into the tin, carrying out
chance to relax. This is critical as any tension the second rest of the dough inside the shell
that was created in these bonds from the (in either the fridge or even freezer) will
mixing process will retract when exposed suffice. Just be sure to let the pastry come
to heat, resulting in shrinkage and cracking. back to room temperature before baking.
Creating tension is unavoidable during the The advantage of resting flat on
mixing stage, so the resting stage is essential. paper is that if there is any kind of
retraction that may take place after the
rather strenuous process of rolling out the
pastry, it’s best to have this happen before
it’s formed into the final desired shape.
The pastry has now undergone all
of the tension-inducing steps of the recipe,
and will only need to be pressed into the
shell and baked. This last rest gives the
established gluten network time to reset
and eliminates any potential shrinking in
the oven.
 TARTS ANON

Rolling and then stretched in the other direction

to create a circle, you essentially take
First, forget everything you the original structure of the dough and
know about rolling elongate the gluten network, putting those
strands under strain. It will eventually suffer
The way we roll our dough is the process that from ‘springback’, or retraction, which will
has changed the most since the early days cause shrinkage when baked.
of Tarts Anon. From making ten tarts a week By starting off in the middle of your
in our lowly apartment kitchen in Richmond, dough and rolling outwards, moving
up until moving into a shared kitchen in toward the edges, you’ll maintain relaxed
Collingwood, we were rolling every batch out connections within the gluten network,
by hand. We continued this up until around allowing your pastry to keep its intended
the forty tart a week mark, at which point a shape and minimising shrinkage.
mate who had a small dough sheeter in his
kitchen in Abbotsford helped us out of this Four essential tips for rolling out
tight corner. Working with larger batches of pastry at home
dough means we’ve adjusted our method for
scale, but removing the dough sheeter from 1 Baking paper
the equation to rewrite the recipe for home To roll out pastry at home, we recommend
use made us stop and appreciate how far sandwiching the pastry between two pieces
the dough itself had evolved – and how we of baking paper and then using a rolling pin.
could guide you at home. This will negate the need for adding excess
The key challenge (and the key to flour, which will in turn dry out the dough
shop-grade pastry) is to mimic the actions and change the composition of the pastry.
of a dough sheeter using a rolling pin
(ironic, we know) to ensure that the dough 2 Release and reattach
is being ‘moved’ and not stretched. You want to ensure that you are moving the
Rolling out the dough, essentially pastry, not stretching it. Lifting the baking
transforming it from a small thick disc into paper away from either side of the pastry
a large flat disc, seems simple enough, but as you roll it is the difference between
the way you get there has ramifications. If ‘stretching’ (continuously rolling out on a
the dough is taken from its original shape surface that is gripping to the underside of
and then stretched into a longer oval, your pastry), and ‘moving’ the pastry (as
you gently yet assertively distribute the
dough across the surface). Releasing and
reattaching the baking paper several times
throughout the rolling process will not only
make the whole exercise that much easier,
it will also give you a much better end result.
 THE (NOT SO) BASICS

Lining
From here, we will be laying the pastry
inside the tin as gently as possible, to avoid
overstretching the dough. Every movement
you make will be directed back towards
the centre of the circle of pastry and you
should be endeavouring to fit as much of
the batch into the tin as humanly possible.
By folding the pastry into the corners
instead of pushing, we won’t stretch it and
the established gluten network won’t retract
away from the centre.
Some tips for lining your tart tin
1 Using the flats of your fingers, pinch
3 Move slowly, but assertively the edges of the pastry and push
The rolling out of the dough should be downwards at an angle, pressing all of
a gradual process, which is one of the the dough into the scalloped edge (what
main reasons why using an automated we call the ‘knuckles’) of the tin and
dough sheeter is so effective. Allowing reinforcing the edges.
the dough to be slowly flattened by using
assertive movements, and making sure 2 Ideally, you’ll be left with a very small
that the dough is maintaining its original amount of pastry overhanging the edge
composition as much as humanly possible, of the tart. For what is still overhanging,
will keep the dough from wanting to move remove as little as possible with a sharp
back towards its starting point when it’s in knife, so as to maximise the height of
the oven. your shell.
4 Roll to size 3 Use a slicing motion to cut through the
Roll out your pastry in a circular shape. excess pastry instead of cutting, as
Constantly rotating the dough circle as you even the slightest pressure in the wrong
roll will ensure that the shape will remain direction can add onto any existing
consistent. When you place the tin on top tension in the pastry.
of your rolled-out pastry, you should have
a minimum of 3.5 cm (1½ in) of excess
pastry on either side of the base of the tin.
 TARTS ANON

Baking
Everyone has opinions on blind baking
methods. Whichever one you choose, it’s
just as important to have something that
won’t get damaged through baking (both
the lining material and weights) as it is to
have something that will conduct the heat
and be weighty enough to minimise any
potential movement (puffing, slipping etc.).
In Tarts Anon’s case, we stumbled
across what we believe to be the ultimate
blind baking method. In the shop we use
metal tart tin inserts (a slightly smaller tart
tin, wrapped in foil), which conduct heat
into the pastry and that, when packed with
rice, are weighty enough that they can
keep the crust in its place as it bakes. The People tend to have varying opinions
invention came about by accident back in on what is the best combination of sheet
the days when we were operating at home. and weight for blind baking, so here’s our
We’d amassed a collection of tart tins by consideration of this.
different brands that curiously varied in
size despite what they said on the tin – and Our unsolicited guide to the best
discovered that one make was the perfect blind-baking materials
insert for our preferred tin.
Having an insert that can be Sheets
preheated means the pastry begins to cook Baking paper is popular, but its tendency
immediately and the small pockets of butter to wrinkle and crease is a deterrent, not
we worked to maintain don’t melt before the to mention the difficulty in getting it to fit
pastry has a chance to cook. This allowed neatly inside the pastry.
us to both speed up our baking process and
ensure consistency. Aluminium foil has similar problems, but
While we have found this to be the has less of a mind of its own than paper –
perfect blind-baking method for the shop making it a little more on the compliant
considering the number of tart shells we side. It does have a tendency to stick,
bake daily and the consistency we require, however, but this is usually negated by
a more conventional method of blind- a spritz of oil spray.
baking will be perfectly adequate for a
single tart. Place a sheet of aluminium foil Multiple layers of commercial grade
over the pastry, pour rice inside, and press cling film certainly won’t stick, but it lets
into the scalloped edges and around the itself down in every other department with
edge of the pastry tin to ensure the shape its tendency to shrink, not to mention the
won’t change during baking. fact that it will release thousands of toxins
into the pastry and the oven when you
bake it.
 THE (NOT SO) BASICS

Baking weights
When it comes to weights however,
there are far too many to mention. Rice,
coins, ceramic weights, any kind of dried
pulse or bean. We have always been
inclined to use rice, but that may have more
to do with the fact that it is far and away
the most common.
Rice is the smallest of the weights, and will fill
gaps better than the larger options – leaving
fewer inconsistencies in the pastry.
Dried pulses work well and are almost as
cost efficient, but don’t fill gaps as well.
Ceramic beads are usually heavier than
dried lentils, chickpeas etc., conduct heat The finished crust
well, and are a bit more ‘pro’. The last hurdle we face lies purely in
aesthetics. If there are any blemishes or
Coins, in our experience, only really work for unsightly edges on the pastry, we remove
the base. Yes, metal is a brilliant conductor them using a very sharp microplane after
of temperature and will transfer heat to the shell has had time to cool. To do this,
the base of the tin better than any of its once you are able to remove the base from
competitors. But too many coins are needed the sides of the tin, take the whole shell out
to support the edges, and you will only need of the tin. Secure the base of your shell with
so many coins before the tin itself weighs your hand, then use the microplane to file
a metric tonne. This weight will crush the off any rough parts on the edge.
pastry, making cracks and weak spots in This step, of course, is completely
the bottom. superficial and bordering on unnecessary
if you’re not too fussed with the visual
appeal of your tarts. But if you’ve
completely nailed absolutely every step
of this recipe to a point where filing off
parts of your pastry is unnecessary,
please email us for any openings in the
kitchen team.
 TARTS ANON

Glaze and Praise

Glazes have become a staple technique in our kitchen and there are so many reasons
why we love them. Firstly, setting agents (such as pectin NH and X58) allow the mixtures to
set without relying on ingredients with fat or sugar, which can change the flavour profile.
Glazes are also stable unrefrigerated, allowing the finished tart to be served at optimum
temperature (room temperature). Also, their use has (almost completely) removed the need
for us to use gelatine in our kitchen. Finally, they look great.
Some of the glaze recipes in this book will yield slightly more glaze than you need
to cover your tart. We don’t love creating excess wastage but the glazes can become very
difficult to manage when working with smaller volumes. This is why we will direct you to
weigh the correct amount of glaze for each recipe in the method when assembling your
tarts. Leftover glaze can be stored in the fridge for around six days.
The process for glazing is different for cake-based and custard-based tarts, so we
have outlined both in this section.

Cake Tarts
1 Start with a slightly warm tart so that 7 Then, tap the tart tin gently but
the glaze can spread across the top of assertively on the bench so that the glaze
the cake layer. falls into the cervices between the cake
and the shell and keeps a nice dome
2 Weigh out the first amount of glaze to shape that mirrors the top of the cake.
melt (as specified in the recipe) and
gently warm it in a saucepan, ensuring 8 If there are any air bubbles that have
you stir it frequently to prevent the mix formed on top, use a blowtorch or the
from catching and burning. tip of a knife to pop them.
3 Place the remaining mixture in a tall 9 Allow the glaze to set for a few minutes
measuring jug, which will ensure you in the fridge so that you can cut clean,
can blend the glaze efficiently without crisp slices.
incorporating air.
4 Once the first part of the mix is fully
melted, pour it into the measuring jug
and blend until there are no lumps and
the glaze seems glossy and smooth.
5 Quickly and carefully pour the
glaze from a little bit of a height
into the centre of the cake.
6 Next, pick the tart up and swirl it in a
circular motion to encourage the glaze
to reach the edges while keeping the
layer of glaze as even as possible.
THE (NOT SO) BASICS
TARTS ANON
 THE (NOT SO) BASICS

Custard Tarts
1 Start with a slightly cool tart – just 7 Let this set either at room temperature,
under room temperature, but not or sit it on a nice even shelf in your
chilled. The pectin in these glazes can fridge. It won’t take long to set,
set at room temperature, so they have especially if your custard is cool to
a tendency to start gelling while they begin with. It’s best to portion at this
are still quite warm. point (see page 39).
2 Bring your glaze to a simmer over low 8 We recommend letting these glazes
heat. It’s a good idea to melt it a little come to room temperature for serving,
more than the recipe states as some as they have a superior mouthfeel to
glaze will stick to the inside of the jug gelatine (in our opinion) – not brittle or
while it cools down. gelatinous, but almost jammy – so they
are really nice when served a little on
3 Once the glaze has fully melted, pour the warmer side.
it into a tall, narrow measuring jug.
4 When you have the glaze in the jug,
swirl it around to prevent a skin forming
on top just before you pour. The friction
inside the jug at this point can be
enough to dissolve any rogue pieces
of jelly without it thickening too much.
5 Pour in a circular motion starting
from the inside and working your way
outwards. Pour quickly, but be sure that
you save enough to reach the edges.
6 Quickly swirl the tart gently back and
forth. This should even out the amount
of glaze across the top and cover any
unglazed areas.
 TARTS ANON

Extra Notes on Glazing

1 If the tart is too warm, the glaze will 7 Pouring the mixture from a height means
melt when it lands on the tart, which that the ‘puddle’ of glaze on top of the
can cause an uneven set. This may tart has a circular shape to begin with.
cause the runnier part of the mixture to As you tilt and swirl, this means that
become a little too firm and jelly like. the amount remains consistent across
the top and allows you to get to the
2 Different recipes in this book call for scalloped edges of the tart tin quicker.
different weights of glaze depending
on the ingredients, as some may 8 Gently tapping the tart on the top of
have more fat and require different your counter will help the glaze fall into
temperatures to ensure that the mix the gap created by the natural dome
emulsifies properly. of the cake. If your glaze is starting to
set and doesn’t want to move as fluidly,
3 Be sure to keep stirring the glaze then it can sometimes be helpful to
as you melt it. As the mixture needs to stop and start again to get that clean
set into a gel, too high a heat can fry flawless look.
the mix before it has a chance to melt.
9 Before you pour your glaze, check that
4 The taller and narrower the measuring the top of the custard is clear of any kind
jug, the nicer a vortex you can achieve of foam. This is best removed before you
when blending. This keeps the bubbles pour the mix into the shell, but sometimes
out and creates a far smoother and it can resurface during baking. If your
better emulsified glaze. custard is cool and firm enough, you
can place a piece of paper towel on top,
5 Moving quickly at the blending stage gently press it onto the surface and peel
of the process is key to keeping the it off very carefully so that any impurities
temperature consistent and preventing don’t float into your glaze.
the mixture from getting too thick.
A thick mixture is easily fixed by gently 10 The best thing about pectin X58 is that
warming it – whether back in the pot it has a great mouthfeel that isn’t too
or for short bursts in the microwave. gelatinous if used properly. It also sets
well at room temperature, so try not to
6 A runny mixture will set flatter – and leave it in the fridge for too long.
although this may be ideal for some
recipes, you run the risk of exposing 11 Pectin NH gels can handle acid, so we
parts of the cake layer underneath. use them for all glazes containing fruit.
Make sure that you don’t boil the glaze, Whether brushed on or poured on,
as this can throw out the consistency. they do set quickly as they will activate
You can also chill the glaze and start in the right conditions at 80–85°C
again if you feel as though it’s too thin (175–185°F). This applies to pectin
to get the finish you want. X58 gels too.
 THE (NOT SO) BASICS

Sliced to Perfection
‘Do you use laser beams to cut your tarts?’ To make your tarts look the best every
is a question we’ve been asked before. time, make sure you take your time with
Not quite. this part of the process. It helps to ensure
If you’ve gone through the process the tart is at room temperature before you
of making a tart while following all the begin to portion it.
techniques and tips in this book, then
you’re going to want to make sure you
don’t completely ruin the aesthetics by
hacking at it with no plan in mind.
Depending on the filling and
composition, we sometimes use up to
three different knives to cut a single tart.
Even the simplest of tarts are made up
of at least two layers, meaning that they
have different movements and different
textures. Therefore, different levels of
force are required to portion the different
cross-sections of the tart to produce a
clean cut. As indulgent as this may seem,
we’ve come to accept that there is no such
thing as a knife that can do it all. Right tool
for the right job – etcetera – sorry. Now,
obviously this process is not essential to
divide the tart into separate pieces, but
it will definitely give you nice clean and
consistent cuts.
To evenly portion your tart, use the
scalloped edge of the tart tin as a guide.
This technique has become an integral
step in how tarts are portioned at Tarts
Anon. We call each scallop a ‘knuckle’. The
tart tins we use in the shop have sixty-four
knuckles, and therefore each slice equates to
approximately six-and-a-bit knuckles (we’ve
since custom made a cake divider which
marks where the slices should go to speed up
the process). It is worth counting the number
of knuckles on your tart shell to give you an
idea of where you’ll need to portion your
tarts to get even slices. You might think this
isn’t exact mathematics (64 knuckles/10 =
6.4 knuckles) and therefore not quite as
precise as we profess, but remember that
the knife itself has a width (usually around
1 mm), and that knife will not just part the
sea, but will take some hostages with it in
the form of crumbs.
TARTS ANON
 THE (NOT SO) BASICS

For custard tarts For glazed cake tarts

When portioning cake tarts with a glaze,
1 Start by removing the outside of the tart we follow the same process to that of a
tin, but leave the tart on its base. custard tart. The glazes are very similar to
the custards in that they have a thin ‘skin’
2 Take a thin paring knife and, with the on the surface, which will need to be sliced
forefinger of your non-cutting hand through with a hot, sharp and slightly
supporting the pastry shell, cut through moistened blade. Glazed cake tarts have
the crust all the way to the base. a soft interior that a sharp knife will cut
through easily with a rocking motion.
3 Rotate the tart 180° and repeat.
For cake tarts that are unglazed
4 Place your kitchen knife in hot water For unglazed cake tarts, we use a slightly
and wipe most of it away, leaving the more complex, but usually more forgiving
blade slightly moist. Use the length and technique. Once we have made our cuts
sharpness of the blade to slice through through the crust with a paring knife, we
the ‘skin’ on the top of the custard, then use a serrated knife to mark the tart in half
use a rocking action to cut through and to make the initial incisions through
the base. the slightly crustier tops of the cake. Then,
switch to a chef’s knife, which will move
5 Next, take your paring knife again and more cleanly through the denser, softer part
mark the edge of the crust to portion of the cake and through the base.
into your desired slices. If you’re
wanting slices to be exact and the same For tarts that require dusting
size, we suggest counting the ‘knuckles’ For any tarts that are dusted (e.g. with cocoa
on the outside of the crust and dividing powder) as a final step, we recommend doing
that number by the number of portions so after the tart has been portioned and the
you want (ours are 6.5 knuckles for a slices are pushed back together. This protects
25 cm/10 in tin, for reference). We also the cut surfaces of the tarts and will give a
make a small mark in the very centre nice and clean appearance.
of the tart so that we can have an
indicator of where our cuts are going
to be directed.
6 Cut into portions by using your hot knife
to cut starting from the centre and out
to the edge of the crust, ensuring your
movement is swift and assertive (and of
course, careful). It is important to keep
your knife clean throughout this process,
as any build-up of custard on the edges
of the knife can cause the blade to stick
to the skin and tear the surface. Once
finished, push the slices back together
before serving.
The Tarts
Classic
Tarts
 CLASSIC TARTS

Tarts themselves are a classic dessert,

steeped in history and nostalgia.
The advent of the modern tart can be traced back to the recipes published in the
fourteenth-century English cookbook The Forme of Cury. At the time, tarts were a way
to show off the colourful fruits and custards that pastry chefs were so fond of – all
within a single entity. And life got more exciting than ever in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries, when the first written recipes for puff and shortcrust pastry began to emerge.
One of the greatest things about reinventing a classic dish is working out what
made it classic in the first place and applying new techniques to (hopefully) make it the
best version of itself. Some of the tarts in this chapter are our spin on classic flavours
that you’ll be more than familiar with (vanilla custard, plain old lemon, etc.). Some are
simply ‘classics’ from the Tarts Anon menu. What makes a Tarts Anon classic? It’s a tart
that comes back on the menu over and over again, usually due to popularity.
The majority of the tarts on our menu are based on familiar flavour combinations,
enhanced by considered pastry and baking techniques. We’ve combined traditional
recipes and flavours with a modern and (you’ll come to know) a rather meticulous
methodology. No part of the recipe is superfluous or done ‘just because that’s the way
it’s done’. The recipes in this section are also the building blocks for the tarts in later
chapters where we’ve explored a number of bolder flavour combinations and used some
more sophisticated techniques.
Basically, these tarts are people pleasers. Classics that have stood the test of time
and also classics that are repeatedly requested each month when we release a new
menu in the shop.
If you’re not sure where to start with your tart making, then we suggest starting here.
 CLASSIC TARTS

Vanilla Custard Tart

This has to be the most classic of the classics. There’s something so satisfying about
a vanilla custard that cannot be surpassed. The two things you need to nail for the
perfect vanilla custard tart are the texture of the custard and showcasing the taste of
the vanilla. Gareth is heavily influenced by Heston Blumenthal’s approach to cookery,
particularly his scientific approach to combining flavours to enhance one another. One
of Heston’s hacks is combining vanilla with a small amount of coffee to add a certain
‘robustness’ to the vanilla flavour. We’ve also used soft brown sugar in this recipe to
really lean into the warming, rich, dried fruit notes of Madagascan vanilla.

475 g (1 lb 1 oz) pouring (whipping) cream 140 g (5 oz) soft brown sugar
55 g (2 oz) double (heavy) cream 195 g (7 oz) egg yolk
40 g (1½ oz) cream cheese 1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23)
6 g (¼ oz) vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean nutmeg, for grating
1 g coffee beans

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). Place the prepared shell in the oven.
Pour the custard into the shell until it is full
Add the creams, cream cheese, vanilla, to the brim. Bake for 30 minutes, or until
coffee beans and brown sugar to a the custard is slightly wobbly in the centre,
saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a then remove from the oven and allow to
simmer, then remove from heat immediately. cool in the shell.
To temper the egg yolks, add them to a Once the custard has completely cooled,
mixing bowl and whisk in a small amount of remove the tart from the tin and portion into
the hot cream mixture until well incorporated. slices with a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
Then add the remaining cream mixture and Finish by grating a fine layer of nutmeg on
whisk again until combined. Using a hand- top before serving.
held blender, blend until the mixture is shiny
and smooth, keeping the head of the blender
submerged so that no air gets into the mix.
Strain the mixture through a sieve into a jug
to use straight away – you want to keep it as
warm as possible to ensure that the mixture
cooks evenly in the oven.
 TARTS ANON

Plain Old Lemon Tart

One of the first tarts we had on the Tarts Anon menu was the Lemon and Rhubarb Tart
(see the variation below). It was insanely popular, but people still asked for a plain lemon
tart. ‘No way’ we always said, because we genuinely believed the Lemon and Rhubarb was
superior. One day we relented and decided to have a go at what Cat called the ‘Plain Old
Lemon Tart’, named as a bit of a jab. Lo and behold, the result reminded us how great a
simple but well-executed lemon tart truly is, so we admitted defeat and now it’s one of the
staples on the menu. Be warned, though, while the method and ingredient lists are short,
this is the tart that causes the most stress amongst our kitchen staff, Gareth included.
It’s temperamental, fragile, and a little difficult to work with. But it’s also fragrant, zingy
and the perfect balance of creamy sweetness and sour refreshment.

185 g (6½ oz) lemon juice 95 g (3¼ oz) egg

10 g (¼ oz) lemon zest 220 g (8 oz) egg yolk
130 g (4½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream 70 g (2½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139)
150 g (5½ oz) double (heavy) cream 1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23)
250 g (9 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). Bake for 30 minutes, or until the custard
is slightly wobbly in the centre, then remove
Add the lemon juice and zest, creams and from the oven and allow to cool.
sugar to a saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to a simmer then immediately remove Once the custard has completely cooled,
from heat. To temper the whole eggs and remove the tart from the tin and portion into
egg yolks, add them to a mixing bowl and slices with a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
whisk in a small amount of the hot cream
mixture until well incorporated. Then add the Lemon and Rhubarb Tart Variation
remaining cream mixture and whisk again Spread a layer of Rhubarb compote
until combined. Using a hand-held blender, (see page 133) over the base of the pastry
blend until the mixture is shiny and smooth, shell before pouring the custard on top.
keeping the head of the blender submerged
so that no air gets into the mix. Strain the
custard into a jug and let sit for 10 minutes
for any impurities to rise to the top, then
skim them off with a ladle.
In the meantime, spread the dulce de leche
over the base of the baked pastry shell. This
will provide a protective layer between the
custard mix and the shell, ensuring it stays
crisp. Once the surface is clear of bubbles,
place the prepared shell in the oven. Pour
the warm custard into the tart shell straight
away to ensure that the mixture cooks evenly
in the oven.
 CLASSIC TARTS

Fig and Honey Tart

Although figs and honey are such a solid flavour combination, it was quite by coincidence
that these ingredients worked their way into one of our tarts. Our front of house team put
in an order for honey because people were asking for some in their coffee (I know, right?)
but the supplier accidentally sent over a beautiful leatherwood honey. It was way too
good to waste in lattes and flat whites, so we decided to use it in a tart. It was the middle
of fig season, and we were lucky to get our hands on plump figs in a box lined with their
own leaves. This tart is nothing too fancy: we’re simply replacing some of the sugar in
the frangipane with honey and highlighting the beauty of the fig. Use up any ‘less than
perfect’ figs in the fig jam underneath. If you can get your hands on fig leaves, follow the
recipe to create the fig leaf powder for finishing. It’s a very nice (but very optional) way to
elevate the tart due to the lovely coconutty flavour of fig leaves.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 15 g (½ oz) citric acid

3 large figs, cut into quarters 40 g (1½ oz) water
Fig leaf powder (optional) Honey cake batter
100 g (3½ oz) fig leaves 140 g (5 oz) natural almond meal
icing (confectioners’) sugar 75 g (2¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 g citric acid 3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
2 g salt
Fig jam 160 g (5½ oz) egg
1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) figs 130 g (4½ oz) leatherwood honey
400 g (14 oz) caster (superfine) sugar, 80 g (2¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
plus 160 g (5½ oz) 160 g (5½ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
20 g (¾ oz) pectin jaune

Preheat the oven to 65°C (150°F). A shop-bought fig puree can also work quite
well, but usually doesn’t give the same colour
Fig leaf powder as one that has been made fresh.
Arrange the fig leaves on a tray lined with
baking paper, then leave to dry in the Put the fig puree, or the collapsed figs, in
preheated oven overnight. In the morning, a saucepan and mix with 400 g (14 oz) of
or when the leaves have fully dried, remove the sugar. Allow the mixture to come to the
from the oven and allow to cool. Place the boil over medium–high heat while whisking
leaves in a blender together with the sugar continuously, as it will tend to stick to the
and the citric acid and blitz until it forms bottom of the pan. Take the remaining sugar
a fine and slightly green-tinged powder. and mix with the pectin. Rain this into the
Reserve the powder in a tightly sealed boiling fig mixture and continue to cook
container to prevent it from going sticky until it reaches 106°C (225°F), or until the
and lumpy. bubbles grow larger and the mixture has
thickened. Once the jam has reached this
Fig jam point, mix the citric acid with the water in a
Place the figs in a blender and blitz into separate bowl until the granules have fully
a smooth puree. This can also be made dissolved. Add this to the jam and return to
with larger pieces of fig that are cooked the boil. Pour this mix into a container and
until they collapse, however for the ease allow to set.
of spreading, we go for blended.
 TARTS ANON

Honey cake batter

Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar,
in a bowl and stir together. Add the eggs,
honey and sugar to a separate mixing bowl.
Either with a whisk or a stand mixer fitted
with a whisk attachment, slowly combine
until the sugar and honey have dissolved.
You do not want to incorporate any air at
this stage, as the batter tends to separate
when the butter is added and forms a
foamy crust, so keep the speed low.
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You
want this to be warm enough so that the
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add To assemble and bake
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for To assemble the tart, spread 150 g
roughly 100°C/210°F). (5½ oz) of fig jam in an even layer over the
base of the pastry shell. Then pour 650 g
Once the butter comes up to temperature, (1 lb 7 oz) of the honey batter on top and
slowly pour it into the egg and sugar allow to cool slightly. Once the batter
mixture (or add little by little, if whisking has firmed up a touch, slice the figs into
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well quarters and arrange evenly around the
emulsified, as this will prevent the butter top of the cake. We try to have ten evenly
from bleeding out later, giving the cake placed pieces for the tarts sold in store to
a greasy texture. Finally, mix in the dry ensure that every slice has a piece of fig
ingredients, making sure that there are no in the centre. Bake the tart in the oven for
lumps suspended throughout the batter. approximately 30 minutes, or until the crust
is an even golden brown and the centre of
the tart is firm. Remove from the oven and
allow to cool inside the tin.
Once the tart has completely cooled,
remove it from the tin. Portion the tart into
slices (see page 39) and dust with a light
coating of fig leaf powder, if using.
 CLASSIC TARTS

Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart

Chocolate and hazelnut is a very familiar flavour profile to most, but its potential goes far
beyond Ferrero Rocher, Kinder Buenos and Nutella. We initially started working on this tart
for a Valentine’s Day collaboration with our friend and baker, Miss Trixie Drinks Tea, but
soon realised it was too delicious (and popular) to keep it out of the regular rotation of tarts
in the shop. Using quality ingredients is key here as there are not many variables at work:
a nice praline, chocolate, salt, sugar, cream and eggs.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Chocolate hazelnut custard

100 g (3½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 560 g (1 lb 4 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
3 g (0.1 oz) salt
Hazelnut praline paste 65 g (2¼ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
80 g (2¾ oz) hazelnuts 240 g (8½ oz) egg yolk
80 g (2¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 145 g (5 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids),
callets or buttons

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). Chocolate hazelnut custard

Add the cream, salt, sugar and the hazelnut
Spread the dulce de leche on the bottom praline paste to a saucepan over medium
of the pastry shell in a smooth even layer. heat. Bring to a simmer, while whisking,
then remove from the heat immediately.
Hazelnut praline paste To temper the egg yolks, add them to
Roast the hazelnuts on a baking tray a mixing bowl and whisk in a small
(sheet) for approximately 15 minutes. amount of the hot cream mixture until
Once they are a medium golden brown, well incorporated. Add the chocolate to a
remove them from the oven and set aside. large bowl, then add a small amount of
If your hazelnuts still have skin on them, the hot cream-praline mixture and whisk
pour them onto a tea towel (dish towel) to combine. Add the remaining mixture
while still hot, gather the corners together, and use a hand-held blender to blend
and roll them around inside the towel to until the mixture is shiny and smooth – to
loosen the skins. Shake the hazelnuts out prevent any air from being incorporated
of the towel to separate them from the skin. into the mix, keep the head of the blender
Put a pot on the stove and gently melt the underneath the surface. Decant into a jug
sugar over a low heat. Continue to cook to use straight away – you want to keep it
until the caramel becomes deep brown, as warm as possible to ensure the mixture
then add the warm hazelnuts. Stir to coat cooks evenly in the oven.
the nuts in the caramel, then tip onto a tray
to cool slightly, just until they are warm. To bake
Place the prepared tart shell into the oven,
Place the warm hazelnuts into a food then pour the custard over the dulce de
processor and blend until the oil starts leche layer. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the
to come out of the nuts and the mixture custard is slightly wobbly in the centre, then
becomes a smooth paste, then decant remove from the oven and allow to cool.
into a container.
Once the custard has completely cooled,
remove the tart from the tin and portion into
slices using a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
 TARTS ANON

Chocolate and Caramel Tart

Back in 2015, a good friend and role model asked Gareth to develop a recipe for a gastro
pub menu. The brief? ‘A brilliant chocolate tart.’ This is what came out. It was the first item we
put on the Tarts Anon menu (along with our Cherry and Almond Tart, page 59) and it gained
instant popularity. We see can why – it’s a superbly well-balanced tart that is decadent
without being overwhelming. It gained a cult following during Melbourne’s lockdown of 2020
and on the weeks we didn’t have it as part of our rotating menu, our customers were vocal in
their disappointment. The escalation was such that Catherine started trying to tell people the
tart ‘wasn’t even that good’ to encourage them to order something else. But we have to admit
this tart is a true classic and probably is that good.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Chocolate custard

cocoa powder, for dusting 560 g (1 lb 4 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
3 g (0.1 oz) salt
Salted caramel 65 g (2¼ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
270 g (9½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 240 g (8½ oz) egg yolk
2 g salt 145 g (5 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids),
callets or buttons

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). Add the chocolate to a large bowl, then add
a small amount of the hot cream mixture
Salted caramel and whisk to combine. Add the remaining
Using a metal spoon, remove the dulce de mixture, and then use a hand-held blender
leche from the tin (this is how we do it in the to blend until shiny and smooth – to
shop as it saves you buying a new rubber prevent any air from being incorporated
spatula every week – the metal spoon gives into the mix, keep the head of the blender
you the rigidity to be able to scoop the underneath the surface. Decant into a jug
caramel, but also won’t be damaged by to use straight away – you want to keep it
the sharp metal edges on the top of the as warm as possible to ensure the mixture
can). Now, using a spatula, wooden spoon cooks evenly in the oven.
or kitchen stand mixer, work in the salt until
smooth – ensuring not to over work the To bake
mixture. The more you mix, the more you will Place the prepared tart into the oven, then
break down the protein structure developed pour the custard on top of the caramel layer.
through the cooking of the condensed milk. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the custard is
Then, use a palette knife to spread an even slightly wobbly in the centre, then remove
layer of caramel onto the base of your from the oven and allow to cool.
cooled pastry shell.
Once the custard has completely cooled,
Chocolate custard remove from the tin and portion into slices
Place the cream, salt and sugar in a with a hot, sharp knife (see page 39). Dust
saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a each slice with a light coating of cocoa
simmer, then remove from heat immediately. powder to finish.
To temper the egg yolks, add them to a
mixing bowl and whisk in a small amount
of the hot cream mixture until well
incorporated. Add the remaining cream
mixture and whisk again until combined.
 CLASSIC TARTS

Cherry and Almond Tart

This tart is based on a cherry and hazelnut financier recipe that Gareth used to make some
seventeen years ago as an apprentice chef at Sydney’s acclaimed (though now-closed)
Pier restaurant. It inspired one of the first tarts we made for Tarts Anon at home and will
always be on our rotating menu. It’s forever Gareth’s favourite: he loves how the savoury,
buttery notes in the frangipane and the pastry are offset by the sweet and sour bursts of
cherry throughout. It’s super simple and when made well it’s just the perfect pastry to have
with a coffee or as a standalone dessert.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Almond cake batter

icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting 140 g (5 oz) natural almond meal
75 g (2¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
Sour cherries 3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
1 × 680 g (1½ lb) jar of sour cherries 2 g salt
(to yield 200 g/7 oz drained sour cherries, 160 g (5½ oz) egg
plus reserved liquid) 185 g (6½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
caster (superfine) sugar, see method 160 g (5½ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
citric acid, see method

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). Gently melt the brown butter in a
saucepan. You want it to be warm enough
Sour cherries so that the liquid doesn’t cool down too
Strain the sour cherries from the jar, quickly, but cool enough so that it doesn’t
reserving the liquid. For every 100 g (3½ oz) develop any burnt characteristics. If the
of the cherry liquid, measure out 60 g (2 oz) butter is too hot, it can also fry the egg
of sugar and 2 g of citric acid. Add the mixture as you add it, so a thermometer is
sugar and citric acid to a saucepan with the useful (we aim for roughly 100°C/210°F).
cherry liquid, bring to a simmer over medium
heat, then stir together to ensure the sugar Once the butter comes up to temperature,
has dissolved. Remove from the heat and set slowly pour it into the egg and sugar
aside to cool. (This can also be done with mixture (or add little by little, if whisking by
the same amount of fresh pitted cherries hand). The mixture must be well emulsified,
by replacing the cherry liquid with water as this will ensure that the butter doesn’t
and poaching the de-seeded cherries in the bleed out later and give the cake a greasy
syrup until they are soft.) Pour this liquid texture. Finally, mix in the dry ingredients,
over the jarred cherries and let sit in the ensuring that there are no lumps suspended
syrup for at least 3–4 hours before using. throughout the batter.
Almond cake batter
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar,
in a bowl and stir together. Add the eggs
and sugar to a separate mixing bowl. Either
with a whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the
whisk attachment, slowly combine until the
sugar has dissolved. You do not want to
incorporate any air at this stage, as it tends
to separate when the butter is added and
forms a foamy crust, so keep the speed low.
 TARTS ANON

To assemble and bake

Pour a thin layer of almond batter
(approximately one-third of the quantity)
into a prepared pastry shell to cover the
base. (This will keep the cherries in place
when adding the remaining batter). Then,
strain off 200 g (7 oz) of the marinated
sour cherries (see previous page) through
a sieve and discard the liquid. Blot the fruit
on some paper towels, then arrange them
over the batter in four concentric circles,
with a gap of roughly 1 cm (½ in) in between
each circle and in between each cherry.
Pour the remaining batter over the top
of the cherries and push any floating
cherries under the surface. Place the tart
into the oven to bake for approximately Festive and spiced plum variations
30 minutes, or until the crust is an even At Christmas, we like to turn this into
golden brown and the centre of the tart a festive Cherry and Gingerbread Tart
is firm. Remove from the oven and allow variation by adding 6 g (0.2 oz) of mixed
to cool inside the tin. spice and 3 g (0.1 oz) of ground ginger. You
can also make this tart with plums, which
Once the cake layer has completely cooled, is what we originally did before switching
remove the tart from the tin. Portion into to cherry (Gareth claimed making the plum
slices (see page 39) and dust with a light tart for our first Christmas offering was
coating of icing sugar. ‘the worst day of his life’ – he spent hours
slicing kilos and kilos of plums from our
local grocer, half of which were spoiled –
making it literally the pits). If you’re only
making one though, you (probably) won’t
end up scarred and, unlike Gareth, will
find it quite easy. Just substitute cherries
for 250 g (9 oz) plums, pitted and cut into
approx. 1.5 cm (½ in) slices.
 CLASSIC TARTS

Carrot Cake Tart

This tart-ified version of a carrot cake might not be an obvious classic, but it belongs in
this chapter as a great foundational recipe for the tarts in our ‘Not Your Average Tarts’
chapter. The cream cheese glaze is what makes this one special – it’s designed to taste the
same as a typical cream cheese frosting and to sit perfectly flat across the top of the tart
(and it’s texturally superior as well, if we say so ourselves). You can, of course, with some
practice, use a palette knife to get frosting perfectly flat, but at the scale we make tarts,
we needed to find a way to make this as consistent as possible. The cake itself is, we believe,
the perfect carrot cake: spicy, nutty and, of course, carrot-y.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Carrot cake batter

130 g (4½ oz) grated carrot
Cream cheese glaze (from approx. 2 carrots)
60 g (2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 20 g (¾ oz) natural almond meal
1 g salt 95 g (3¼ oz) walnut meal
3 g (0.1 oz) pectin X58 70 g (2½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
130 g (4½ oz) cream cheese 4 g (0.14 oz) baking powder
1 g orange zest 5 g (0.2 oz) salt
100 g (3½ oz) milk 220 g (8 oz) soft brown sugar
100 g (3½ oz) egg
100 g Brown butter (page 111)

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). sugar has dissolved. You do not want to
incorporate any air at this stage, as it tends
Cream cheese glaze to separate when the butter is added and
First mix the sugar, salt and pectin in a forms a foamy crust, so keep the speed low.
small bowl and set aside. Put the cream Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You
cheese into a plastic measuring jug and want this to be warm enough so that the
soften briefly in the microwave. Add the liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but
orange zest and milk to a saucepan and cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any
bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
the sugar and pectin mix to the simmering it can also fry the egg mixture as you add
milk and whisk to combine, then remove it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for
from heat. Strain the milk mixture through roughly 100°C/210°F).
a fine sieve into the jug with the cream
cheese, then blend until smooth with a Once the butter comes up to temperature,
hand-held blender. Pour into a container, slowly pour it into the egg and sugar
cover with a piece of plastic wrap placed mixture (or add little by little, if whisking
directly onto the surface of the frosting by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well
and leave to cool in the fridge. emulsified, as this will prevent the butter
from bleeding out later, giving the cake
Carrot cake batter a greasy texture. Then mix in the dry
Mix the grated carrot with all the dry ingredients, making sure that there are no
ingredients, except the sugar, in a bowl lumps suspended throughout the batter.
and set aside. Add the eggs and sugar
to a separate mixing bowl. Either with a
whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk
attachment, slowly combine until the
TARTS ANON

To bake
Pour the batter into your cooled pastry
shell and place in the oven to bake for
approximately 30 minutes, or until the
centre of the tart springs back when
pressed. Remove from the oven and allow
to cool inside the tin.
To glaze
Once the cake layer has completely cooled
it’s ready to be glazed (see page 34). Warm
two-thirds of the glaze in a small saucepan
over low heat until just melted. Pour this
onto the remaining third and blend with
a hand-held blender until smooth. Pour the
glaze onto the centre of the cake and use
a swirling motion to move the glaze to the
edges of the tart. Then, tap gently on the
bench so that the glaze fills the knuckles
of the crust.
Once the glaze has filled the gaps, allow to
set for 20 minutes before removing the tart
from the tin and portioning into slices with
a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
 CLASSIC TARTS

Smoked Pecan
and Butterscotch Tart
This is a reformatted version of the pecan pie. We honestly believe – unless you grew up
eating them (which not many people in Australia did) – that pecan pies are really not very
nice (sorry). This tart, on the other hand, is undeniably very nice. Gareth set it as a pressure
test for an elimination challenge on MasterChef Australia in 2022 and it’s been one of our
most popular tarts ever since. Some people criticised it for not being complex enough for a
pressure test, but they hadn’t baked it or eaten it. The execution required at every step and
the final aesthetic are what sets it apart from other tarts, as of course does its taste. To really
make this tart great (and it is intended to be great), ensure you take every element to its
deepest colour without burning.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Pecan puree

whole pecan nuts, to decorate 150 g (5½ oz) pecans
Caramel Pecan cake batter
120 g (4½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream 125 g (4½ oz) natural almond meal
280 g (10 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 45 g (1½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
130 g (4½ oz) butter 3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
160 g (5½ oz) milk 4 g (0.14 oz) salt
16 g (½ oz) salt 85 g (3 oz) Pecan puree, above
125 g (4½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 90 g (3 oz) golden caster (superfine) sugar
80 g (2¾ oz) soft brown sugar
Smoked maple glaze 145 g (5 oz) egg
120 g (4½ oz) soft brown sugar 80 g (2¾ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
5 g (0.2 oz) pectin NH
2 g smoke powder, or a couple of drops
of liquid smoke
100 g (3½ oz) water
200 g (7 oz) maple syrup
2 g citric acid

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). to cool. Then, weigh out 125 g (4½ oz) of
the caramel, mix with the dulce de leche
Caramel and store in a container.
Warm the cream slightly in a saucepan
over medium–low heat and set aside. Place Smoked maple glaze
the sugar, butter, milk and salt in a pan Weigh the sugar, pectin and smoke powder
and bring to a gentle simmer over medium in a bowl. Then, add the water and maple
heat. Continue to cook while whisking, to syrup to a saucepan and bring to a boil
ensure it doesn’t burn, and let the liquid over medium–high heat. Once boiling, rain
reduce until the mixture becomes thick and the sugar mixture into the maple syrup
caramelised (approximately 145°C/295°F). while whisking.
At this point, remove the caramel from the
stove and add the warmed cream, then
whisk to combine. Give it a quick blitz with
a hand-held blender until shiny, then allow
 TARTS ANON

Lastly, add the citric acid and boil again, Once the butter comes up to temperature,
simmering for a minute or so to properly slowly pour it into the egg and sugar
hydrate the pectin. Blend with a hand-held mixture (or add little by little, if whisking
blender until smooth and glossy then decant by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well
into a container to allow to set before using. emulsified, as this will prevent the butter
from bleeding out later, giving the cake
Pecan puree a greasy texture. Then mix in the dry
Toast the pecans on a baking tray (sheet) ingredients, making sure that there are no
for about 15 minutes, or until deep golden lumps suspended throughout the batter.
brown. Whilst still warm, blend the nuts in
a food processor until smooth and runny. To bake
Set this mixture aside. Spread 250 g (9 oz) of the caramel over
the base of the tart shell, then pour 650 g
Pecan cake batter (1 lb 7 oz) of batter on top. Arrange the
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the pecans on top of the tart in three concentric
sugars, in a separate bowl and stir them circles (we arrange them into ten groups of
together. Add the eggs and sugar to a 3–2–1 formation so that every slice gets
a separate mixing bowl. Either with a 6 pecans).
whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk
attachment, slowly combine until the Place the tart into the oven to bake for
sugar has dissolved. You do not want to approximately 30 minutes, or until the crust
incorporate any air at this stage, as it tends is an even colour and the centre of the tart
to separate when the butter is added and is firm. Remove from the oven and allow to
forms a foamy crust, so keep the speed low. cool inside the tin.
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You To glaze
want this to be warm enough so that the Once the tart has cooled, it’s ready to be
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but glazed (see page 34). Bring the smoked
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any maple glaze to a boil in a small saucepan.
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot, Using a large pastry brush, brush a thick
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add layer over the top of the tart and allow to
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for set for a few minutes. Once the glaze is nice
roughly 100°C/210°F). and firm, remove the tart from the tin and
portion into slices with a hot, sharp knife
(see page 39).
 CLASSIC TARTS

Rhubarb Bakewell Tart

A traditional Bakewell is made with shortcrust pastry, a layer of fruit jam and a layer
of frangipane that is topped with flaked almonds and icing. This tart-ified version uses
rhubarb instead of more traditional strawberry or cherry jam, simply because we had
some in the fridge at the time. This recipe calls for you to make your jam more like a thick
compote, which is a great way to highlight the fruit, but really the key to making this tart
excellent is to nail the cook on the cake. If the cake itself isn’t right then you’ll end up with
something too sloppy or too dry, and we guarantee the compote won’t save you. Look for
a nice firmness to the cake, but not so much that it springs back. If you want to use a
skewer to test the doneness of your cake, keep in mind that you want it to come out with
a little residue on it – just not so much that it’s sticky. This will ensure your cake still has
some moisture to it.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Almond cake batter

120 g (4½ oz) diced almonds 140 g (5 oz) natural almond meal
75 g (2¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
Rhubarb jam 3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) rhubarb 2 g salt
200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar, 185 g (6½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
plus 200 g (7 oz) 160 g (5½ oz) egg
250 g (9 oz) water, plus 10 g (¼ oz) 160 g (5½ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
7 g (¼ oz) pectin jaune
7 g (¼ oz) citric acid

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). rhubarb into the syrup. Once fully combined,
set aside in a container until cool.
Rhubarb jam
Start by cutting the rhubarb into small Almond cake batter
pieces. Heat 200 g (7 oz) of the sugar Weigh the dry ingredients, except the
and 250 g (9 oz) of the water in a pot on sugar, in a bowl and stir them together.
the stove. Bring to a boil, then pour in the Add the eggs and sugar to a separate
rhubarb. Once the syrup comes back to mixing bowl. Either with a whisk or a stand
a boil, remove the rhubarb with a slotted mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, slowly
spoon, leaving the syrup in the pot. Add the combine until the sugar has dissolved.
drained rhubarb to a baking tray (sheet) You do not want to incorporate any air
lined with baking paper. Place in the oven at this stage, as it tends to separate when
to bake for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid the butter is added and forms a foamy
has evaporated and the rhubarb looks dry. crust, so keep the speed low.
Bring the syrup back to the boil once the Melt the brown butter in a saucepan.
rhubarb has finished baking then mix the You want this to be warm enough so that
remaining 200 g (7 oz) of sugar with the the liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly,
pectin. Rain this into the boiling syrup and but cool enough so that it doesn’t develop
continue to cook until it reaches 107°C any burnt characteristics. If the butter
(225°F) on the thermometer. Mix the citric is too hot, it can also fry the egg mixture
acid and the remaining 10 g (¼ oz) of water as you add it, so a thermometer is useful
together, then whisk this along with the (we aim for roughly 100°C/210°F).
TARTS ANON

Once the butter comes up to temperature,

slowly pour it into the egg and sugar
mixture (or add little by little, if whisking
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well
emulsified, as this will prevent the butter
from bleeding out later, giving the cake
a greasy texture. Then mix in the dry
ingredients, making sure that there are no
lumps suspended throughout the batter.
To assemble and bake
Spread 150 g (5½ oz) of rhubarb jam over
the base of the pastry shell.
Pour the batter over the top of the jam,
then sprinkle over the diced almonds to form
an even layer. Place the tart into the oven
to bake for approximately 30 minutes, or
until the crust is an even golden brown and
the centre of the tart is firm. Remove from the
oven and allow to cool inside the tin.
Once the cake layer has completely cooled,
remove from the tin and portion the tart
into slices using a hot, sharp knife (see
page 39). Finish each slice with a light
coating of icing sugar.
 CLASSIC TARTS

Signature Pear Tart

This is the tart that started it all in lockdown, before Tarts Anon even existed. It’s the bake that
made us think ‘Maybe we should sell these?’ It’s quite a simple tart in its conception: layers
of pear and frangipane baked in a shortcrust pastry shell. This tart was inspired by one of the
first dishes Gareth ever made as a chef – a frangipane and plum tart, we’ve simply switched
the plums for pears. You can serve this with the bells and whistles if you want (vanilla ice
cream or cream), but we genuinely believe this tart is perfect as it is.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 75 g (2¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
3 green packham pears 3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
icing (confectioners’ sugar), for dusting 2 g salt
185 g (6½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
Almond cake batter 160 g (5½ oz) egg
140 g (5 oz) natural almond meal 160 g (5½ oz) Brown butter (page 111)

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). out later, giving the cake a greasy texture.
Finally, mix in the dry ingredients, making
Use an apple corer to remove the core from sure that there are no lumps suspended
two of the pears and slice thinly, lengthways, throughout the batter.
on a sharp mandolin. Cut the third pear into
quarters lengthways and use a knife to cut To assemble and bake
the core out. Pour a thin layer of the almond batter
(approx. one-third of the recipe) into the
Almond cake batter pastry shell. Arrange the slices of pear in an
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar, overlapping layer over the batter, then pour
in a bowl and stir together. Add the eggs another thin layer of almond batter over the
and sugar to a separate mixing bowl. Either top of this. It is important to work quickly at
with a whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a this time as the batter will stiffen as it cools.
whisk attachment, slowly combine until the Add a second layer of pear and then a final
sugar has dissolved. You do not want to layer of batter.
incorporate any air at this stage, as it tends
to separate when the butter is added and Once the last of the batter is inside the
forms a foamy crust, so keep the speed low. pastry shell, use a mandolin to carefully
slice the quartered pear into slightly thicker
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You pieces and arrange 10 pieces on top so they
want this to be warm enough so that the fan out with the pointed ends of the pear
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but cool facing the centre.
enough so that it doesn’t develop any burnt
characteristics. If the butter is too hot, Place the tart into the oven and bake for
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add approximately 30 minutes, or until the crust
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for is an even golden brown and the centre of
roughly 100°C/210°F). the tart is firm. Remove from the oven and
allow to cool inside the tin.
Once the butter comes up to temperature,
slowly pour it into the egg and sugar mixture Once cooled, remove the tart from the tin.
(or add little by little, if whisking by hand). Portion the tart into slices with a sharp
Ensure that the mixture is well emulsified, knife (see page 39) and dust lightly with
as this will prevent the butter from bleeding icing sugar.
Not Your
Average Tarts
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

This collection is dedicated to the most

‘Tarts Anon’ of tarts – the recipes that gave
us our reputation for out of the box tarts.
Many of these showcase Gareth’s background in fine dining, demonstrating techniques
and skills that aren’t necessarily synonymous with tart baking and might not be known to
the home cook. Nonetheless, they should be achievable with the right equipment, time and
ingredients if you follow the recipes correctly.
While baking classic tarts never gets old, experimenting with technique and pushing
the boundaries of a typical retail pastry shop by using elevated techniques is something that
keeps baking interesting and playful. It also keeps people coming back to the shop. While we
never claim to be reinventing the wheel, at Tarts Anon we’ve worked hard to get our processes
right through rigorous testing. Setting pectin glazes on top of baked custard tarts may have
been done before, but we like to think that this practice – particularly at the scale at which
we do it – is unique to us.
But in the same way some more classic recipes require a good understanding of the
ingredients, these more technically complex tarts require an understanding of a few different
challenges in pastry making. In this chapter we rely on a few lesser-known ingredients:
pectin X58 (used to set dairy-based glazes) and pectin NH (to set non-dairy based glazes).
These two ingredients make it possible for us to add additional layers to our tarts without
it looking or tasting like some aftermarket addition. These pectins set at room temperature,
which is perfect for tarts that are baked fresh daily and not refrigerated for any longer than
15 minutes. We also tackle a few different methods that wouldn’t necessarily feature in
conventional tart making like baking custard on top of a cake layer, how to soak cakes and
putting extra layers of biscuits into your pastry and gluing them all together.
These are the tarts that people will remember you for, for better or worse.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Blackberry and Orange

Cheesecake Tart
This tart has seen more evolutions than any other tart on the Tarts Anon menu, but the final
recipe eventually became the basis for all our other cheesecake-based tarts. Please be
warned: this is not a cheesecake. You can taste the flavours of cheesecake in the custard but
texturally it is (and is intended to be) entirely different.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Cheesecake custard

70 g (2½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 215 g (7½ oz) cream cheese
390 g (14 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
Blackberry gel 5 g (0.2 oz) orange zest
200 g (7 oz) blackberries 135 g (5 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
80 g (2¾ oz) water 260 g (9 oz) egg yolk
110 g (4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
5 g (0.2 oz) pectin NH
5 g (0.2 oz) citric acid

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). the head of the blender underneath the
surface. Strain the mixture through a sieve
Blackberry gel into a measuring jug to use straight away –
Put the blackberries into a narrow you want to keep it as warm as possible to
measuring jug or container and use a hand- ensure it cooks evenly in the oven.
held blender to blend until very smooth.
Put the blackberry puree and water into a To assemble and bake
saucepan and bring to the boil. Combine Spread the dulce de leche over the base of
the sugar with the pectin and add to the the prepared pastry shell and place in the
blackberry puree, whisk this mixture in and oven. Pour the custard on top of the caramel
bring to the boil again. Remove from heat. layer. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the
Add the citric acid and use a hand-held custard is slightly wobbly in the centre, then
blender to blend until smooth, then pass remove from the oven and allow to cool.
through a fine sieve. Transfer the gel to the
fridge to cool and set until firm. To glaze
Once the custard has cooled sufficiently,
Cheesecake custard melt the blackberry gel in a small saucepan
Gently microwave the cream cheese briefly over a low heat (you can pop the tart into
until softened. Add the cream, orange zest the fridge to help the custard to firm up, this
and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a will also help the gel to set faster). Then, once
simmer over medium heat, then remove from the gel has fully melted and has started to
heat immediately. To temper the egg yolks, simmer slightly, pour 220 g (8 oz) of the gel
add them to a mixing bowl and whisk in a in a circular motion from the inside of the
small amount of the hot cream mixture until tart and moving outwards. Gently transfer
well incorporated. Then add the remaining the tart to the fridge to allow to set.
cream mix and cream cheese and use a
hand-held blender to blend until the mixture Once the gel is firm to the touch, remove
is shiny and smooth – to prevent any air the tart from the tin and portion into slices
from being incorporated into the mix, keep (see page 39) with a hot, sharp knife.
 TARTS ANON

Raspberry and Jasmine

Cheesecake Tart
The inspiration for this tart came from a dessert Gareth used to make at Dinner by Heston
Blumenthal in London. Roasted white peaches were macerated in jasmine syrup and plated
with yoghurt cream, freeze-dried raspberries and a raspberry meringue, served alongside a
cold-infused jasmine tea. Raspberry and jasmine are such an impactful flavour combination.
A cheesecake custard with jasmine works perfectly as the high fat and dairy content softens
the tannins in the tea and makes its fragrance the real hero.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 5 g (0.2 oz) citric acid
70 g (2½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139)
Cheesecake custard
Raspberry gel 200 g (7 oz) cream cheese
200 g (7 oz) raspberries 360 g (12½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream
80 g (2¾ oz) water 10 g (¼ oz) jasmine tea
110 g (4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 125 g (4½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
5 g (0.2 oz) pectin NH 240 g (8½ oz) egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). Strain the mixture through a sieve into a
measuring jug to use straight away – you
Raspberry gel want to keep it as warm as possible to
Put the raspberries into a narrow measuring ensure it cooks evenly in the oven.
jug or container and blend with a hand-
held blender until very smooth. Place a To bake
saucepan with the raspberry puree and Spread the dulce de leche over the base
water on the stove and bring to the boil. of the prepared pastry shell and place in
Combine the sugar with the pectin then the oven. Pour the custard on top of the
add to the liquid and whisk this mixture in caramel layer. Bake for 30 minutes, or
and boil again. Remove from heat, add the until the custard is slightly wobbly in the
citric acid, and use a hand-held blender to centre, then remove from the oven and
blend until smooth, then pass through a fine allow to cool.
sieve. Allow the gel to cool and set until firm.
To glaze
Cheesecake custard Once the custard has cooled sufficiently,
Gently microwave the cream cheese briefly melt the raspberry gel in a small saucepan
to soften. Add the cream, jasmine tea and over a low heat (you can pop the tart into
sugar to a saucepan and bring to a simmer the fridge to help the custard to firm up,
over medium heat, then remove from heat which will also help the gel set faster). Then,
immediately. To temper the egg yolks, add once the gel has fully melted and has started
them to a mixing bowl and whisk in a small to simmer slightly, pour 220 g (8 oz) of the
amount of the hot cream mixture until well gel in a circular motion from the inside of the
incorporated. Then add the remaining cream tart and moving outwards. Gently transfer
mix and cream cheese and use a hand-held the tart to the fridge to allow to set.
blender to blend until the mixture is shiny
and smooth – to prevent any air from being Once the gel is firm to the touch, remove the
incorporated into the mix, keep the head of tart from the tin and portion into slices with
the blender underneath the surface. a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Mango and Macadamia Tart

If you didn’t think that the Mango Weis Bar was the epitome of hot summers growing up
then you probably didn’t grow up in Australia (apologies for alienating any international
readers). Mango and macadamia is a cracking flavour combination, sure, but this tart
(and the Weis Bar) is all about the perfectly harmonious marriage of fruity and creamy.
Macadamias are expensive, but please don’t skimp and use a different nut, we guarantee
there is no substitute. It’s also worth pointing out that this tart is absolutely brilliant eaten
frozen, as we found out after a rather forgetful chef recovered one from the depths of the
blast chiller one hot December morning.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Mango custard

70 g (2½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 2 ripe mangoes
(to yield 255 g/9 oz mango puree)
Macadamia cream glaze 100 g (3½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream
200 g (7 oz) macadamia nuts 150 g (5½ oz) double (heavy) cream
700 g (1 lb 9 oz) milk 150 g (5½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
300 g (10½ oz) cream 2 g citric acid
100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 90 g (3 oz) egg
3 g (0.1 oz) salt 220 g (8 oz) egg yolk
12 g (0.4 oz) pectin X58

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). Spread Mango custard

the dulce de leche over the base of the Remove the skin and stone from the mango
prepared pastry shell. and chop the fruit into small pieces. Put
the mango into a narrow measuring jug
Macadamia cream glaze or container and blend with a hand-held
Roast the macadamias until they are a light blender until it becomes very smooth – this
golden brown. Place these into a saucepan really affects how well the custard emulsifies.
with the milk and cream. Bring to a simmer
over medium heat, then remove from heat. Add the mango puree, creams, sugar and
Break up the macadamias in the mixture citric acid to a saucepan and bring to a
with a hand-held blender to maximise simmer over medium heat. Once simmering,
the surface area and improve the flavour remove from heat immediately. To temper
extraction. Cover, then allow to infuse for the whole eggs and egg yolks, add them
half an hour. to a mixing bowl and whisk in a small
amount of the hot cream mixture until well
Pass the blended macadamia mixture incorporated. Add the remaining cream
though a fine sieve. Measure 800 g mixture and use a hand-held blender to
(1 lb 12 oz) of the strained liquid into a blend until the mixture is shiny and smooth
saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix the sugar – to prevent any air from being incorporated
and salt together with the pectin, then rain into the mix, keep the head of the blender
this mixture into the boiling cream. Return underneath the surface. Strain the custard
to the boil then simmer for 20 seconds, then into a measuring jug to use straight away –
remove from heat and blend quickly with you want to keep it as warm as possible to
a hand-held blender, before decanting the ensure it cooks evenly in the oven. Pour the
glaze into a container to set. custard into the pastry shell, leaving 5 mm
(approx. ¼ in) of pastry free at the top for
the macadamia cream.
TARTS ANON

To bake
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the custard is
slightly wobbly in the centre, then remove
from the oven and allow to cool. Place the
tart in the fridge to help the custard set.
To glaze
Once the tart has cooled, it’s ready to be
glazed (see page 37). Warm 180 g (6½ oz)
of the glaze in a small saucepan over low
heat until just melted. Place 150 g (5½ oz)
of the remaining glaze in a jug, then blend
the two together until smooth and glossy,
but still a little runny. (You can return a bit
of the mixture back to a saucepan to make
sure that the consistency is right before
blending together again.)
Pour the glaze in a circular motion on top
of the mango custard to ensure that the
surface is not damaged. Give the tart tin a
little swirl and a tap to get the glaze into all
the knuckles, then pop in the fridge to cool
until the glaze is nicely set.
Once the glaze has completely cooled,
remove the tart from the tin and portion into
slices (see page 39). Or, put it in the freezer.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Lamington Tart
Gareth’s not particularly fond of lamingtons in their ‘classic’ format, but having the lamington
inside the pastry shell allows you to rejig the ratios and place more of an emphasis on the
good stuff – more creamy fillings and just enough sponge. We’ve also put some actual fruit
into the jam to make it taste like raspberries. And here’s a controversial opinion: the pastry
adds a textural ‘biscuity’ element that perhaps the lamington was missing all along.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 2 g vanilla paste, or the seeds from 1 vanilla pod
shredded coconut, for dusting 140 g (5 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
Raspberry jam 150 g (5½ oz) egg
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) raspberries 130 g (4½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
250 g (9 oz) caster (superfine) sugar,
plus 150 g (5½ oz) Coconut glaze
10 g (¼ oz) pectin jaune 125 g (4½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
7 g (¼ oz) citric acid 12 g (0.4 oz) pectin X58
20 g (¾ oz) water 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) coconut cream
Coconut soak
180 g (6½ oz) coconut milk Chocolate glaze
25 g (1 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 50 g (1¾ oz) cocoa powder
7 g (¼ oz) pectin X58
Vanilla sponge 2 g salt
80 g (2¾ oz) unsalted butter 90 g (3 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
20 g (¾ oz) milk 175 g (6 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
2 g salt 150 g (5½ oz) milk

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). Coconut soak

Bring the coconut milk and the sugar
Raspberry puree to a boil and set aside.
Put the raspberries in a narrow measuring
jug or container and blend with a hand-held Vanilla sponge
blender until very smooth. Add the puree to Melt the butter in a saucepan along with
a saucepan and mix with 250 g (9 oz) of the the milk, salt and vanilla. Combine all the
sugar. Allow the mixture to come to the boil dry ingredients except for the sugar and
while whisking – it will tend to stick to the pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add
bottom of the pan. Take the remaining sugar the eggs and sugar to the bowl of a stand
and mix with the pectin. Rain this into the mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat
boiling raspberry mixture and continue to the eggs on high speed until they are pale
cook until it reaches 106°C (223°F), or until and fluffy, then slowly but steadily pour the
the bubbles grow larger and the mixture butter mixture into the eggs, ensuring it is
has thickened. Once the jam is at the right being emulsified into the egg mixture.
consistency, mix the citric acid with the
water until the granules have fully dissolved.
Add this to the jam and return to the boil.
Pour the jam into a container and allow to
set. Spread 120 g (4½ oz) of the raspberry
jam over the base of the pastry shell.
 TARTS ANON

Once the butter is fully incorporated, To glaze

turn off the machine and add the dry Once the tart has cooled, it’s ready to
ingredients in one go, then increase the be glazed (see page 34). Warm 160 g
speed to high to work them into the egg mix (5½ oz) of the coconut glaze in a saucepan
as quickly as possible, ensuring that the until just melted. Pour this mixture over 160 g
flour isn’t being over worked or too much air of cold glaze and mix with a hand-held
is lost. Pour the sponge mixture directly into blender until it is smooth and reaches the
the prepared pastry shell. Place in the oven texture of a thick custard. Pour this over the
to bake for 25 minutes, or until the centre baked cake layer and tilt the tart so that the
of the sponge springs back when pressed glaze spreads to the edges (to get a smooth
gently. Remove from the oven. Use a pastry and clean look, avoid using a spatula for
docker or a fork to poke small holes in the this). Tap the tart gently on the bench so
cake while still warm. Pour 220 g (8 oz) of that the glaze settles evenly and place in the
coconut soak mix all over the top to ensure fridge for 5–10 minutes to firm up.
that the whole cake has absorbed the
liquid. Set aside to cool. Melt the chocolate glaze in a saucepan over
medium–low heat until liquid. Make sure to
Coconut glaze swirl it around to ensure it is fully melted
Weigh the sugar and pectin in a bowl. and no skin has started to form. Remove
Add the cream and coconut cream to from heat and very gently pour the glaze
a saucepan. Bring them to a boil over over the tart in a circular motion, ensuring
medium–high heat, then add the pectin that the glaze isn’t damaging the coconut
and sugar and keep at a simmer, whisking layer underneath. Using the same method
continuously, for 20 seconds. Blend with a of tilting and tapping, get the glaze into all
hand-held blender until smooth and glossy, the knuckles of the crust, then place in the
then decant into a container to allow to set fridge for a few minutes to set.
before using.
Once the glaze is nice and firm, remove the
Chocolate glaze tart from the tin. Cut the tart into portions
Weigh the cocoa powder, pectin, salt and with a hot, sharp knife (see page 39) and
sugar in a bowl. Add the cream and milk to finish with a very sparse sprinkling of
a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium– shredded coconut over the top.
high heat, then add the pectin mixture and
keep at a simmer, whisking continuously,
for 20 seconds. Blend with a hand-held
until smooth and glossy, then decant into
a container to allow to set before using.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Espresso Caramel
Chocolate Tart
Gareth’s relationship with coffee is what many people would describe as pretty unhealthy.
The fuel that got him through many years of late nights and early starts in the kitchen, it
lumps him in with pretty much every other stereotypical hospitality worker (thankfully, he
ditched the cigarettes a decade ago). As a proper addict, he hated seeing the excess shots
from our coffee service in the shop going to waste, so, naturally, he needed to come up with
a coffee-based tart. This is the result. The flavour combination mirrors the tasting notes from
the coffee beans we use at our cafe: caramel, chocolate and almond. This tart is bold on
the coffee flavour (just the way we like it) and would make the perfect after-dinner dessert
alongside pretty much any type of nightcap you can think of.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 160 g (5½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar,
plus another 30 g (1 oz) to mix
Espresso caramel with the pectin
40 g (1½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream 80 g (2¾ oz) butter
80 g (2¾ oz) espresso (approx. 3 double shots) 5 g (0.2 oz) salt
280 g (10 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 10 g (¼ oz) pectin X58
160 g (5½ oz) milk
16 g (½ oz) salt Chocolate cake batter
130 g (4½ oz) butter 90 g (3 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
approx. 100 g (3½ oz) Dulce de Leche 140 g (5 oz) natural almond meal
(page 139), see method 20 g (¾ oz) cocoa powder
3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
Espresso caramel glaze 2 g salt
130 g (4½ oz) espresso (approx. 5 double shots) 185 g (6½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
480 g (1 lb 1 oz) pouring (whipping) cream 160 g (5½ oz) egg
155 g (5½ oz) Brown butter (page 111)

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). Espresso caramel glaze

Mix the espresso and cream together in a
Espresso caramel measuring jug and set aside. Add the 160 g
Slightly warm the cream and espresso (5½ oz) of sugar and a splash of water to
in a saucepan over medium heat and a saucepan and bring to a simmer over
set aside. Add the sugar, milk, salt and medium heat. Continue to cook until all the
butter to a pan and bring to a gentle water has evaporated and the sugar begins
simmer. Continue to cook while whisking to caramelise. Once the caramel is a nice
to ensure it doesn’t burn, and reduce the and even medium golden brown, add the
liquid until the mixture becomes thick and butter and salt and whisk together until
caramelised. At this point, remove the emulsified. Add the espresso-cream mixture
caramel from the stove and add the cream to the caramel in three stages, ensuring
and coffee, and whisk to combine. Give that the sugar doesn’t set and is completely
it a quick blitz with a hand-held blender dissolved before each addition.
until shiny, then allow to cool. Once set,
weigh the espresso caramel and mix with
an equal weight of dulce de leche and
store in a container.
 TARTS ANON

Mix the pectin and the 30 g (1 oz) sugar To bake

together and add to the caramel cream Spread 200 g (7 oz) of the espresso
once it has boiled, then return to a boil caramel over the base of the baked pastry
whilst whisking. Let it simmer for 20 seconds shell, then pour 550 g (1 lb 3 oz) of batter
then blend with a hand-held blender until on top. Place the tart into the oven to bake
smooth and glossy. Decant into a container for approximately 30 minutes, or until the
and allow to set before using. crust is an even colour and the centre of
the tart is firm. Remove from the oven and
Chocolate cake batter allow to cool inside the tin.
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar,
in a bowl and stir them together. Add the To glaze
eggs and sugar to a separate mixing bowl. Once the tart has cooled, it’s ready to be
Either with a whisk or a stand mixer fitted glazed (see page 34). Gently warm 120 g
with a whisk attachment, slowly combine (4½ oz) of the espresso caramel glaze in
until the sugar has dissolved. You do not a saucepan until just melted. Pour this
want to incorporate any air at this stage, mixture over 120 g of cold glaze and mix
as it tends to separate when the butter is with a hand-held blender until smooth and
added and forms a foamy crust, so keep the texture of thick custard. Pour this over
the speed low. the baked cake and tilt the tart so that the
glaze spreads to the edges (for a smooth
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You and clean look here, avoid using a spatula).
want this to be warm enough so that the Tap the tart gently on the bench so that
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but it settles in the corners, and place in the
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any fridge for 5–10 minutes to firm up.
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add Once the glaze is nice and firm, remove the
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for tart from the tin and portion into slices with
roughly 100°C/210°F). a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
Once the butter comes up to temperature,
slowly pour it into the egg and sugar
mixture (or add little by little, if whisking
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well
emulsified, as this will prevent the butter
from bleeding out later, giving the cake
a greasy texture. Finally, mix in the dry
ingredients, making sure that there are no
lumps suspended throughout the batter.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Coconut Pandan Tart

The first time Gareth encountered pandan it was described to him as ‘Thai vanilla’. In
retrospect, we’re not sure how true that is. As a chef Gareth had used it many times to simply
make things green, but when we moved to Victoria Street in Richmond (where Vietnamese
culture permeates the grocery shops, restaurants and local community), he quickly found
that this was the last thing it should be used for. True pandan die-hards have said that this
tart needs more pandan flavour, but we made it to be just as much about the coconut and
caramel as it is about the pandan. Generally, the reaction to this tart is that it’s undeniably
delicious and it has quickly became one of the most popular on the menu. You can source
pandan from most Asian grocers. The pandan infusion needs 12 hours to infuse, so
complete this step ahead of time.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 16 g (½ oz) salt

160 g (5½ oz) milk
Pandan infusion 130 g (4½ oz) butter
15 g (½ oz) pandan leaf approx. 100 g (3½ oz) Dulce de Leche
150 g (5½ oz) coconut cream (page 139), see method
200 g (7 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
Coconut batter
Pandan glaze 45 g (1½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 60 g (2 oz) natural almond meal
4 g (0.14 oz) pectin X58 70 g (2½ oz) desiccated (shredded) coconut
330 g (11½ oz) Pandan infusion, see above 2 g baking powder
2 g salt
Coconut caramel 165 g (6 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
120 g (4½ oz) coconut cream 145 g (5 oz) egg
280 g (10 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 170 g (6 oz) Brown butter (page 111)

Pandan infusion blender until smooth. Decant the mixture into

Cut the pandan leaf into approx. 1 cm (½ in) a container and cover with plastic to prevent
thick pieces, place into a saucepan with the a skin from forming. Cool in the fridge.
creams and bring to a simmer over medium
heat. Once simmering, remove from heat. Coconut caramel
Using a hand-held blender, blend until the In a saucepan, bring the coconut cream
liquid becomes light green in colour. Allow to to a simmer then set aside. Add the sugar,
cool and leave to infuse overnight. salt, milk and butter to another saucepan
and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Pandan glaze Continue to cook while whisking, to ensure
Weigh the sugar and pectin into a bowl. it doesn’t burn, and reduce the liquid until
Pour the pandan infusion into a saucepan the mixture becomes thick and caramelised.
and warm gently. Remove from heat. Place At this point, remove the caramel from the
another saucepan on top of a set of scales stove, add the coconut cream and whisk to
and pass the infusion into it through a combine. Give it a quick blitz with a hand-
fine sieve, weighing out the required 330 g held blender until shiny, then allow to cool.
(11½ oz). Bring the measured amount to the Once set, weigh the mixture and mix with
boil, then add the pectin and sugar mixture an equal weight of dulce de leche and store
and bring back to a boil. Remove from the in a container.
heat and blend the mixture with a hand-held
 TARTS ANON

Coconut batter To assemble and bake

Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar, To bake the tart, spread 150 g (5½ oz) of
in a bowl and stir them together. Add the the coconut caramel over the base of the
eggs and sugar to a separate mixing bowl. pastry shell, then pour the batter on top.
Either with a whisk or a stand mixer fitted Place the tart into the oven to bake for
with a whisk attachment, slowly combine approximately 30 minutes, or until the crust
until the sugar has dissolved. You do not is an even colour and the centre of the tart
want to incorporate any air at this stage, is firm. Remove from the oven and allow to
as it tends to separate when the butter is cool inside the tin.
added and forms a foamy crust, so keep
the speed low. Once the tart has cooled, it’s ready to be
glazed (see page 34). Warm 150 g (5½ oz)
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. of the pandan glaze in a saucepan until
You want this to be warm enough so that just melted. Pour this mixture over 150 g
the liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, (5½ oz) of cold glaze and mix with a hand-
but cool enough so that it doesn’t develop held blender until smooth and the texture
any burnt characteristics. If the butter is too of thick custard. Pour this over the baked
hot, it can also fry the egg mixture as you cake layer and tilt the tart so that the glaze
add it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim spreads to the edges (for a smooth and
for roughly 100°C/210°F). clean look, avoid using a spatula). Tap the
tart gently on the bench so the glaze settles
Once the butter comes up to temperature, evenly. Place in the fridge for 5–10 minutes
slowly pour it into the egg and sugar to firm up.
mixture (or add little by little, if whisking
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well Once the glaze is nice and firm, remove the
emulsified, as this will prevent the butter tart from the tin and portion into slices with
from bleeding out later, giving the cake a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
a greasy texture. Finally, mix in the dry
ingredients, making sure that there are no
lumps suspended throughout the batter.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Matcha, Strawberry
and Rice Cream Tart
This tart marks the first time we delved into piping creams on top of our creations.
Gareth had been resisting this as he always wanted the perfection of something like a
baked custard to speak for itself. However, after shooting the TV show Dessert Masters in
2023, he was reinvigorated by a newfound love of classic French patisserie, and piping
techniques were one of the skills he felt hadn’t yet really been explored at Tarts Anon.
Here, we use a ‘St Honoré’ nozzle (pastry tip) for the piping – if you’re a visual learner,
there are plenty of demos online that will show you the technique.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 2 g gold leaf gelatine

60 g (2 oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 225 g (8 oz) milk
50 g (1¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
Strawberry gel 240 g (8½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream
200 g (7 oz) strawberries
80 g (2¾ oz) water Matcha custard
110 g (4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 40 g (1½ oz) double (heavy) cream
5 g (0.2 oz) pectin NH 450 g (1 lb) pouring (whipping) cream
5 g (0.2 oz) citric acid 10 g (¼ oz) matcha powder, plus extra for dusting
130 g (4½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
Rice cream 55 g (2 oz) white chocolate callets or buttons
90 g (3 oz) short-grain rice 180 g (6½ oz) egg yolks
150 g (5½ oz) water

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). the milk and sugar, then bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and use a hand-held
Strawberry gel blender to blend until thick and smooth.
Put the strawberries in a narrow measuring Return the pot to the heat and simmer
jug or container, and blend with a hand- again, while whisking, to prevent the
held blender until very smooth. Add the mixture from sticking to the bottom of
water and strawberry puree to a saucepan the pot. Add the gelatine to the rice puree
and bring to the boil. Combine the sugar and mix to combine. Allow to cool and
with the pectin, then whisk into the puree set fully.
and bring to the boil again. Remove from
heat and add the citric acid. Blend until Once cool, add the rice puree and the cream
smooth, then pass through a fine sieve. to the bowl of a stand mixer, then whip on
Allow the gel to cool and set until firm. medium speed until firm peaks form. Transfer
the mixture to a piping (pastry) bag fitted
Rice cream with a St Honoré piping tip, or you can cut a
To cook the rice, put the rice and the water horizontal 1.5 cm (approx. ½ in) opening at
into a pot and bring to a simmer over the end of the piping bag, then cut off one
medium–high heat. Place a lid on top of of the edges at an angle to mimic the shape
the pot, turn the heat down and cook for of the tip.
15 minutes. Remove from the heat and
allow to rest for a further 5 minutes. Bloom
the gelatine in iced water. Take 60 g (2 oz)
of the cooked rice and add to a pot with
 TARTS ANON

To assemble and bake

Spread the dulce de leche over the base of
the pastry shell and place in the oven. Pour
the custard on top of this layer. Bake for
30 minutes, or until the custard is slightly
wobbly in the centre, then remove from the
oven and allow to cool.
Once the custard has cooled sufficiently,
melt the strawberry gel in a small saucepan
over a low heat (you can pop the tart into
the fridge to help the custard to firm up,
which will also help the gel to set faster).
Once the gel has fully melted and has
started to simmer slightly, weigh out 220 g
(8 oz) of the gel into a measuring jug and
pour onto the tart in a circular motion,
Matcha custard starting from the inside of the tart and
Add the creams, matcha and sugar to moving outwards. Gently transfer the tart
a saucepan and bring to a simmer over into the fridge and allow to set.
medium heat. Once simmering, add the
white chocolate, whisk to combine and Once the gel is cool, pipe the rice cream
remove from heat. To temper the egg into short peaks that overlap to form a
yolks, add them to a mixing bowl and swirled pattern over the whole surface
whisk in a small amount of the hot cream of the tart. Set in the fridge for at least
mixture until well incorporated. Add the 20 minutes to set. Once the cream is firm
remaining cream mixture and use a hand- to the touch, remove the tart from the tin
held blender to blend the mixture until it and portion into slices with a hot, sharp
is shiny and smooth – to prevent air from knife (see page 39). To finish, dust with
being incorporated into the mixture, keep a fine coating of matcha.
the head of the blender underneath the
surface. Strain the mixture into a measuring
jug to be used straight away – you want
to keep it as warm as possible to ensure
it cooks evenly in the oven.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Chocolate Malt Tart

The process of malting involves soaking grain, allowing it to sprout, and then roasting it.
To extract the sugar, the grain (usually barley) is then boiled in water until it becomes
a thick syrup. The flavour that we primarily associate with malt comes from that dark
roasting of the grain, which is the hero flavour of this tart. We use three different versions
of ‘malt’: malt extract in the caramel, brewer’s malt in the cake, and finally the barley
infusion that you make yourself in the glaze. After all that, you’d hope it didn’t end up
tasting like Milo for grown-ups, but it kind of does.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Chocolate malt glaze

220 g (8 oz) Barley infusion, above
Barley infusion 280 g (10 oz) cream
60 g (2 oz) pearl barley 100 g (3½ oz) liquid malt extract
300 g (10½ oz) milk 4 g (0.14 oz) salt
10 g (¼ oz) pectin X58
Malt caramel 30 g (1 oz) soft brown sugar
120 g (4½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream 110 g (4 oz) milk chocolate callets or buttons
180 g (6½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
130 g (4½ oz) butter Chocolate batter
60 g (2 oz) malt extract 90 g (3 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
160 g (5½ oz) milk 140 g (5 oz) natural almond meal
16 g (½ oz) salt 155 g (5½ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
125 g (4½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 10 g (¼ oz) malt powder
20 g (¾ oz) cocoa powder
3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
2 g salt
185 g (6½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
160 g (5½ oz) egg

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). and becomes thick and caramelised,
whisking continuously to ensure it doesn’t
Barley infusion burn. Then remove the caramel from the
First make the barley infusion. Roast heat and whisk in the cream until combined.
the pearl barley at 180°C (360°F) for Give the mixture a quick blitz with a hand-
45 minutes, or until very dark. Then place held blender until shiny, then allow to cool.
in a saucepan with the milk and bring to Weigh out 125 g (4½ oz) of the cooled
a boil. Remove from the heat and leave to caramel and mix together with the dulce
infuse for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes has de leche. Store in a container.
passed, place on the stove to warm again,
then pass through a sieve into a container. Chocolate malt glaze
Weigh and add 220 g (8 oz) of the barley
Malt caramel infusion to a saucepan along with the
Slightly warm the cream in a saucepan, cream, malt extract and salt. Then, weigh
then set aside. Place the sugar, butter, the pectin and the sugar in a separate
malt extract, milk and salt in another container and set aside. Bring the cream
saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. to a boil over medium heat and then add
Continue to cook until the mixture reduces the pectin mixture.
 TARTS ANON

Whisk this in, and then continue to simmer, To assemble and bake
while whisking, for 20 seconds. Remove To assemble the tart, spread 200 g (7 oz) of
from heat, add the milk chocolate and blend the malt caramel over the base of the pastry
with a hand-held blender until smooth and shell, then pour 550 g (1 lb 3 oz) of batter on
glossy. Decant into a container and allow to top. Place the tart into the oven to bake for
set before using. approximately 30 minutes, or until the crust
is an even colour and the centre of the tart is
Chocolate batter firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar, inside the tin.
in a separate bowl and stir them together.
Add the eggs and sugar to a separate Once the tart has cooled, it’s ready to be
mixing bowl. Either with a whisk or a stand glazed (see page 34). Warm 120 g (4½ oz)
mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, slowly of the chocolate malt glaze in a saucepan
combine until the sugar has dissolved. You until just melted. Pour this mixture over 120 g
do not want to incorporate any air at this (4½ oz) of cold glaze and mix with a hand-
stage, as it tends to separate when the held blender until smooth and the texture
butter is added and forms a foamy crust, of a thick custard. Pour this over the baked
so keep the speed low. tart and tilt so that the glaze spreads to the
edges (avoid using a spatula for this step to
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You get a smooth and clean look). Tap the tart
want this to be warm enough so that the gently on the bench so that it settles in the
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but knuckles of the crust, and place in the fridge
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any for 5–10 minutes to firm up.
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add Once the glaze is nice and firm, remove the
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for tart from the tin and portion into slices with
roughly 100°C/210°F). a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
Once the butter comes up to temperature,
slowly pour it into the egg and sugar
mixture (or add little by little, if whisking
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well
emulsified, as this will prevent the butter
from bleeding out later, giving the cake
a greasy texture. Then mix in the dry
ingredients, making sure that there are no
lumps suspended throughout the batter.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Caramelised Apple
Crumble Tart
Apple crumble is one of the holiest of desserts, so the idea to put it into tart form took little
convincing. Caramelised apples, apple jam, a spiced cake batter and a crunchy, buttery
crumble made with feuilletine flakes (essentially the crunchy bits on the outside of a
pancake) make up this delicious wintery tart.
At the shop, we make the crumble by combining the feuilletine with some spare pastry
trim from our production kitchen to reduce wastage, but we’ve used a different technique
for the crumble in this recipe so it is better suited to home cooks. You can find feuilletine at
most specialty providores. If you can’t find it, you could omit it entirely, but we really don’t
recommend it.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Cinnamon cake batter

icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting 100 g (3½ oz) natural almond meal
ground cinnamon, for dusting 55 g (2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 g baking powder
Caramelised apples 2 g salt
200 g (7 oz) jazz apples 2 g cinnamon
450 g (1 lb) caster (superfine) sugar 60 g (2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
120 g (4½ oz) butter 70 g (2½ oz) soft brown sugar
10 g (¼ oz) salt 115 g (4 oz) egg
120 g (4½ oz) verjuice 115 g (4 oz) Brown butter (page 111)
350 g (12½ oz) apple juice
Crumble
Apple jam 60 g (2 oz) butter
250 g (9 oz) jazz apples 150 g (5½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
70 g (2½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar, 20 g (¾ oz) feuilletine
plus 200 g (7 oz) 85 g (3 oz) soft brown sugar
3 g (0.1 oz) pectin jaune 2 g salt
4 g (0.14 oz) citric acid
15 g (½ oz) water

Caramelised apples Next, add the butter and the salt, and whisk
Peel and core the apples, then cut them in until the butter has fully incorporated. Add the
half. Then, cut the apples into approximately verjuice and the apple juice and bring to a
2 cm (¾ in) thick wedges (aim for about boil. Then drop in all the apples, ensuring not
10 slices per apple). to overcrowd the pan, and return to the boil.
Take a large saucepan and place it over Turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer
medium heat. Make a direct caramel by and let the apples cook gently until all the
adding just enough of the sugar to cover wedges have started to take on the colour
the bottom of the saucepan and letting it of the caramel but are still raw in the centre.
melt until it becomes amber in colour. Once Remove the saucepan from heat and
it starts to bubble and all the sugar has decant the apples and the caramel into a
dissolved, make another layer with the same container. Transfer to the fridge to sit until
amount of sugar and continue until all the they have cooked through and absorbed
sugar has been used up. the poaching liquid.
 TARTS ANON

Apple jam from bleeding out later, giving the cake

Peel, core then finely chop the apples a greasy texture. Finally, mix in the dry
to speed up the cooking process. Take ingredients, making sure that there are no
70 g (2½ oz) of the sugar and mix with lumps suspended throughout the batter.
the pectin, then set aside (make sure to
mix it thoroughly, as the pectin is likely Crumble
to form lumps and be ineffective in the Melt the butter in a saucepan. Combine
jam if not evenly dispersed). Then, make all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
a direct caramel with the remaining sugar Slowly add the butter to the dry ingredients
in the same manner as the poached apple and mix until a coarse texture forms.
method on the previous page. Once the Transfer the crumble to the fridge to chill
caramel is a medium brown shade, add the for approximately 20 minutes, so it’s easier
apples and stir them through the caramel. to handle later – you want to be able to
Turn the heat down and cook until the crumble it up again into nice uniform
apples collapse and release their liquid. pebbles. Once this is possible, bake it on
a baking paper-lined tray (sheet pan) for
Mix the citric acid with the water and set it 15 minutes at 150°C (300°F). Allow to cool
aside. Then use a whisk to break the apples before breaking up into rough (approx.
up and bring to a boil. Add the pectin 5 mm/¼ in) pieces.
mixture and continue to cook until the
jam reaches 106°C (223°F), then Increase your oven temperature to 165°C
add the citric acid solution. Remove from (330°F) to preheat for baking the tart.
heat, decant into a container once cooled
slightly, and transfer to the fridge to set. To assemble and bake
To assemble the tart, spread 160 g (5½ oz)
Cinnamon cake batter of apple jam over the base of the pastry
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the shell, and arrange the caramelised apples
sugars, in a separate bowl and stir them into three concentric circles, ensuring that
together. Add the eggs and sugars to there is enough space between them for
a separate mixing bowl. Either with a the batter to come into contact with the
whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk jam layer.
attachment, slowly combine until the
sugar has dissolved. You do not want to Pour the batter over the top of the apples
incorporate any air at this stage, as it tends and make sure that all the apple pieces are
to separate when the butter is added and under the surface. Evenly sprinkle 200 g
forms a foamy crust, so keep the speed low. (7 oz) of crumble over the top of the tart and
gently press into the batter.
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You
want this to be warm enough so that the Place the tart into the oven to bake for
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but approximately 30 minutes, or until the crust
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any is an even golden brown and the centre of
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot, the tart is firm. Remove from the oven and
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add allow to cool inside the tin.
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for
roughly 100°C/210°F). Once the cake layer has completely cooled,
remove the tart from the tin and portion into
Once the butter comes up to temperature, slices with a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
slowly pour it into the egg and sugar To finish, dust with a light coating of icing
mixture (or add little by little, if whisking sugar and a light dusting of cinnamon over
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well the top.
emulsified, as this will prevent the butter
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Black Forest Tart

The Black Forest gâteau has a reputation as infamous as the forest it is named after. This
fruity, chocolatey wonder has experienced something of a renaissance in recent years,
something we attribute in part to Heston Blumenthal’s In Search of Perfection. In this
innovative book, he reimagines dishes we’ve taken for granted as gastronomic masterpieces.
His interpretation of the Black Forest gâteau is still the best dessert Gareth’s ever had.
Here is our take. We’ve taken each element of a classic Black Forest gâteau and
attempted to make each component the best version of itself. An emphasis on the cherry
flavour and increased acidity brings out the red fruit notes you get in a lot of chocolates,
and the kirsch glaze brings well, the kirsch. Gareth created another version of a Black
Forest tart on the TV show Dessert Masters in 2023 that we later sold in our shop, but this
version is a touch more simple and admittedly, just as delicious.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Kirsch glaze

3 g (0.1 oz) pectin NH
Poached cherries 20 g (¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1 × 680 g (1½ lb) jar of sour cherries Poached cherries, in their syrup (see left)
caster (superfine) sugar, see method 25 g (1 oz) kirsch
citric acid, see method 2 g citric acid
Cherry jam Chocolate batter
200 g (7 oz) jarred sour cherries 125 g (4½ oz) natural almond meal
140 g (5 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 20 g (¾ oz) cocoa powder
4 g (0.14 oz) pectin jaune 55 g (2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
3 g (0.1 oz) citric acid 2 g baking powder
15 g (½ oz) water 2 g salt
165 g (6 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
145 g (5 oz) egg
140 g (5 oz) Brown butter (page 111)

Poached cherries Cherry jam

Strain the sour cherries from the jar and Strain the cherries from the jar and reserve
reserve the liquid. For every 100 g (3½ oz) the liquid. Place the cherries in a narrow
of reserved liquid, measure 60 g (2 oz) of measuring jug and blend with a hand-
sugar and 2 g of citric acid. Add these to held blender until the fruit is broken down
a saucepan with the cherry liquid, bring but not pureed. Mix the sugar with the
to the boil, then set aside to cool (this pectin and set aside. Ensure this is mixed
can also be done with the same quantity thoroughly, as the pectin is likely to form
of fresh pitted cherries, just replace the lumps and be ineffective in the jam if not
cherry liquid with water and poach in the evenly dispersed. Now place the cherry
syrup until they are soft). Pour this liquid pulp in a pan and bring to a simmer, then
over the sour cherries and let sit in the add the sugar and pectin mixture and
syrup for at least 3–4 hours before using. whisk until fully combined.
 TARTS ANON

Mix the citric acid with the water and set Once the butter comes up to temperature,
it aside. Cook the cherries until they reach slowly pour it into the egg and sugar
106°C (225°F), and the jam has thickened. mixture (or add little by little, if whisking
Add the citric acid solution and return to the by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well
boil, then pour into a container to cool. emulsified, as this will prevent the butter
from bleeding out later, giving the cake
Kirsch glaze a greasy texture. Then mix in the dry
Combine the pectin and sugar in a small ingredients, making sure that there are no
bowl and whisk to combine. Strain the lumps suspended throughout the batter.
poached cherries and weigh out 200 g
(7 oz) of the syrup into a saucepan. Reserve To assemble and bake
the poached cherries for assembling the To assemble the tart, spread 170 g (6 oz)
tart. Add the kirsch to the cherry liquid, then of the cherry jam across the base of the
bring the liquid to the boil and rain in the tart in an even layer, then arrange the
pectin mixture. Ensure that this is mixed in reserved poached sour cherries into three
well and no lumps form, then bring it back concentric circles with 1 cm (½ in) space
to the boil. Add the citric acid while the between each cherry and then cover with
mixture is boiling, then remove from heat the chocolate batter.
and decant into a container to cool.
Place the tart into the oven to bake for
Chocolate cake batter approximately 30 minutes, or until the centre
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar, of the tart springs back when pressed.
in a bowl and stir them together. Add the Remove from the oven and allow to cool
eggs and sugar to a separate mixing bowl. inside the tin.
Either with a whisk or a stand mixer fitted
with a whisk attachment, slowly combine Once the cake layer has completely cooled,
until the sugar has dissolved. You do not warm the kirsch glaze in a small saucepan
want to incorporate any air at this stage, on a low heat until just melted. Using a
as it tends to separate when the butter is pastry brush, coat the top of the tart with
added and forms a foamy crust, so keep a generous layer of kirsch glaze. Once it
the speed low. has set, apply a second coat so that the top
of the cake has a deep, vibrant cherry red
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You colour. Allow this second coat to cool, then
want this to be warm enough so that the remove the tart from the tin and portion the
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but slices with a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for
roughly 100°C/210°F).
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Tiramisu Tart
Let’s start this recipe with a disclaimer: this is not a tiramisu. This is a tart inspired by the
flavours of a tiramisu. The whole thing actually came about by mistake; we were trying
to bake a cake underneath a custard. Naturally that custard soaked straight through
the cake. It wasn’t what we were going for, but it tasted delicious and just like a tiramisu.
There are two different coffee flavours happening here – the espresso that soaks into the
cake and the coffee beans that are infused into the cream. The coffee bean-infused cream
came from a Pier recipe Gareth cooked early in his career – it imparts savoury and toasty
flavours to the cream, rather than the fruity and acidic forward profiles in espresso. How
very un-tiramisu-like.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Marsala soak

cocoa powder, for dusting 20 g (¾ oz) Marsala
25 g (1 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
Hazelnut praline 10 g (¼ oz) espresso
80 g (2¾ oz) hazelnuts 80 g (2¾ oz) milk
80 g (2¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 40 g (1½ oz) egg
60 g (2 oz) Hazelnut praline, see left
Hazelnut cake batter
50 g (1¾ oz) hazelnut meal Tiramisu custard
45 g (1½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour 240 g (8½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream
2 g salt 8 g (0.3 oz) coffee beans
2 g baking powder 50 g (1¾ oz) mascarpone
120 g (4½ oz) golden caster sugar 70 g (2½ oz) golden caster sugar
110 g (4 oz) egg 100 g (3½ oz) egg yolk
55 g (2 oz) Brown butter (page 111)

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). Hazelnut cake batter

Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar,
Hazelnut praline in a bowl and stir them together. Add the
Roast the hazelnuts on a baking tray (sheet) eggs and sugar to a separate mixing bowl.
in the oven for approximately 15 minutes. Either with a whisk or a stand mixer fitted
Once they are a medium golden brown, with a whisk attachment, slowly combine
remove them from the oven and set aside. until the sugar has dissolved. You do not
If your hazelnuts still have skin on them, want to incorporate any air at this stage,
pour them onto a tea towel (dish towel) as it tends to separate when the butter is
while they are still hot, gather the corners added and forms a foamy crust, so keep
together, and roll them around inside the the speed low.
towel to loosen the skins. Then shake the
nuts out of the towel to separate them Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You
from the skin. Place a pot over a gentle want this to be warm enough so that the
heat and add the sugar. Continue to cook liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but
until the caramel becomes deep brown in cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any
colour, then add the warm hazelnuts. Stir burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
this together to coat the nuts, then tip onto it can also fry the egg mixture as you add
a tray to cool. it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for
roughly 100°C/210°F).
 TARTS ANON

Marsala soak
Bring the Marsala, sugar, espresso and milk
to a simmer and add the eggs. Blend with a
hand-held blender then weigh out and pour
120 g (4½ oz) of the soak over the cake
while still warm. Take 60 g (2 oz) of hazelnut
praline and spread an even layer over the
top of the soaked cake, then set aside while
you prepare the custard.
Tiramisu custard
Place the cream, coffee beans, mascarpone
and sugar in a saucepan and bring to
a simmer, then remove immediately. To
temper the egg yolks, add them to a mixing
bowl and whisk in a small amount of the
hot cream mixture until well incorporated.
Once the butter comes up to temperature, Add the remaining cream mixture and use a
slowly pour it into the egg and sugar hand-held blender to blend until the mixture
mixture (or add little by little, if whisking is shiny and smooth – to prevent any air
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well from being incorporated into the mix, keep
emulsified, as this will prevent the butter the head of the blender underneath the
from bleeding out later, giving the cake surface. Strain into a jug to use straight
a greasy texture. Then mix in the dry away – you want to keep the custard as
ingredients, making sure that there are no warm as possible to ensure the mixture
lumps suspended throughout the batter. cooks evenly in the oven.
1st bake 2nd bake
Pour 400 g (14 oz) of batter in the pastry Place the prepared tart into the oven, then
shell. Place the tart into the oven to bake pour the custard over top of the praline layer.
for approximately 15 minutes, or until the Bake for 30 minutes, or until the custard just
crust is an even colour and the centre of the slightly wobbles in the centre, then remove
tart is firm. Remove from the oven and allow from the oven and allow to cool.
to cool inside the tin. Use a pastry docker
or a fork and poke small holes in the cake Once the custard has completely cooled,
while still warm. Leave to cool. remove the tart from the tin and portion into
slices with a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
To finish, dust each slice with fine layer of
cocoa powder on top.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Apricot and Desert Lime Tart

We do not doubt you will be tempted to replace the desert limes with regular limes in this
recipe because they’re much easier to source, but we implore you not to. Desert limes are
nothing like regular limes – they have a lot of bitterness, much less edible flesh, are very
acidic and require a lot of (worthwhile) encouragement to make them stand out in a meal.
They also have a lovely fragrance that makes them quite distinct from regular limes. This
tart was a product of a collaboration we did along with some other Melbourne bakeries and
Melbourne Bushfood, who grow and supply native Australian ingredients. We use an apricot
puree for this tart, but you could also blend up some tinned apricots for this recipe.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 100 g (3½ oz) Desert lime syrup, see above
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) apricots 20 g (¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
70 g (2½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 5 g (0.2 oz) pectin NH
3 g (0.1 oz) citric acid
Desert lime puree and syrup
160g (5½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar Apricot custard
100 g (3½ oz) water 255 g (9 oz) apricot puree, see method
100 g (3½ oz) desert limes 100 g (3½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream
150 g (5½ oz) double (heavy) cream
Apricot gel 200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
200 g (7 oz) apricot puree, see method 220 g (8 oz) egg yolk
60 g (2 oz) Desert lime puree, above 90 g (3 oz) egg

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). Place remove from heat. Blend the mixture using
the apricots on a baking tray (sheet) a hand-held blender, then pass it through
and roast in the oven for approximately a fine sieve. Allow the gel to cool and set
15 minutes. Remove the seeds while until firm.
still warm. Place the apricots in a food
processor and blend until very smooth. Apricot custard
Set aside for the apricot gel and custard. Place the apricot puree, both creams and
sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer,
Desert lime puree and syrup then remove from heat immediately. To
In a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to temper the whole eggs and egg yolks, add
a boil and add the whole desert limes. Return them to a mixing bowl and whisk in a small
the syrup to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, amount of the hot cream mixture until well
then set aside to cool. Strain the desert limes incorporated. Add the remaining cream
and reserve the syrup. Put the fruit into a tall mixture and use a hand-held blender to
measuring jug and blend with a hand-held blend the mixture until it is shiny and smooth
blender until smooth. – to prevent any air from being incorporated
into the mix, keep the head of the blender
Apricot gel underneath the surface. Strain the mixture
Combine the desert lime puree, the reserved into a measuring jug to use straight away –
desert lime syrup and the apricot puree you want to keep it as warm as possible to
in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. ensure it cooks evenly in the oven.
Combine the sugar with the pectin and add
to the puree mixture once it comes to a boil,
whisking continuously until it comes back to
boiling point. Whisk in the citric acid, then
TARTS ANON

To assemble and bake

Spread the dulce de leche over the base of
the pastry shell and place in the oven. Pour
the custard on top of the caramel layer. Bake
for 30 minutes, or until the custard is slightly
wobbly in the centre, then remove from the
oven and allow to cool.
Once the custard has cooled sufficiently,
melt the apricot gel in a small saucepan
over a low heat (you can pop the tart into
the fridge to help the custard to firm up,
this will also help the gel to set faster). Once
the gel has fully melted and has started to
simmer slightly, weigh out 220 g (8 oz) of
the gel into a measuring jug. Pour it into
the tart in a circular motion, starting from
the inside of the tart and moving outwards.
Gently transfer the tart into the fridge and
allow to set.
Once the gel is firm to the touch, remove
the tart from the tin and portion into slices
with a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Honey and Almond

Shortbread Tart
This one is for the crunchy, nutty granola munchers out there, and it holds its own at any
time of the day. Crunchy-yet-crumbly almond shortbread under a sour cream and honey
custard? Well, despite needing a degree in the art of tart portioning and having to change
your oven temperature three times to get this textural wonderland just right, the liquid-
resistant shortbread (thanks to Dr Dulce, see page 137) and warming custard top should
be ample persuasion to give this one a crack.

40 g (1½ oz) slivered almonds Almond shortbread

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23), 70 g (2½ oz) butter
raw pastry trim reserved 50 g (1¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
approx. 50 g (1¾ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 75 g (2¾ oz) flour
roasted almonds, for grating 2 g salt
Pastry glue Honey custard
50 g (1¾ oz) raw pastry offcuts 300 g (10½ oz) cream
50 g (1¾ oz) egg (approx. 1) 60 g (2 oz) cream cheese
40 g (1½ oz) water 70 g (2½ oz) sour cream
115 g (4 oz) honey
155 g (5½ oz) egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). Almond shortbread

Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F).
Place the slivered almonds on a baking tray
(sheet) and toast in the oven for 10 minutes, Mix the butter and sugar together in a stand
or until a light golden brown. Set aside and mixer until the sugar has dissolved and the
allow to cool. butter has softened. Add the flour, salt and
the toasted slivered almonds and mix until
Pastry glue just combined. Use a palette knife to spread
Mix the raw trim from the edges of the an even layer of the shortbread mixture
pastry shell with the egg and water in a over the pastry glue layer, then bake in the
small jug. Using a hand-held blender, blend preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until light
the mixture until smooth and use a pastry golden brown in colour. Allow to cool before
brush to apply a thin coat over the base of spreading a thin layer of dulce de leche on
the pastry shell. top. This is going to protect the shortbread
from absorbing any moisture from the
custard and going soggy.
 TARTS ANON

Honey custard To bake

Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F). Place the prepared tart into the oven,
then pour the custard on top of the dulce
Add the creams, cream cheese and honey de leche layer. Bake for 30 minutes, or until
to a saucepan and bring to a simmer over the custard is slightly wobbly in the centre,
medium heat. Once simmering, remove then remove from the oven and allow to cool.
from heat immediately. To temper the egg
yolks, add them to a mixing bowl and Once the custard has completely cooled,
whisk in a small amount of the hot cream remove the tart from the tin and portion
mixture until well incorporated. Then, add into slices using a hot, sharp knife (see
the remaining cream mixture and whisk page 39). Finish each slice with a fine
again until combined. Use a hand-held grating of roasted almond on top.
blender to blend until the mixture is shiny
and smooth – to prevent any air from being
incorporated into the mix, keep the head of
the blender underneath the surface. Decant
into a jug to use straight away – you want
to keep it as warm as possible to ensure it
cooks evenly in the oven.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Banana and Brown

Butter Tart
When Tarts Anon became a bricks and mortar pastry shop, we wanted a tart to bring the
breakfast crowds in along with their morning coffee (this was before the savoury tarts
were conceived). Everybody knows that banana bread is only worth eating if it’s toasted
and has a huge (we mean huge) slathering of butter – and this was the inspiration for this
tart. The base is a tasty banana cake and the glaze is all brown butter flavour, giving the
sensation of melted butter, but without the greasiness. This would be the perfect tart to
have alongside your morning coffee or tea. As for your bananas, just like a banana bread,
the riper the better.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
2 g ground cinnamon
Brown butter 2 g salt
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) unsalted butter 70 g (2½ oz) Brown butter, left
Banana cake batter Brown butter glaze
2 ripe bananas 180 g (6½ oz) Brown butter, left
90 g (3 oz) egg 400 g (14 oz) milk
90 g (3 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 4 g (0.14 oz) salt
90 g (3 oz) soft brown sugar 80 g (2¾ oz) soft brown sugar
140 g (5 oz) natural almond meal 10 g (¼ oz) pectin X58
90 g (3 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). Banana cake batter

Place the banana into a tall measuring
Brown butter jug and blend with a hand-held blender
Place the butter into a medium saucepan until it is a smooth puree. Weigh 190 g
over medium heat. Once completely melted, (6½ oz) of the banana puree into a bowl
allow the butter to simmer gently until it and add to the eggs and sugars. Either
begins to foam. Continue to cook, stirring with a whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a
with a whisk on occasion to prevent burning whisk attachment, slowly combine until the
on the bottom of the saucepan. Once the sugar has dissolved. You do not want to
butter starts to expand, small flecks of incorporate any air at this stage, as it tends
browned milk solids appear and the fizzing to separate when the butter is added and
sound of the butter stops, remove it from the forms a foamy crust, so keep the speed low.
heat and allow to cool slightly.
Weigh the remaining dry ingredients in
Strain through a fine sieve to remove the a separate bowl and stir them together.
milk solids (this is optional, the milk solids
won’t change the flavour or texture of the
tart). Store this in a container in the fridge
until needed.
 TARTS ANON

To bake
Pour the batter into the bottom of your
prepared pastry shell. Place the tart
into the oven to bake for approximately
30 minutes, or until the crust is an even
golden brown and the centre of the tart
is firm. Remove from the oven and allow
to cool inside the tin.
Brown butter glaze
To make the brown butter glaze, bring the
brown butter, milk and salt to a boil in a
small saucepan. Mix the sugar and the
pectin together in a bowl to ensure that
there are no lumps and the pectin is fully
dispersed throughout the sugar.
Once the liquid comes to a boil and the
butter has melted, add the sugar mix
and simmer gently, while whisking, for
20 seconds. Blend this mixture using
a hand-held blender and pour into a
container to set.
To assemble
Once the tart has cooled, it’s ready to
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You be glazed (see page 34). Warm 120 g
want this to be warm enough so that the (4½ oz) of the brown butter glaze in a
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but cool saucepan until just melted. Pour this mixture
enough so that it doesn’t develop any burnt over 120 g (4½ oz) of cold glaze and mix
characteristics. If the butter is too hot, with a hand-held blender until smooth
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add and the texture of a thick custard. Pour
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for this over the baked tart and tilt so that the
roughly 100°C/210°F). Once the butter glaze spreads into the edges. (Avoid using
comes up to temperature, slowly pour it into a spatula for this step to get a smooth and
the egg, sugar and banana mixture (or add clean look.) Tap the tart gently on the bench
little by little, if whisking by hand). Ensure so that it settles and place in the fridge for
that the mixture is well emulsified, as this will 5–10 minutes to firm up.
prevent the butter from bleeding out later,
giving the cake a greasy texture. Finally, Once the glaze is nice and firm, portion
mix in the dry ingredients, making sure that the tart into slices with a hot, sharp knife
there are no lumps suspended throughout (see page 39).
the batter.
 TARTS ANON

Mango and Yuzu Tart

Yuzu is a magical flavour that pairs perfectly with almost anything. Here we put our best
players onto the field and hoped they could get past their egos to create a combination
greater than the sum of their parts. This recipe combines yuzu cheesecake custard with
a mango glaze and, since we’re writing this just as this tart hits the menu for May 2023,
we hope our customers have liked it as much as we do (or else this book will be published
without pages 114 and 115).

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 3 g (0.1 oz) citric acid
70 g (2½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139)
Yuzu custard
Mango gel 200 g (7 oz) cream
2 ripe mangoes (to yield 200 g/7 oz mango puree) 125 g (4½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
140 g (5 oz) water 250 g (9 oz) cream cheese
50 g (1¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 110 g (4 oz) yuzu juice
5 g (0.2 oz) pectin NH 250 g (9 oz) egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). head of the blender underneath the surface.
Strain the mixture through a sieve into a
Mango gel measuring jug to use straight away – you
Remove the skin and stone from the mango want to keep it as warm as possible to ensure
and chop the fruit into small pieces. Put the mixture cooks evenly in the oven.
the mango into a narrow measuring jug
or container and blend with a hand-held To assemble and bake
blender until it becomes very smooth – this Spread the dulce de leche over the base of
really affects how well the gel emulsifies. the pastry shell and place in the oven. Pour
the custard on top of the caramel layer.
Add the water and mango puree to a Bake for 30 minutes, or until the custard is
saucepan and bring to the boil. Combine the slightly wobbly in the centre, then remove
sugar with the pectin and add to the mango from the oven and allow to cool.
puree and whisk this mixture in and boil again.
Add the citric acid, then remove from heat. Once the custard has cooled sufficiently,
Use a hand-held blender to blend until smooth, melt the mango gel in a small saucepan
then pass through a fine sieve into a container. over a low heat (you can pop the tart into
Allow the gel to cool and set until firm. the fridge to help the custard to firm up,
which will also help the gel to set faster).
Yuzu custard Once the gel has fully melted and has
Place the cream, sugar, cream cheese and started to simmer slightly, weigh out 220 g
yuzu juice in a saucepan and bring to a (8 oz) of the gel into a measuring jug. Pour
simmer, then remove from heat immediately. it into the tart in a circular motion, starting
To temper the egg yolks, add them to a from the inside of the tart and moving
mixing bowl and whisk in a small amount of outwards. Gently transfer the tart into the
the hot cream mixture until well incorporated. fridge and allow to set.
Add the remaining mixture and use a hand- Once the gel is firm to the touch, remove
held blender to blend until the mixture is the tart from the fridge and portion into
shiny and smooth – to prevent any air from slices using a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
being incorporated into the mix, keep the
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Anzac Biscuit Tart

Chewy or crunchy? We tried to settle the debate with this take on an Anzac biscuit by
making a tart that is decidedly both: a true celebration of the combination of these textural
delights. The biscuit recipe is from the same petit four that inspired the Earl Grey Chocolate
and Caraway Tart (page 134), which is the gift that keeps on giving. The recipe calls for
you to bake the crispy biscuit separately and place it on top of the chewy coconut and
golden syrup cake underneath.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 60 g (2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting 35 g (1¼ oz) quick oats
60 g (2 oz) soft brown sugar
Coconut caramel 40 g (1½ oz) desiccated (shredded) coconut
120 g (4½ oz) coconut cream 1 g salt
280 g (10 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 2 g bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
16 g (½ oz) salt
160 g (5½ oz) milk Coconut cake batter
130 g (4½ oz) butter 65 g (2¼ oz) natural almond meal
approx. 100 g (3½ oz) Dulce de Leche 75 g (2¾ oz) desiccated coconut
(page 139), see method 90 g (3 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
Anzac biscuit 2 g salt
50 g (1¾ oz) butter 185 g (6½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
10 g (¼ oz) water 160 g (5½ oz) egg
25 g (1 oz) golden syrup 155 g (5½ oz) Brown butter (page 111)

Coconut caramel Mix all of the dry ingredients except the

In a saucepan, bring the coconut cream bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and set aside.
to a simmer and set aside. Add the sugar, Once the butter and syrup mixture has fully
salt, milk and butter to another saucepan, dissolved, bring to a simmer and whisk in the
bring to gentle simmer over medium heat. bicarbonate of soda. As soon as the syrup
Continue to cook while whisking, to ensure foams and expands, pour into the bowl of
it doesn’t burn, and reduce the liquid until dry ingredients and mix well. Once a dough
the mixture becomes thick and caramelised. has formed spread it into a circle the same
At this point, remove the caramel from the size as the base of your tart tin. Bake this
stove, add the coconut cream and whisk to mixture for 15 minutes, then turn the oven
combine. Give it a quick blitz with a hand- down to 120°C (250°F) and bake for a
held blender until shiny, then allow to cool. further 10 minutes. Then, while the biscuit is
Once set, weigh this mixture and mix with still hot, place the base of the tart tin on top
an equal weight of dulce de leche and store and cut around it to get a clean circle.
in a container.
Allow this to cool and set aside for later.
Anzac biscuit Increase your oven temperature to 165°C
Preheat your oven to 150°C (300°F). (330°F) to preheat for baking the tart.
Place the butter, golden syrup and water
in a saucepan and warm gently.
 TARTS ANON

Coconut cake batter To assemble and bake

Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar, To assemble the tart, spread 150 g (5½ oz)
in a bowl and stir them together. Add the of the coconut caramel over the base of
eggs and sugar to a separate mixing bowl. the tart, then pour 650 g (1 lb 7 oz) of the
Either with a whisk or a stand mixer fitted coconut batter on top. Place the biscuit
with a whisk attachment, slowly combine circle on top, then transfer the tart into the
until the sugar has dissolved. You do not oven to bake for approximately 30 minutes,
want to incorporate any air at this stage, or until the crust is an even colour and the
as it tends to separate when the butter is centre of the tart is firm. Remove from the
added and forms a foamy crust, so keep oven and allow to cool inside the tin.
the speed low.
Once cool, remove the tart from the tin and
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You portion into slices (see page 39). Finish
want this to be warm enough so that the each slice with a dusting of icing sugar.
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for
roughly 100°C/210°F).
Once the butter comes up to temperature,
slowly pour it into the egg and sugar mixture
(or add little by little, if whisking by hand).
Ensure that the mixture is well emulsified,
as this will prevent the butter from bleeding
out later, giving the cake a greasy texture.
Finally, mix in the dry ingredients, making
sure that there are no lumps suspended
throughout the batter.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

White Peach and Ume Tart

This tart was initially inspired by one of Gareth’s favourite desserts, a dish he made in
one of his first jobs at Pier restaurant in Sydney. It was a white peach sorbet with white
peaches, mango jelly and a boozy Sauternes-based custard. Many years later, working
as a development chef at Lune Croissanterie, he created a pastry using a similar flavour
combination for a mini croissant tart, but COVID-19 struck and it never made it to
the menu. So you could say this tart was a long time in the making. Umeshu is a sweet,
fruit-forward liqueur that is made from Japanese plums (called ume), and pairs perfectly
with stone fruits.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 80 g (2¾ oz) water

70 g (2½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 15 g (½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
5 g (0.2 oz) pectin NH
White peach puree 5 g (0.2 oz) citric acid
5 large, ripe white peaches
200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar Ume custard
300 g (10½ oz) water 550 g (1 lb 3 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
A few sprigs of lemon thyme 90 g (3 oz) cream cheese
160 g (5½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
White peach gel 65 g (2¼ oz) umeshu
200 g (7 oz) White peach puree, above 260 g (9 oz) egg yolk
60 g (2 oz) reserved syrup, see method

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). Ume custard

Place the cream, cream cheese, sugar
White peach puree and umeshu in a saucepan and bring to
Cut the peaches in half, discarding the a simmer, then immediately remove from
stones, then bring the sugar, water and heat. To temper the egg yolks, add them
thyme to a boil. Place the peaches into to a mixing bowl and whisk in a small
the syrup and simmer until they are soft. amount of the hot cream mixture until well
Transfer the fruit pieces to a blender and incorporated. Add the remaining cream
blend in until smooth. Pass the syrup mixture and use a hand-held blender to
through a fine sieve and reserve 60 g (2 oz) blend until the mixture is shiny and smooth
of the syrup for the gel. – to prevent any air from being incorporated
into the mix, keep the head of the blender
White peach gel underneath the surface. Strain the mixture
Add the peach puree, reserved syrup and through a sieve into a measuring jug to use
water to a saucepan and bring to the boil. straight away – you want to keep it as warm
Combine the sugar with the pectin and as possible to ensure the mixture cooks
whisk this mixture in while bringing back evenly in the oven.
to the boil. Add the citric acid and remove
from heat. Use a hand-held blender to blend
until smooth, then pass the mixture through
a fine sieve. Allow the gel to cool and set
until firm.
 TARTS ANON

To bake To glaze
Spread the dulce de leche over the base of Once the custard has cooled sufficiently,
the prepared pastry shell and place in the melt the white peach gel in a small
oven. Pour the custard on top of the caramel saucepan over a low heat (you can pop
layer. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the the tart into the fridge to help the custard
custard is slightly wobbly in the centre, then to firm up, which will also help the gel to
remove from the oven and allow to cool. set faster). Once the gel has fully melted
and has started to simmer slightly, weigh
out 220 g (8 oz) of the gel into a measuring
jug. Pour it into the tart in a circular motion,
starting from the inside of the tart and
moving outwards. Gently transfer the tart
into the fridge and allow to set.
Once the gel is firm to the touch, remove
the tart from the tin and portion into slices
with a hot sharp knife (see page 39).
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Rice Pudding Brûlée Tart

Gareth took issue with Cat calling this a rice pudding brûlée because he says it isn’t a
rice pudding, but she thought it would sell better this way in the shop (she’s a huge rice
pudding fan herself) and it turns out she was right, because it was extraordinarily popular.
This is inspired by a pastry Gareth used to eat when he was living in Holland and working
at the three-Michelin-star restaurant, Oud Sluis. The restaurant sat close to the Belgian
border and with it, rijsttaartje – a traditional Flemish pastry – became something he would
regularly indulge in. We like to think this tart is a refined homage to that delicious and
memorable pastry.
The brûlée is best done right before serving but, because of the starch in the rice,
the custard forms a thin skin on the top which slows the dissolving of the toffee – so if you
need to let it hang around for a bit, this will buy you that little bit of extra time.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 230 g (8 oz) soft brown sugar
70 g (2½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 1 g ground cinnamon
caster (superfine) sugar, for the brûlée 3 g (0.1 oz) lemon zest
3 g (0.1 oz) vanilla paste, or the seeds
Rice custard from a vanilla pod
75 g (2¾ oz) cooked short-grain rice 250 g (9 oz) egg yolk
180 g (6½ oz) milk 3 g (0.1 oz) salt
580 g (1 lb 4 oz) cream

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). To assemble and bake

Spread the dulce de leche over the bottom
Rice custard of the pastry shell. Place the tart into the
In a saucepan, combine the cooked rice, oven and pour the custard on top of the
milk, cream, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest caramel layer. Bake for 30 minutes, or until
and vanilla and bring to a simmer while the custard is slightly wobbly in the centre,
whisking. Once boiled, transfer to a blender then remove from the oven and allow to cool.
and blitz on high for 2 minutes or until it
becomes a smooth puree. Strain through Once the custard has completely cooled,
a sieve and pour a small amount onto remove the tart from the tin. Portion the tart
the egg yolks to temper them. Whisk this into slices (see page 39) using a hot, sharp
together until incorporated, then add the knife. Sprinkle each slice with a generous
remaining cream mixture and the salt. amount of caster sugar. Using a blowtorch,
Using a hand-held blender, blend until the caramelise the sugar until it is deep golden
mixture is shiny and smooth – to prevent brown in colour and evenly distributed
air from being incorporated into the mix, across the tart.
keep the head of the blender underneath
the surface. Decant into a measuring jug to
use straight away – you want to keep it as
warm as possible to ensure the mixture cooks
evenly in the oven.
 TARTS ANON

Passionfruit and Ginger Tart

Jams that sit underneath a custard are not for the faint-hearted baker, but they are the
cornerstone of many of our tart recipes. Sugar, resplendent in jams, is hygroscopic, meaning
that it will absorb any moisture. When you pour a liquid custard on top, that liquid is then
absorbed by the jam, making it very watery and thin. This is why it’s important to make the
jam thick (more like a sweetened fruit paste than a jam) and why we’ve made this particular
jam using crystallised ginger, which is composed mostly of the fibrous tissue of the ginger,
instead of infusing ginger into a fruit juice as would be more typical.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Passionfruit custard

135 g (5 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
Ginger jam 190 g (6½ oz) double (heavy) cream
120 g (4½ oz) crystallised ginger 250 g (9 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
80 g (2¾ oz) passionfruit juice 180 g (6½ oz) passionfruit juice
4 g (0.14 oz) citric acid 105 g (3½ oz) egg
5 g (0.2 oz) water 220 g (8 oz) egg yolk
30g (1 oz) sugar
2 g pectin jaune

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). Passionfruit custard

Place the creams, sugar and passionfruit
Ginger jam juice in a saucepan and bring to a simmer,
Cut the crystallised ginger into small pieces then remove from heat immediately. To
and place into a small saucepan along with temper the whole eggs and egg yolks, add
the passionfruit juice and bring to a gentle them to a mixing bowl and whisk in a small
simmer – we are just trying to hydrate the amount of the hot cream mixture until well
ginger to soften it at this point, so be sure incorporated. Add the remaining cream
not to cook too aggressively. Place this mixture and use a hand-held blender to blend
mixture into a measuring jug and use a until the mixture is shiny and smooth – to
hand-held blender to blend until it forms prevent any air from being incorporated
a thick paste, then return the mixture to the into the mix, keep the head of the blender
saucepan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, underneath the surface.
mix the citric acid with the water in a small
bowl and allow to dissolve, then set aside. Strain the custard into a measuring jug and
let sit for 5 minutes for all the impurities to
In another small bowl, mix the sugar and rise to the top, then remove them with a ladle.
pectin together and add to the ginger Once the surface is clear of bubbles, pour the
mixture once it returns to the boil. Stir this custard into the pastry shell straight away to
gently and cook until it becomes a thick ensure the mixture cooks evenly in the oven.
paste, then add the citric acid and water
solution and stir again. Once the mixture has To bake
returned to the boil, remove from heat and Bake for 30 minutes, or until the custard is
pour into a container to set. Be sure to keep slightly wobbly in the centre, then remove
this paste at room temperature – if not it will from the oven and allow to cool. Once
need to be warmed slightly before being completely cooled, remove the tart from the
added to the pastry shell. Evenly spread tin and portion into slices with a hot, sharp
90 g (3 oz) of this mix over the base of the knife (see page 39).
pastry shell.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Pistachio and Date Tart

We like to think people come to our shop for the Chocolate and Caramel Tart (page 56)
and Plain Old Lemon Tart (page 48) but that they stay for the Pistachio and Date Tart.
These two bold Middle Eastern flavours pair perfectly together. We hoped that people who
had faith in our model would try it and enjoy it like we do. Sure, it’s never sold as well as
some of our other tarts, but it’s one people have always remembered and called for when
it left the menu. Whether you make it or not is up to you, but if you do, you will have our
ultimate respect forever (and also a delicious tart).
To blend the pistachios, you will need a powerful food processor, but if you don’t have
one, 100% pistachio paste is available from a lot of specialty ingredient stores.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Pistachio custard

pistachio meal or powder (or raw pistachios, 550 g (1 lb 3 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
pulsed in a food processor), for dusting 4 g (0.14 oz) salt
130 g (4½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
Pistachio paste 230 g (8 oz) egg yolk
300 g (10½ oz) pistachios, shelled, or good 90 g (3 oz) Pistachio paste, left
quality pistachio paste green food colour (optional)
yellow food colour (optional)
Date puree
300 g (10½ oz) fresh dates, or dried dates
that have been rehydrated in water

Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F). much nicer the more intense it is. Once the
date puree is smooth, spread 150 g (5½ oz)
Pistachio paste over the base of the pastry shell. Set this
Toast the pistachios in the oven on a baking aside while you prepare the custard mix.
tray (sheet) for 45 minutes. Keeping the
temperature low for a long period of time Pistachio custard
will allow the nuts to stay nice and green Place the cream, salt and sugar in a
while removing all of the moisture. Once saucepan and bring to a simmer, remove
you’ve removed the pistachios from the immediately. Next, temper the egg yolks in
oven, increase the heat to 125°C (255°F) a mixing bowl by pouring a small amount
to preheat for baking the tart. When the of the hot cream mixture onto them and
pistachios have cooled, add them to a food whisking the two together until incorporated.
processor and blend until smooth, around Add a small amount of the cream mixture to
5 minutes. the pistachio paste and whisk to combine.
Add the remaining mixture and the tempered
Date puree eggs, then using a hand-held blender, blend
Remove the stones from the dates and until the mixture is shiny and smooth – to
place the flesh into a food processor. If you prevent any air from being incorporated
feel as though the dates you’re using are into the mix, keep the head of the blender
a little on the bland side, add a little bit of underneath the surface. At this point, you
icing sugar to boost the sweetness. If you’ve can add the smallest amount of yellow and
soaked dried dates, make sure they are well green food colour to get a more vibrant
drained. They might blend better when they pistachio hue as the egg yolk tends to brown
are a little wetter, but the taste will be that the mix somewhat.
TARTS ANON

Pass the custard through a fine sieve into a

measuring jug to use straight away – you
want to keep it as warm as possible to
ensure the mixture cooks evenly in the oven.
To bake
Place the pastry shell into the oven, then
pour the custard over the date layer. Bake
for 30 minutes, or until the custard is slightly
wobbly in the centre, then remove from the
oven and allow to cool.
Once the custard has completely cooled,
remove the tart from the tin and portion into
slices using a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
To finish, dust each slice with a light coating
of pistachio powder.
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Ube and Coconut Tart

One of our sous chefs, the lovely Kitty Budihardjo, suggested making a tart that featured
ube (a purple yam native to Southeast Asia), which is popular in Indonesia, where she
grew up. Ube is a particularly comforting snack in the colder months due to its warmth and
natural sweetness. Ube now comes in various forms (paste, powders), making the flavour
easier to incorporate into desserts. We use a combination of purple sweet potato puree and
ube extract to achieve the flavours (and bright purple colour) here. Fresh ube is also hard to
source in Melbourne, we’ve found, but you can get the extract from most Asian grocers.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Coconut cake batter

75 g (2¾ oz) natural almond meal
Sweet potato purees 35 g (1¼ oz) desiccated (shredded) coconut
200 g (7 oz) purple sweet potato or taro 90 g (3 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
300 g (10½ oz) orange sweet potato 3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
2 g salt
Ube glaze 110 g (4 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
60 g (2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 90 g (3 oz) soft brown sugar
5 g (0.2 oz) pectin X58 65 g (2¼ oz) egg
100 g (3½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream 210 g (7½ oz) Orange sweet potato puree, left
200 g (7 oz) milk 75 g (2¾ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
2 g salt
0.5 g ube extract, approx. 10 drops
150 g (5½ oz) Purple sweet potato puree, above

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). and cover the surface of the glaze with
plastic to prevent a skin from forming.
Sweet potato purees Cool in the fridge.
To make the sweet potato purees, place
both the purple and orange sweet potatoes Coconut cake batter
on a rack and poke some holes in them Weigh the dry ingredients, except the
with a fork. Place them in the oven and sugar, in a bowl and stir them together.
bake for around 35 minutes, or until they Add the eggs, orange sweet potato puree
are soft. Allow them to cool slightly before and sugar to another mixing bowl. Either
removing the skin and pureeing the purple with a whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a
and orange sweet potatoes separately in whisk attachment, slowly combine until the
a blender. Store both purees in the fridge sugar has dissolved. You do not want to
until ready to use. incorporate any air at this stage, as it tends
to separate when the butter is added and
Ube glaze forms a foamy crust, so keep the speed low.
Mix the sugar and the pectin in a small bowl
and set aside. Then place the cream, milk, Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You
salt and ube extract into a saucepan and want this to be warm enough so that the
bring to a simmer. Once boiled, add the liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but
pectin and sugar mixture and return to a cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any
boil. Whisk in the purple sweet potato puree burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
and bring to a boil once again. Remove it can also fry the egg mixture as you add
from heat and blend until smooth using a it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for
hand-held blender. Decant into a container roughly 100°C/210°F).
 TARTS ANON

Once the butter comes up to temperature, To glaze

slowly pour it into the egg and sugar Once the tart has cooled, it’s ready to
mixture (or add little by little, if whisking be glazed (see page 34). Warm 250 g
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well (9 oz) of the ube glaze in a saucepan until
emulsified, as this will prevent the butter just melted. Pour this mixture into a tall
from bleeding out later, giving the cake measuring jug or container with 150 g
a greasy texture. Finally, mix in the dry (5½ oz) of cold glaze and mix with a hand-
ingredients, making sure that there are no held blender until smooth and the texture of
lumps suspended throughout the batter. thick custard. Pour the glaze over the baked
tart and tilt the tin so that the glaze spreads
To bake to the edges (for a smooth and clean look,
To bake the tart, pour 650 g (1 lb 7 oz) avoid using a spatula). Tap the tart gently on
of batter in the prepared pastry shell. the bench so that it settles into the knuckles
Place the tart into the oven and bake for of the crust, and place in the fridge for
approximately 30 minutes, or until the 5–10 minutes to firm up.
crust is an even colour and the centre of
the tart is firm. Remove from the oven and Once the glaze is nice and firm, remove the
allow to cool inside the tin. tart from the tin and portion into slices using
a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
 NOT YOUR AVERAGE TARTS

Vanilla and Rhubarb Tart

This recipe is a riff on classic Vanilla Custard Tart (page 47) with the addition of a rhubarb
compote and rhubarb glaze. It’s not that much extra work than a vanilla custard tart, but
the reward is tenfold. Before we put this tart on the menu, we ran a vote for our customers
asking whether they wanted a ‘Vanilla and Rhubarb’ or ‘Cardamom and Rhubarb’ tart and,
maybe unsurprisingly, vanilla won. If you’re huge cardamom fans like us, simply add 5 g
(0.2 oz) of ground cardamom to the custard in place of the vanilla and coffee to make this
tart truly fantastic and a bit more unique. You can store the jam (or any jam) in an airtight
container in the freezer for pretty much as long as you like – just maybe not until you move
house only to open it up and wonder ‘What the hell is that?’

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Rhubarb gel

Vanilla custard (see page 47), warm 200 g (7 oz) Rhubarb syrup, see method
50 g (1¾ oz) Rhubarb compote, see left
Rhubarb compote and syrup 6 g (0.2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
150 g (5½ oz) rhubarb 6 g (0.2 oz) pectin NH
180 g (6½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 2 g citric acid
120 g (4½ oz) water

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). To bake

Place the prepared pastry shell in the oven.
Rhubarb compote and syrup Pour the warm vanilla custard over the
In a saucepan, bring the rhubarb, sugar compote layer. Bake for 30 minutes or until
and water to the boil, then remove from the custard is slightly wobbly in the centre,
heat. Once the rhubarb is soft, strain then remove from the oven and allow to cool.
through a sieve and reserve the syrup for
the glaze. Set 50 g (1¾ oz) of the rhubarb To glaze
aside for the gel and spread the remaining Once the custard has cooled sufficiently,
rhubarb on a paper-lined tray and place melt the rhubarb gel in a small saucepan
in the oven for about 15 minutes. Once the over a low heat (you can pop the tart into
fruit has dried out slightly into a nice stiff the fridge to help the custard to firm up, this
compote, spread 100 g (3½ oz) over the will also help the gel to set faster). Once the
base of the shell. gel has fully melted and has started to
simmer slightly, weigh out 220 g (8 oz) of
Rhubarb gel the gel into a measuring jug. Pour it into
In a saucepan, bring 200 g (7 oz) syrup and the tart in a circular motion (see page 37),
the reserved rhubarb to a simmer. Whisk starting from the inside of the tart and
the sugar and the pectin together and add moving outwards. Gently transfer the tart
to the saucepan. Return this mixture to the into the fridge and allow to set.
boil, while whisking, then add the citric
acid. Remove from heat, then use a hand- Once the gel is firm to the touch, remove
held blender to blend for 1 minute, or until the tart from the tin and portion into slices
smooth and the rhubarb pieces have broken with a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
down. Decant into a container and leave to
set in the fridge.
 TARTS ANON

Earl Grey Chocolate

and Caraway Tart
During the years that Gareth worked at Dinner By Heston Blumenthal, we were lucky to have
many opportunities to dine there together. It was much to Gareth’s dismay that Cat’s favourite
part of the meal was always the very simple (and tiny!) Earl Grey ganache with a caraway
biscuit that was served right at the end of the meal, alongside your coffee or tea. It was a
no-brainer, then, to recreate this flavour profile in tart form, and this is the result. The flavours
here are so delicate and interesting and it’s perhaps our favourite of the chocolate tarts in the
history of Tarts Anon. Note that you will need to start with a raw pastry shell for this recipe.

1 × raw Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Chocolate custard

approx. 50 g (1¾ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 560 g (1 lb 4 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
cocoa powder, for dusting 55 g (2 oz) golden caster sugar
3 g (0.1 oz) salt
Caraway shortbread 5 g (0.2 oz) Earl Grey tea leaves
3 g (0.1 oz) caraway seeds 230 g (8 oz) egg yolk
70 g (2½ oz) butter 45 g (1½ oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
50 g (1¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar callets or buttons
75 g (2¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour 90 g (3 oz) milk chocolate callets or buttons
2 g salt

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). medium heat. Once simmering, remove from
heat immediately. To temper the egg yolks,
Caraway shortbread add them to a mixing bowl and whisk in a
Toast the caraway seeds in a saucepan over small amount of the hot cream mixture until
medium–low heat until fragrant and the seeds well incorporated. Then, add the remaining
start to pop. Set aside and allow to cool. cream mixture and whisk again until
combined. Add both chocolates and mix
Mix the butter and sugar together in a stand until combined. Using a hand-held blender,
mixer until the sugar has dissolved and the blend until the mixture is shiny and smooth,
butter has softened. Add the flour, salt and keeping the head of the blender underneath
toasted caraway seeds and mix until just the surface. Strain into a jug to remove the
combined. Use a palette knife to spread an tea leaves and use straight away – you
even layer of this mixture over the base of want to keep it as warm as possible to
the raw pastry shell, then place a circle of ensure it cooks evenly in the oven.
baking paper over the top. Place your blind-
baking foil and weights on top, then bake To bake
for 30 minutes or until light golden brown Place the prepared tart into the oven, then
in colour. Allow this to cool before spreading pour the custard on top of the dulce de
a thin layer of dulce de leche on top. This leche layer. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the
is going to protect the shortbread from custard has a slight wobble in the centre,
absorbing any moisture from the custard then remove from the oven and allow to cool.
and going soggy.
Once the custard has completely cooled,
Chocolate custard remove the tart from the tin. Portion into
Add the cream, sugar, salt and tea to a slices with a knife (see page 39) and dust
saucepan and bring to a simmer over a fine layer of cocoa powder on top.
 CALLING DR DULCE

Calling Dr Dulce
Condensed milk, dulce de leche, milk
caramel, milk jam – whatever you want to
call it, you can almost certainly attribute
the success of our business to this humble
can. Not only is it delicious enough to earn
itself a spot as a major element in our
most popular tarts, but it also finds its way
into most Tarts Anon recipes in one way
or another.
There are many origin stories for dulce de leche. Whether it’s the story of a young
Argentinian girl who was making a sweet milk drink for her sickly mother, only to be called
away from a still lit stove to return to one of the greatest cases of accidental discovery
since cheese. Or the exact same story, just replace ‘girl’ with ‘soldiers’ and ‘sickly mother’
with ‘bloodshed’. Regardless, this relative of caramel (which for the most part, is superior
in almost every way) is made in varying ways at Tarts Anon. One, where we cook sugar
and milk together with some other choice ingredients to create sweet, thick milk caramel,
but also the more conventional method of throwing cans of condensed milk into a pot of
hot water and letting them tick away for hours on end.
Cooking condensed milk cans in boiling water for 6 hours seems like an excellent
return on investment considering the abundance of dulce de leche that we go through in the
shop. And you’d be right for thinking that, if you then didn’t have to open 100 cans, scoop
caramel out of them, scrape out the insides and then mix up all of the thick, sticky contents
every week on repeat. But despite how tedious and frustrating a job this is, the work involved
pales in significance to the final results.
Not all condensed milk is created equal – between the three chief brands available to us
when we first started Tarts Anon, we discovered that despite all having the same ingredients
and nutritional information, some brands would not thicken in the same way as others.
One particular brand would set into an almost gelatinous manner, forming a wobbly caramel
cylinder, while the others would become more malleable and manoeuvrable despite the exact
same cooking times and conditions. These variables were over analysed to the nth degree;
changing the can’s position in the pot, simmering vs boiling, differing lengths of time for
certain brands vs others, and how they were cooled. For the most part, the results remained
consistent, with colour being the only part to change. This is how we worked out which brand
we preferred for all applications. Surprisingly it was the cheapest of the lot: Woolworths
Homebrand. For reasons not known to us, this humble tin allowed for longer mixing before
it started to break down. This is great for when you need to add spices or seasonings to the
caramel, and not to mention for cooking it at 165°C (330°F) for over half an hour. If you can’t
get your hands on the Woolworths brand, we suggest experimenting with the brands you
have available to find one that works the best. Remember, the most expensive won’t always
be the best for this application!
 TARTS ANON

The process, explained

Sugar is a strange ingredient. Its crystal form might make it seem like a malleable, pliant
ingredient, but if these small crystals were all to melt and harden back together, you would
be left with something as hard as a rock that would break teeth for fun. So, when you make
a caramel, you might think that it’s the sugar that makes it thicken and set. But in fact, it’s
the lack of water in a direct caramel that does the trick. And mixing it with dairy fat ensures
a smooth caramel that, although thick, won’t end up with a texture that would stop bullets.
You might be wondering, ‘How does seemingly liquid condensed milk turn into the
consistency of old glue when the water has nowhere to go?’ You’ve got a point. In this case,
it’s the milk proteins and the lactose – not the sucrose from the sugar – that firm up the liquid
and turns it a deep, dark brown colour. Much in the same way that a piece of meat cooks
(although some of the water is indeed escaping from the meat), the proteins are retracting
and forming a structure and caramelising all the while. This process is known as the Maillard
reaction, and it’s what gives us that deep, nutty, caramelised flavour.
Making dulce de leche this way provides resilience. When mixed, the dulce doesn’t lose
its structure. When exposed to liquids (and not mixed), it remains solid. When heated, it won’t
slide away as there’s not enough fat for the caramel to lose its viscosity. This also means that
it will never split, as the fat content in the condensed milk is remarkably low in comparison to
most caramel recipes.
In Dr Dulce we trust
One day Gareth overheard one of our sous chefs refer to the dulce de leche as ‘Dr Dulce’.
It’s a good way to sum up how versatile an ingredient this is. If we ever get a crack in our
pastry after it’s been baked, we smear a little dulce over it. It will fill the gap and not melt
away if you pour your custard inside, and will hold strong up until the custard is set.
Custard tarts that get baked fresh every day are susceptible to softening on the base if left
to sit for longer than 3–4 hours. A great way to get that ‘just baked’ freshness out of your
tart base? Spread 70 g (2½ oz) of dulce underneath the custard for safety purposes: a
process we like to call ‘safety dulce’.
Knowing we always have Dr Dulce on call gives us the confidence it has given us to
proceed with our pastry recipe and to keep it as thin and as delicate as we have up until now.
P.S. Although eating this stuff by the spoonful will no doubt give you diabetes, there is
something so inherently savoury about it. It’s probably thanks to the caramelised milk solids
that give brown butter that distinctly nutty and savoury flavour, but trust us, as soon as you
add salt to your dulce, you’d be forgiven for eating a little bit with your chips … wait.
 CALLING DR DULCE

4 Place the pot onto the stove and bring

to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and
set a timer for 6 hours. Keep an eye on
the water level and top it up with hot
water as you go so that the cans stay
under water at all times.
The water provides a protective barrier
(as it cannot go above 100°C, give or
take). Let the water run out, and the milk
inside the can will burn on the base as
well as expand and explode in some
cases. Although the liquid condensed
milk is contained inside a can, the parts
of the caramel that aren’t submerged
remain lighter than the parts that are,
especially once the proteins start to set
and the milk becomes solid.
5 Once the time is up, remove the cans
from the water and allow them to cool
before opening – trust us. The pressure
built up inside the can over time can
cause the contents to spit out whilst still
hot and it’s not a pleasant experience.
Dulce de Leche You can also leave these cans inside
the water until they can be safely removed
1 Take any number of 400 g (14 oz) cans once the water cools. This may take
of condensed milk and remove the up to half an hour depending on the
labels. This will make the clean up that amount of cans you’ve chosen to cook,
much easier and also protect you from but the extra bit of time wont change
any contractual obligation you have to how the caramel comes out.
any other canned goods brand.
2 Place the cans lid side up inside a
saucepan that will allow you to have
at least 2 cm (¾ in) of water above the
tops of the cans, but not be in danger of
overflowing when the pot boils – roughly
another 2 cm (¾ in).
3 Pour hot water into this pot – the hotter
the better. This won’t affect how the
caramel cooks, but the timer starts once
the water comes up to temperature, so
this just gets you there quicker.
Celebration
Tarts
 CELEBRATION TARTS

We believe any tart in this book could

reasonably be considered a celebration
tart. But if you have an event in mind
and can’t decide what to bake, then let
this section be your guide.
These tarts sit in a separate category because they are made with flavours that are
classically associated with certain holidays and celebrations and, for some reason, taste
better then, too. Take fruit mince for example. When Gareth said he was going to make an
Eggnog and Fruit Mince Tart (page 155), Cat proclaimed, ‘I hate fruit mince’, to which he
confidently responded, ‘Yeah, so what, everyone hates fruit mince for 11 months of the year.’
There’s something about fruit mince, mulled wine, gingerbread, pumpkin, and other flavours
you’ll find in the tarts in this chapter that make them so much more appealing when it’s their
time of year to shine. Want some eggnog after dinner in September? No thanks. How about
after eating your weight in prawns and turkey on a sweltering Australian Christmas day?
Obviously!
There’s a huge amount of pressure on desserts that centre around ‘occasions’ to be
incredible. They bring with them a sense of nostalgia: people remember blowing out the
candles at their childhood birthday party and tucking into a sickly-sweet cake covered
in buttercream and 100s and 1000s sprinkles, the taste of grandma’s Christmas pudding;
eating toasted hot cross buns with lashings of butter on Easter morning. Take away the
emotional connection, and we’d argue that most classic or generic versions of these
‘special occasion’ treats are just average to a seasoned pastry eater; in many cases the
balance is completely off and often they rely (heavily) on the ‘emotional’ factor to even
be an enjoyable thing to eat at all. For this reason, we strive to execute them to a high
standard without losing any of their nostalgia.
Don’t get us wrong, though, these tarts aren’t above leveraging on some context
to make them seem a touch more incredible than they are. For example, you’ll see one
savoury-ish tart makes the list here: the Brillat-Savarin and Quince Tart (page 165). As a
pastry shop that operates under cafe hours, we believe this tart was never that popular
because it was never around at the time of day that you’d want to eat it. We hope that
putting it in this section of the book means it gets the glory it deserves in place of (or
preferably alongside) a decadent cheese board with a glass of wine in hand.
The correct time and place for the others will be pretty self-explanatory, but we
promise we won’t hunt you down if you make them whenever you damn-well please.
 CELEBRATION TARTS

Hot Cross Bun Tart

The hype around hot cross buns in Melbourne around Easter time is no laughing matter.
Every bakery and patisserie makes their version, websites publish full guides on where to
snag the best ones and influencers flock all over town to capture their hot cross hauls. So,
it begged the question, why couldn’t Tarts Anon capitalise on the action?
Hot cross ice-cream, gin and croissants all exist, which goes to show that the flavours
of a hot cross bun transcend any format and work together spectacularly. We’re not sure
if this tart version will ever surpass an actual hot cross bun, but it’s definitely something
unique to bring to the Easter celebration. Start this recipe a day ahead to soak the raisins.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 55 g (2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
75 g (2¾ oz) soft brown sugar
Soaked raisins 5 g (0.2 oz) mixed spice
70 g (2½ oz) raisins 120 g (4½ oz) egg
30 g (1 oz) orange juice 90 g (3 oz) Soaked raisins, see left
10 g (¼ oz) soft brown sugar 120 g (4½ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
3 g (0.1 oz) brandy
pinch of mixed spice Brown butter glaze
180 g (6½ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
Hot cross bun cake batter 400 g (14 oz) milk
105 g (3½ oz) natural almond meal 4 g (0.14 oz) salt
50 g (1¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour 80 g (2¾ oz) soft brown sugar
45 g (1½ oz) candied orange peel 10 g (¼ oz) pectin X58
40 g (1½ oz) candied lemon peel
2 g baking powder Cross
2 g salt 100 g (3½ oz) milk powder

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). to separate when the butter is added and
forms a foamy crust, so keep the speed low.
Soaked raisins
Place all ingredients into a small saucepan Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You
and bring to a boil, then remove from heat. want this to be warm enough so that the
Decant into a container and let this mixture liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but
sit at least overnight to plump up the raisins cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any
and infuse them with flavour. Once they are burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
ready to use, drain the liquid and pat dry it can also fry the egg mixture as you add
before adding to the batter. it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for
roughly 100°C/210°F). Once the butter
Hot cross bun cake batter comes up to temperature, slowly pour it into
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the the egg and sugar mixture (or add little by
sugars and mixed spice, in a bowl and stir little, if whisking by hand). Ensure that the
together. Add the eggs, mixed spice and mixture is well emulsified, as this will prevent
sugar to a separate mixing bowl. Either the butter from bleeding out later, giving
with a whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a the cake a greasy texture. Then mix in the
whisk attachment, slowly combine until the dry ingredients and soaked raisins, making
sugar has dissolved. You do not want to sure that there are no lumps suspended
incorporate any air at this stage, as it tends throughout the batter.
 TARTS ANON

To bake To glaze
To bake the tart, pour the batter into the Once the tart has cooled, it’s ready to be
pastry shell. Bake the tart for approximately glazed (see page 34). Warm 120 g (4½ oz)
30 minutes, or until the crust is an even of the brown butter glaze in a saucepan
golden brown and the centre of the tart is until just melted. Pour this mixture over
firm. Remove from the oven and allow to 120 g (4½ oz) of cold glaze and mix with a
cool inside the tin. blender until smooth and the texture of thick
custard. Pour this over the cake and tilt
Brown butter glaze the tart tin so that the glaze spreads to the
Bring the brown butter, milk and salt to a edges (for a smooth and clean look, avoid
boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, mix using a spatula). Tap the tart gently on
the sugar and the pectin together in a bowl the bench so that it settles in the corners,
to ensure that there are no lumps and the and place in the fridge for 5–10 minutes
pectin is fully dispersed through the sugar. to firm up.
Once the liquid is boiling and the butter Once the glaze is nice and firm, lightly oil
has melted, add the sugar mix and simmer either side of the template with spray or
gently, while whisking, for 20 seconds. wipe a small amount of oil on it with
Remove from heat and blend this mixture paper towel (you want to make sure that
with a hand-held blender. Pour into a the powder sticks to the stencil, but the
container to set. stencil doesn’t stick to the glaze!). Place
the stencil on top of the set glaze and use
Cross a sieve to dust on a light coating of the
Place the milk powder into an oven heated toasted milk powder. Remove the stencil
to 150°C (300°F) with the fan turned down gently, being sure to not let any of the
low. Leave this to toast for 10 minutes then powder fall on the undusted portions of
give a quick stir. Continue to toast for the glaze, then remove from the tin.
another 5 minutes or until the powder has
turned a medium golden colour and has a You can choose to apply the stencil to the
nutty, buttery smell to it. Allow this to cool whole tart, or portion the tart (see page 39)
and keep in a container. and do this step on each slice. Clearly, this
whole step is completely optional, but it is
Take a piece of acetate and cut out a large a nice little touch to add to the tart for the
cross shape to use as your stencil. Easter season!
 CELEBRATION TARTS

Mulled Wine Pear

and Gingerbread Tart
This tart is inspired by Gareth’s favourite ever dessert served at Dinner By Heston Blumenthal,
‘The Gingerbread Ice-Cream’. The smoked walnut mousse with a stroopwafel-like orange
caramel base was good enough on its own, but paired with vibrant mulled wine pears and
a beautifully nuanced gingerbread ice cream, it was such a well-considered dessert that
managed to capture Christmas in a mouthful.
Before it was ready for the Tarts Anon menu, we went through quite a few iterations
to get the spices in the custard and the acidity of the glaze right, but if you’re game
enough to try your hand at baking it, you’ll agree it’s worth the effort. Do take the time to
infuse the pears in the mulled wine overnight to get that very deep purple colour to the
glaze (and maximum flavour of course!).

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 50 g (1¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
120 g (4½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 5 g (0.2 oz) pectin NH
5 g (0.2 oz) citric acid
Poached pear puree
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) packham pears Gingerbread custard
15 g (½ oz) orange zest 40 g (1½ oz) double (heavy) cream
4 g (0.14 oz) cinnamon sticks 450 g (1 lb) pouring (whipping) cream
2 g star anise 3 g (0.1 oz) orange zest
4 g (0.14 oz) cardamom pods 3 g (0.1 oz) mixed spice
1 g clove 4 g (0.14 oz) ground ginger
300 g (10½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 125 g (4½ oz) soft brown sugar
3 g (0.1 oz) vanilla paste, or bean 180 g (6½ oz) egg yolk
1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) dry red wine 55 g (2 oz) white chocolate callets or buttons
Mulled wine pear glaze Orange caramel
200 g (7 oz) Poached pear puree, above 120 g (4½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139)
200 g (7 oz) reserved poaching wine, see method 3 g (0.1 oz) orange zest

Preheat the oven to 125°C (255°F). Once the pears are ready, strain the
mixture through a fine sieve, reserving the
Poached pear puree poaching liquid and discarding the bundle
Peel and core the pears and cut of aromatics. Place the cooked pears into a
into pieces, approximately 2 × 2 cm blender and blend until smooth.
(¾ × ¾ in). Tie the aromatics into a bundle
of muslin (cheesecloth). Add the red wine, Mulled wine pear glaze
sugar, vanilla paste and aromatics to a pan Place the measured quantities of pear
and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add puree and the reserved poaching wine into
the pear pieces, turn down to a simmer a saucepan and bring to a boil. Combine
and cook until the pears can be pierced the sugar with the pectin, then whisk it into
easily with a paring knife. Turn off the heat. the liquid and bring to the boil again. Add
Transfer to a container and allow to sit for the citric acid and remove from heat. Blend
12 hours in the fridge to infuse and to allow until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve.
the colour to penetrate the fruit before using. Allow the gel to cool and set until firm.
 TARTS ANON

Gingerbread custard To bake

Place the creams, orange zest, spices and Bake for 30 minutes, or until the custard has
sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, a slight wobble in the centre, then remove
then remove from heat immediately. To from the oven and allow to cool.
temper the egg yolks, add them to a mixing
bowl and whisk in a small amount of the To glaze
hot cream mixture until well incorporated. Once the custard has cooled sufficiently,
Add the remaining cream mixture and melt the mulled wine pear gel in a small
the white chocolate and use a hand-held saucepan over a low heat (you can pop
blender to blend until the mixture is shiny the tart into the fridge to help
and smooth – to prevent any air from being the custard to firm up, which will also help
incorporated into the mix, keep the head of the gel to set faster). Once the gel has fully
the blender underneath the surface. melted and has started to simmer slightly,
weigh out 220 g (8 oz) of the gel into a
Decant into a jug to use straight away – measuring jug. Pour the glaze over the tart
you want to keep it as warm as possible to in a circular motion (see page 37), starting
ensure the mixture cooks evenly in the oven. from the inside and moving outwards.
Gently transfer the tart into the fridge and
Orange caramel allow to set.
Mix the dulce de leche and the orange zest
together and spread the mixture over the Once the gel is firm to the touch, remove
base of the prepared pastry shell, then place the tart from the tin and portion into slices with
in the oven. Pour the custard on top of the a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
caramel layer, ensuring you leave a small
gap at the top so that the gel has a little
crust to stick to.
 CELEBRATION TARTS

Chocolate and Chestnut Tart

Flavour wise, chestnuts are a difficult ingredient to get the most out of because when used in
large quantities their texture can become unpleasant. It therefore becomes a fine balancing
act to get the right amount of chestnut flavour into a tart without it becoming too thick and
pasty in the mouth. Chocolate, chestnuts and redcurrants are all very Christmassy, and
we even dust this one with gold powder at the shop because we’re big fat liars who do,
sometimes, believe in nice garnishes, especially at Christmas. Omit the gold leaf, if you like,
and simply tell people you ‘don’t believe in garnishes’ – they will believe you.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Chestnut glaze

roasted chestnuts, for grating 125 g (4½ oz) Chestnut puree, left
gold powder (completely optional, obviously) 125 g (4½ oz) milk
90 g (3 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
Redcurrant jam 3.5 g (0.12 oz) pectin X58
300 g (10½ oz) redcurrant juice 25 g (1 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
210 g (7½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
5 g (0.2 oz) pectin jaune Chocolate cake batter
2 g citric acid 140 g (5 oz) natural almond meal
15 g (½ oz) water 20 g (¾ oz) cocoa powder
90 g (3 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
Chestnut puree 3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
150 g (5½ oz) whole chestnuts, fresh or frozen 2 g salt
125 g (4½ oz) milk 185 g (6½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
140 g (5 oz) pouring (whipping) cream 160 g (5½ oz) egg
20 g (¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 155 g (5½ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
5 g (0.2 oz) salt

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). in a saucepan with the milk, cream, sugar
and salt and bring to a boil. Using a hand-
Redcurrant jam held blender, blitz the chestnuts to a smooth
To make the redcurrant jam, bring the puree and keep warm.
redcurrant juice to a boil in a medium
saucepan. Whisk together the caster sugar Chestnut glaze
and the pectin and mix into the boiling Place 125 g (4½ oz) of the chestnut puree
liquid, then turn down to a medium heat. into a saucepan with the milk and cream.
Mix the citric acid with the water and set Bring to a boil over medium heat. Mix the
aside. Continue to cook the jam until it pectin and sugar in a small bowl and add
reaches 106°C (223°F), then add the citric to the chestnut mixture. Return the mixture
acid solution and bring to the boil once to a boil, then remove from the heat and
more. Decant this mixture into a bowl blend with a hand-held blender until smooth.
or container and reserve for later. Decant this into a container and cover
the surface of the liquid with plastic wrap
Chestnut puree to prevent a skin from forming. Cool in
Add the chestnuts (plus a couple extra to the fridge.
grate over the top of the finished tart) to a
baking tray (sheet) and roast for 30 minutes,
or until a medium brown colour. Then place
Chocolate cake batter
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar,
in a separate bowl and stir them together.
Add the eggs and sugar to a separate
mixing bowl. Either with a whisk or a stand
mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, slowly
combine until the sugar has dissolved. You
do not want to incorporate any air at this
stage, as it tends to separate when the
butter is added and forms a foamy crust,
so keep the speed low.
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You
want this to be warm enough so that the
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add To glaze
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for Once the tart has cooled, it’s ready to be
roughly 100°C/210°F). glazed (see page 34). Warm 150 g (5½ oz)
of the chestnut glaze in a saucepan until
Once the butter comes up to temperature, just melted. Pour this mixture over 150 g
slowly pour it into the egg and sugar (5½ oz) of cold glaze and mix with a hand-
mixture (or add little by little, if whisking held blender until smooth and the texture
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well of thick custard. Pour this over the baked
emulsified, as this will prevent the butter cake layer and tilt the tart so that the glaze
from bleeding out later, giving the cake spreads to the edges (for a smooth and
a greasy texture. Finally, mix in the dry clean look, avoid using a spatula). Tap the
ingredients, making sure that there are no tart gently on the bench so that it settles in
lumps suspended throughout the batter. the knuckles of the pastry shell, and place
in the fridge for 5–10 minutes to firm up.
To bake
Spread 100 g (3½ oz) of the redcurrant jam Once the glaze is nice and firm, remove the
over the base of the pastry shell, then pour tart from the tin and portion the tart into
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of chocolate cake batter slices with a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
on top. Place the tart into the oven to bake Finish by grating a fine layer of roasted
for approximately 30 minutes, or until the chestnut on top and dust lightly with gold
crust is an even colour and the centre of the powder, if using, for that festive flair.
tart is firm. Remove from the oven and allow
to cool inside the tin.
 CELEBRATION TARTS

Passionfruit, Rhubarb and

Strawberry Pavlova Tart
The idea here was to make a meringue reminiscent of a pavlova and sit it atop a custard tart.
Achieving this is quite a feat because the meringue has to be baked separately so it can dry
on the outside and go crispy like a pavlova. This is different to a meringue that you might put
on top of a lemon pie, which is either torched or baked and which allows the egg whites to set
but not turn crisp. The sense of accomplishment when we finally got the process for this down
pat was probably one of our most satisfying achievements to date. But don’t let this put you
off – by carefully following the recipe it should all come together for you on the first try. If not,
at least you’ll have some kind of meringue pie.
The strawberry and passionfruit powders are available from any good providore. The
nougasec used in the meringue is an additive made of a mixture of starches, lactose and
glucose that helps stop the absorption of sugar. You can purchase it online.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 3 g (0.1 oz) citric acid
strawberry powder, for dusting 8 g (0.3 oz) water
passionfruit powder, for dusting
Meringue
Strawberry jam 90 g (3 oz) egg white
200 g (7 oz) strawberries 7 g (¼ oz) nougasec
70 g (2½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar, 10 g (¼ oz) cornflour (cornstarch)
plus 70 g (2½ oz) 180 g (6½ oz) caster sugar
4 g (0.14 oz) pectin jaune
8 g (0.3 oz) citric acid Passionfruit custard
3 g (0.1 oz) water 90 g (3 oz) passionfruit juice
80 g (2¾ oz) pouring (whipping) cream
Rhubarb jam 95 g (3¼ oz) double (heavy) cream
200 g (7 oz) rhubarb 130 g (4½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
80 g (2¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar, 50 g (1¾ oz) egg
plus 80 g (2¾ oz) 100 g (3½ oz) egg yolk
3 g (0.1 oz) pectin jaune

Strawberry jam This would drastically change the flavour

Put the strawberries into a small saucepan and colour of the jam. When the mixture
along with 70 g (2½ oz) of the sugar and reaches 107°C (225°F) on a thermometer,
bring to a gentle simmer. Mix the remaining whisk in the citric acid mixture, then remove
sugar with the pectin and whisk into the from heat and pour into a container to set.
strawberry mixture. Continue to cook until
the strawberries collapse and the liquid is Rhubarb jam
almost gone, then remove from heat. Using Cut the rhubarb into 2 cm (¾ in) pieces
a hand-held blender, blend until there are and place into a small saucepan along
no more lumps of fruit. Mix the citric acid with 80 g (2¾ oz) of the sugar and bring
with the water and allow to dissolve, then set to a gentle simmer. Once soft, remove the
aside. Return the strawberry mixture to the rhubarb from the pan with a slotted spoon
heat and continue to cook until the mixture and drain well. Mix the remaining sugar with
becomes thick, whisking often to avoid it the pectin and whisk into the syrup.
catching on the bottom of the saucepan.
 TARTS ANON

Continue to cook until the syrup reaches in an even layer, then use a palette knife
107°C (225°F) on a thermometer. Meanwhile to spread the meringue around to create
mix the citric acid with the water in a small some natural ‘flowy’ peaks. This is entirely
bowl and allow to dissolve. Once the syrup optional, but the more texture the surface
comes up to temperature, stir in the rhubarb has, the more crispiness you will get.
and the citric acid. Remove from the heat
and pour into a container to set. When the 1st bake
jams are still quite warm, weigh out 150 g Bake the meringue in an oven set to 100°C
(5½ oz) of the rhubarb and 150 g (5½ oz) (210°F) for 25 minutes or until firm and dry
of the strawberry jam. Mix the two jams (it will dry out and become even firmer as
together before allowing to set in the fridge it cools, so bear this in mind). Remove
(you will have enough jam left over to make the meringue from the tart tin once cooled
a second tart, if desired). (the meringue will keep for up to a week in
an airtight container). Increase the oven
Meringue temperature to 125°C (255°F) to preheat
Place the egg whites and the nougasec for baking the tart.
into the bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the
whisk attachment and begin mixing on a Passionfruit custard
medium speed. Mix the cornflour and sugar Add the passionfruit juice, creams, and
together in a bowl. When the egg whites sugar to a saucepan and bring to a simmer,
start to foam slightly on the surface, slowly then remove immediately. To temper the
rain the sugar mixture in while mixing. Turn whole eggs and egg yolks, add them
the mixer up to high once the sugar has to a mixing bowl and whisk in a small
been added and continue to whisk until the amount of the hot cream mixture until well
meringue is glossy and stiff. incorporated, then add the remaining cream
mix. Using a hand-held blender, blend until
Next, bake the meringue in a tart tin so it’s the mixture is shiny and smooth – to ensure
ready to place onto the custard layer later. no air is incorporated, keep the head of the
To line the tart tin, cut a strip of baking blender submerged. Strain the custard into a
paper (or two shorter ones stuck together) measuring jug and let sit for 5 minutes for
to 80 × 5 cm (31½ × 2 in). Cut another all the impurities to rise to the top, then
piece of paper into a circle 25 cm (10 in) in remove them with a ladle or slotted spoon.
diameter, and place into the bottom of your
tart tin. Spray either side very lightly with Once the surface is clear of bubbles, pour
oil spray, and do the same with the strips, the custard into the tart shell straight away
wrapping them around the inside of the tin. – you want to keep it as warm as possible to
These will not stick directly to the edge of ensure the mixture cooks evenly in the oven.
the tin but try to keep to the shape of the
tin as much as possible. 2nd bake
Bake the tart for 30 minutes, or until the
Once the meringue is ready, place it into a custard is slightly wobbly in the centre,
large piping bag with a 2 cm (¾ in) round then remove from the oven and allow to
nozzle (this larger nozzle is preferable – cool. Once the custard has completely
but you can also cut the top of a cooled, remove the tart from the tin. Place
disposable piping bag to this size). Pipe the meringue on top of the cooled custard
the meringue directly into the edges of the and portion the tart into slices with a hot,
tart tin in a smooth consistent line – this sharp knife (see page 39). Dust the top
will ensure that the edges of the meringue of the meringue with a small amount of
are nice and straight and will eliminate any the passionfruit and strawberry powders
gaps between the custard and the shell. before serving.
Fill the rest of the shell with the meringue
 CELEBRATION TARTS

Eggnog and Fruit Mince Tart

We made this for Tarts Anon’s first Christmas and the recipe has been more or less the same
ever since. When it landed on the menu, Catherine appealed for people to taste-test it to
make sure they wouldn’t be disappointed on the big day. One of our delightful taste-testers
had this to say about the tart and we think it sums it up very nicely: ‘This melt-in-your-mouth
indulgence has me lighting candles while I hang the Christmas tree lights. It’s boozy, it’s
boujie, it’s pure brilliance and it’s a 10 from me.’ –@Burritobek
The fruit mince recipe is best made ahead of time, ideally one month before its intended
use. This allows the fruit to mature and ferment slightly, and for the spices to infuse and the
flavour to develop. It will also oxidise slightly and the mix will take on the deep colour and
flavour that is synonymous with fruit mince. This step is obviously optional, as there are many
great companies that produce lovely fruit mince that is available for purchase.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 150 g (5½ oz) brandy
nutmeg, for grating 20 g (¾ oz) mixed spice
10 g (¼ oz) cornflour (cornstarch)
Fruit mince 20 g (¾ oz) water
200 g (7 oz) butter
350 g (12½ oz) pink lady apples, peeled, Eggnog custard
cored and cut in 2 cm (¾ in) dice 570 g (1 lb 4 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
350 g (12½ oz) raisins 50 g (1¾ oz) double (heavy) cream
350 g (12½ oz) soft brown sugar 4 g (0.14 oz) mixed spice
150 g (5½ oz) candied orange zest 2 g vanilla paste
200 g (7 oz) orange juice 70 g (2½ oz) brandy
100 g (3½ oz) lemon juice 160 g (5½ oz) soft brown sugar
30 g (1 oz) lemon zest 260 g (9 oz) egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). until well incorporated. Add the remaining
cream mixture and use a hand-held blender
Fruit mince to blend until the mixture is shiny and
Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add all smooth – to prevent any air from being
the ingredients except for the cornflour and incorporated into the mix, keep the head of
water. Bring the mixture to a boil then turn the blender underneath the surface. Decant
down to a simmer and continue to cook on into a measuring jug to use straight away –
a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the you want to keep it as warm as possible to
liquid is all but evaporated. Mix the water ensure the mixture cooks evenly in the oven.
with the cornflour and stir to form a loose
slurry, then add to the boiling fruit mince. To bake
Return the mixture to the boil and then Spread the fruit mince over the base of the
begin to whisk for 30 seconds – then remove pastry shell. Place the prepared tart into the
from heat and pour into a container to cool. oven, then pour the custard over the fruit
mince layer. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the
Eggnog custard custard is slightly wobbly in the centre, then
Place the creams, spices, vanilla, brandy and remove from the oven and allow to cool.
sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, Once the custard has completely cooled,
then remove immediately. To temper the egg remove the tart from the tin and portion into
yolks, add them to a mixing bowl and whisk slices (see page 39). Finish each slice by
in a small amount of the hot cream mixture grating a fine layer of nutmeg on top.
 CELEBRATION TARTS

Pineapple Tart
We made this tart for a Lunar New Year special as a nod to the traditional pineapple tarts
that are eaten during this time. Many of our chefs perfected the pineapple carving technique
used in this recipe during their time at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, as roasted pineapple
was a key component of one of the restaurant’s most famous desserts, the ‘Tipsy Cake’. It’s the
most efficient way to get rid of the undesirable parts of the pineapple and the most economic
because you’re removing the least amount of the usable flesh. It may take a bit of investigating
and some trial and error, but with a bit of practice, this can be a very therapeutic task! Once
you learn how to carve pineapples this way, it’s a skill you will take to the grave.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Almond cake batter

1 medium-sized pineapple 140 g (5 oz) natural almond meal
(preferably the golden variety) 75 g (2¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
Caramel glaze 2 g salt
170 g (6 oz) caster (superfine) sugar, 185 g (6½ oz) sugar
plus 10 g (¼ oz) 160 g (5½ oz) egg
210 g (7½ oz) apple juice 160 g (5½ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
3 g (0.1 oz) pectin NH
1 g salt
2 g citric acid

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). of the eyelets and make a shallow incision
approximately 1 cm (½ in) deep on the
Caramel glaze underside of each. Each eye is only a few
Make a direct caramel by heating a millimetres deep in the fruit, so to avoid
medium-sized pot over low heat and your wedges falling apart, try and keep
gradually adding 170 g (6 oz) of the your incisions nice and shallow. Once each
sugar one layer at a time, allowing each row of eyelets has a cut on the underside,
layer to fully melt and start to caramelise turn the pineapple upside down and make
before adding the next. Once the sugar another 1 cm (½ in) cut on the other side
has fully dissolved and the caramel is a of the eyelet at an angle to remove the flesh
medium-brown colour, add the apple juice around each one.
a little at a time and bring to a boil. Mix the
remaining sugar with the pectin and salt, Once all the eyes have been removed,
then add this to the boiling mixture. Once cut the pineapple in half lengthways.
this returns to the boil, add the citric acid, Place each half cut-side down and cut in
then whisk until fully dissolved. Pass this half again lengthways. Cut each quarter
mixture through a fine sieve and allow to in half, and then rotate 90 degrees and
set in a container in the fridge. cut into shorter wedges, each should
be approximately 10 cm (4 in) long and
To prepare the pineapple 4–5 cm (1½–2 in) thick at its widest point.
First trim off the top and bottom of the fruit, Place these chunks on their side, trim off
then remove as little of the tough outer the fibrous core and trim the chunks down
skin as possible, while ensuring there is no to a triangular wedge shape – ensuring that
green left on the flesh. Then, using a sharp your ‘troughs’ are not so deep that these
serrated paring knife, follow the direction pieces fall apart. Put these to the side.
Almond cake batter
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar,
in a separate bowl and stir them together.
Add the egg and sugar to a separate mixing
bowl. Either with a whisk or a stand mixer
fitted with a whisk attachment, slowly
combine until the sugar has dissolved. You
do not want to incorporate any air at this
stage, as it tends to separate when the
butter is added and forms a foamy crust,
so keep the speed low.
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You
want this to be warm enough so that the
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add Bake the tart for approximately 30 minutes,
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for or until the crust is an even golden brown and
roughly 100°C/210°F). the centre of the tart is firm. Remove from the
oven and allow to cool inside the tin.
Once the butter comes up to temperature,
slowly pour it into the egg and sugar To glaze
mixture (or add little by little, if whisking Bring the caramel glaze to a boil in a small
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well saucepan. Using a large pastry brush,
emulsified, as this will prevent the butter brush a thick layer over the top of the tart
from bleeding out later, giving the cake and allow to set for a few minutes.
a greasy texture. Finally, mix in the dry
ingredients, making sure that there are no Once the glaze is nice and firm, remove the
lumps suspended throughout the batter. tart from the tin and cut into portions with
a hot, sharp knife (see page 39).
To assemble and bake
To assemble the tart, pour the batter into
the pastry shell. It’s best to allow this to cool
slightly so that the mix stiffens up and your
pineapples stay nice and tall. Then, place
ten pineapple pieces (or however many
slices you would like your tart to have)
evenly around the batter so that they sit at
the centre of each slice.
 CELEBRATION TARTS

White Chocolate, Raspberry

and Pistachio Tart
If you want to make a tart that sells well on Valentine’s Day, then make it pink, load it with
some kind of expensive ingredient and portion it into quarters for couples to share. That’s
what we did, anyway, and it turned out pretty well. In all fairness, though, we didn’t really
need an excuse to make this tart; white chocolate, pistachio and raspberries are a classic
combination of flavours that work exceptionally well in tart form and in hindsight, there
was really no need to make a gimmick out of it.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 90 g (3 oz) raspberry puree, above
2 g salt
Pistachio puree 5 g (0.2 oz) pectin X58
80 g (2¾ oz) pistachios, shelled 50 g (1¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
100 g (3½ oz) white chocolate callets
Raspberry jam or buttons
390 g (14 oz) raspberries
105 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar, Pistachio cake batter
plus 105 g (3½ oz) 85 g (3 oz) natural almond meal
6 g (0.2 oz) pectin jaune 55 g (2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
5 g (0.2 oz) citric acid 4 g (0.14 oz) salt
12 g (0.4 oz) water 2 g baking powder
140 g (5 oz) golden caster sugar
White chocolate and raspberry glaze 140 g (5 oz) egg
150 g (5½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream 80 g (2¾ oz) Pistachio puree, left
200 g (7 oz) milk 80 g (2¾ oz) Brown butter (page 111)

Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F). remaining sugar and the pectin together,
and rain into the puree once boiled. Mix
Pistachio puree the citric acid and water together in a
Place the pistachios on an oven tray (sheet) bowl and set aside. Continue to cook the
and toast in the oven for 45 minutes. This raspberry mixture until it reaches 107°C
will allow the moisture to escape from the (225°F) on a thermometer, then stir in the
pistachios without changing their vibrant citric acid solution. Pour this mixture into
colour. While the pistachios are still hot, a container to set.
blend in a food processor until smooth.
White chocolate and raspberry glaze
Increase the oven to 165°C (330°F) to Weigh the cream, milk, reserved raspberry
preheat for baking the tart. puree and salt in a large saucepan. Then,
weigh the pectin and the sugar in a
Raspberry jam separate container and set aside. Bring the
Put the raspberries in a narrow measuring cream mixture to a boil, then add the pectin
jug or container and blend with a hand-held mixture and whisk for 20 seconds. Add the
blender until very smooth. Set aside 90 g white chocolate, then remove from heat.
(3 oz) of the puree to use for the glaze. Add Blend the mixture with a hand-held blender
the remaining raspberry puree and 105 g until smooth and glossy. Decant into a
(3½ oz) of the sugar to a medium-sized container and allow to set before using.
saucepan and bring to the boil. Whisk the
 TARTS ANON

Pistachio cake batter To bake

Weigh the dry ingredients, except the sugar, Spread 100 g (3½ oz) of the raspberry
in a separate bowl and stir them together. jam over the base of the tart, then pour
Add the eggs and sugar to a separate the batter on top. Bake the tart for
mixing bowl. Either with a whisk or a stand approximately 30 minutes, or until the crust
mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, slowly is an even colour and the centre of the tart
combine until the sugar has dissolved. You is firm. Remove from the oven and allow to
do not want to incorporate any air at this cool inside the tin.
stage, as it tends to separate when the
butter is added and forms a foamy crust, To glaze
so keep the speed low. Once the tart has cooled, it’s ready to be
glazed (see page 34). Warm 120 g (4½ oz)
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You of the white chocolate glaze in a saucepan
want this to be warm enough so that the until just melted. Pour this mixture over 120 g
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but (4½ oz) of cold glaze and mix with a hand-
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any held blender until smooth and the texture of
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot, thick custard. Pour this over the baked cake
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add and tilt the tart so that the glaze spreads
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for to the edges (for a smooth and clean look,
roughly 100°C/210°F). avoid using a spatula). Tap the tart gently
on the bench so that it settles in the knuckles
Once the butter comes up to temperature, of the crust, and place in the fridge for
stir in the pistachio puree until combined. 5–10 minutes to firm up.
Slowly pour this into the egg and sugar
mixture (or add little by little, if whisking Once the glaze is nice and firm, portion
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well the tart into slices with a hot, sharp knife
emulsified, as this will prevent the butter (see page 39).
from bleeding out later, giving the cake
a greasy texture. Finally, mix in the dry
ingredients, making sure that there are no
lumps suspended throughout the batter.
 CELEBRATION TARTS

Chocolate, Orange
and Whiskied Pecan Tart
This is a special occasion tart but we’re going to let you choose the festivity. We first made
it as a Father’s Day special, then because it was so popular, brought it back for the public
holiday following the Queen’s passing and then the AFL Grand Final. We can all agree that
this multi-purpose tart screams ‘You’re a good dad’, ‘National day of mourning’, ‘We love
sport’, and much, much more. Actually, it was also on the 2022 Christmas menu. I’m sure
you can find a suitable occasion for it too (we’d be worried if you couldn’t). Furthermore,
it makes a great ‘occasion’ tart, because it’s a touch more complex in its construction
and, as all good celebrations do, also contains a bit of booze. You can omit the whisky by
replacing it with orange juice in the soaking syrup for a booze-free alternative.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Pecan cake batter

85 g (3 oz) natural almond meal
Orange caramel 35 g (1¼ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
200 g (7 oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139) 2 g baking powder
8 g (0.3 oz) orange zest 3 g (0.1 oz) salt
2 g salt 55 g (2 oz) Pecan puree, left
60 g (2 oz) golden caster (superfine) sugar
Pecan puree 50 g (1¾ oz) soft brown sugar
150 g (5½ oz) pecans 95 g (3¼ oz) egg
65 g (2¼ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
Pecan praline
100 g (3½ oz) pecans Pecan ‘gianduja’
70 g (2½ oz) caster sugar 130 g (4½ oz) milk chocolate callets or buttons
45 g (1½ oz) Pecan puree, left
Whisky syrup 5 g (0.2 oz) salt
60 g (2 oz) whisky 5 g (0.2 oz) orange zest
60 g (2 oz) caster sugar 55 g (2 oz) Pecan praline, left
60 g (2 oz) water 55 g (2 oz) feuilletine (see page 97)

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). Pecan praline

Start by chopping the pecans into small
Orange caramel pieces, approximately 1 cm (½ in) in size.
To make the caramel, mix the dulce de leche Place on a baking tray (sheet) and toast
in a bowl with the orange zest and salt. as for the puree. Make a direct caramel
Spread this mixture over the base of the by heating a saucepan on the stove and
pastry shell. gradually adding the sugar one layer at
a time, allowing each layer to fully melt
Pecan puree and start to caramelise before adding the
Add the pecans to a baking tray (sheet) next. Once the sugar has fully dissolved
and toast until a deep golden brown. and the caramel is a medium-brown colour,
While still warm, blend the nuts in a food add the still-warm pecans and stir through
processor until smooth and runny. Set this the caramel then pour out onto a tray lined
mixture aside – you’ll need to use it for the with baking paper.
cake batter and the ‘gianduja’ layer.
 TARTS ANON

When this cools, use a rolling pin to first Once the butter comes up to temperature,
break up the praline, then smash into smaller stir in the pecan puree, then slowly pour this
pieces. For this, you can use either a knife into the egg and sugar mixture (or add little
to chop it into pieces roughly 5 mm (¼ in) by little, if whisking by hand). Ensure that the
in size, or pulse quickly in a food processor. mixture is well emulsified, as this will prevent
Set the praline aside in an airtight container the butter from bleeding out later, giving the
as it tends to become sticky very quickly. cake a greasy texture. Finally, mix in the dry
Increase the oven heat to 165°C (330°F) to ingredients, making sure that there are no
preheat for baking the tart. lumps suspended throughout the batter.
Whisky syrup To bake
In a saucepan, bring all of the ingredients Pour the cake batter over the caramel layer
to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Ensure the inside the tart and bake for 30 minutes,
mixture is warm when you pour it onto the or until nice and firm. It may seem a little
cake later, as it will help to absorb into overcooked, but it’s important that it’s
the cake that bit easier. slightly on the drier side. Use a fork to poke
some holes all over the top of the cake while
Pecan cake batter still hot so that some of the steam is released.
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the Next, reheat the whisky syrup and brush on
sugars, in a bowl and stir them together. top of the cake until it has all absorbed.
Add the eggs and sugars to a separate
mixing bowl. Either with a whisk or a stand Pecan ‘gianduja’
mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, slowly Place the chocolate, pecan puree, salt and
combine until the sugar has dissolved. You orange zest in a heat proof bowl set on
do not want to incorporate any air at this top of a pot of boiling water and stir until
stage, as it tends to separate when the melted. Add the praline chunks and the
butter is added and forms a foamy crust, feuilletine flakes and stir until combined.
so keep the speed low. Pour this on top of the cooled tart,
spreading it right to the edges. Give the tart
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You a tap on the bench so that the chocolate
want this to be warm enough so that the layer evens out, then put it in the fridge for
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but 15 minutes to set.
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot, Once the gianduja is cool and firm, remove
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add the tart from the tin and portion into slices
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for (see page 39).
roughly 100°C/210°F).
 CELEBRATION TARTS

Brillat-Savarin
and Quince Tart
When we first put this tart on the menu, we had to explain to some of our customers what
Brillat-Savarin is and why in god’s name would we put it in a custard – let alone in a tart.
We landed on this description: ‘Imagine grabbing all the good bits on a cheese plate – the
cracker or maybe an oatcake, the quince jam, some nuts, and of course the cheese – then
eating them all at once.’ This is a tart for the people who order a cheese board instead of
dessert. It is by no means the most popular tart on the menu when it comes around, but
everyone who tried it loved it and begged us for it to come back. There is, however, one
simple rule: If you make it at home, you must enjoy it with a glass of wine.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 20 g (¾ oz) flour

50 g (1¾ oz) blanched hazelnuts 1 g baking powder
1 g salt
Quince jam 40 g (1½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
150 g (5½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar, 75 g (2¾ oz) egg
plus 50 g (1¾ oz) 60 g (2 oz) honey
450 g (1 lb) water 85 g (3 oz) Brown butter (page 111)
3 g (0.1 oz) pectin jaune
3 large ripe quinces Brillat-Savarin custard
5 g (0.2 oz) citric acid 90 g (3 oz) Brillat-Savarin cheese
85 g (3 oz) egg yolk
Honey cake batter 250 g (9 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
70 g (2½ oz) almond meal 3 g (0.1 oz) salt

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). While the quince is baking, return the syrup
to the saucepan, add the reserved peel
Quince jam and cores and bring to the boil. Continue
Bring 150 g (5½ oz) of the sugar and the to cook until the syrup has turned a deep
water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Mix red colour, strain and discard the peel and
the remaining sugar with the pectin in a cores and bring the syrup to a boil again.
small bowl and set aside. Peel and quarter Whisk the sugar and pectin mixture into
the quinces, then remove the core and the boiling syrup and continue to cook
reserve, along with the peel. Cut the quince until it has reached 106°C (225°F). Stir in
quarters into 2 cm (¾ in) pieces, place into the quince puree and the citric acid, bring
the syrup and simmer until they are soft to the boil one last time, then remove from
and start to turn pink. Strain the quince, heat and pour into a container to set.
reserving the syrup, and place onto a
baking tray (sheet) lined with baking paper. Honey cake batter
Weigh the dry ingredients, except the
Bake the quinces for approximately sugar, in a separate bowl and stir them
15 minutes. Once the baked quince is together. Add the eggs, honey and sugar
firm and has lost all surface moisture, to a separate mixing bowl. Either with a
remove from the oven and place into a tall whisk or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk
measuring jug. Use a hand-held blender to attachment, slowly combine until the honey
blend the fruit until smooth. and sugar have dissolved.
 TARTS ANON

You do not want to incorporate any air at Brillat-Savarin custard

this stage, as it tends to separate when the Place the tart into the preheated oven for
butter is added and forms a foamy crust, approximately 5 minutes ahead of baking
so keep the speed low. the custard. This allows the bottom half of
the tart to be warm so that the custard will
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You begin cooking straight away.
want this to be warm enough so that the
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but To make the Brillat-Savarin custard, place
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any the cheese and the egg yolks together in a
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot, tall measuring jug and set aside. Bring the
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add cream to the boil with the salt, then pour
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for this hot mixture over the egg and cheese.
roughly 100°C/210°F). Using a hand-held blender, blitz the custard
until it is smooth and glossy.
Once the butter comes up to temperature,
slowly pour it into the egg mixture (or add To bake
little by little, if whisking by hand). Ensure Pour the custard over the jam layer and
that the mixture is well emulsified, as this will bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until
prevent the butter from bleeding out later, set. Allow to cool at room temperature, then
giving the cake a greasy texture. Finally, remove the tart from the tin. Portion the
mix in the dry ingredients, making sure that tart into slices with a hot, sharp knife (see
there are no lumps suspended throughout page 39) and finish by using a microplane
the batter. to dust an even layer of grated roasted
hazelnuts on top.
To bake
Pour the batter into the pastry shell. Bake
the tart for approximately 18 minutes, or
until the crust is an even golden brown and
the centre of the tart is firm. Remove from
the oven and allow to cool inside the tin.
Once the cake layer has cooled, spread
150 g (5½ oz) of quince jam over the top.
Meanwhile, add the hazelnuts to a baking
tray (sheet) and roast in the oven for
12 minutes.
After toasting the hazelnuts, reduce the
oven heat to 120°C (250°F).
 TARTS ANON

Pumpkin and Spiced

Caramel Tart
Let us assure you this is unlike any pumpkin pie you’ve had before, and that’s intentional.
Originally, we created this tart for Halloween, but it’s become a popular Thanksgiving
option for any American and Canadian expats living in Australia. We find that people aren’t
that adventurous when it comes to tart flavours in the shop (the more ‘out there’ combos
don’t sell as well as the classics) but the exception is this tart, genuinely due to word of
mouth. Also, we bully people into buying it because it’s that good. It’s one of the easiest
tarts to make and one of the most special.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 1 g ground ginger

270 g (9½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 139)
Pumpkin puree
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) grey pumpkin Pumpkin custard
(kabocha squash), or similar 280 g (10 oz) Pumpkin puree, left
65 g (2¼ oz) Brown butter (page 111)
Spiced caramel 240 g (8½ oz) pouring cream
2 g salt 115 g (4 oz) golden caster (superfine) sugar
2 g cinnamon 8 g (0.3 oz) salt
2 g nutmeg 200 g (7 oz) egg yolk
1 g clove

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). heat immediately. To temper the egg yolks,
add them to a mixing bowl and whisk in a
Pumpkin puree small amount of the hot pumpkin mixture
Cut the pumpkin into large wedges and until well incorporated. Add the remaining
remove the seeds. Place on a baking tray pumpkin mixture and blend with a hand-held
(sheet) lined with baking paper, then bake blender until shiny and smooth – to prevent
for 45 minutes, or until soft. Once the any air from being incorporated into the mix,
pumpkin is soft, remove from the oven and keep the head of the blender underneath
allow to cool. Then remove the skin and the surface. Decant into a jug to use straight
place in a blender and blitz until smooth for away – you want to keep it as warm as
approximately 3 minutes. Set this mix aside. possible to ensure the mixture cooks evenly
in the oven.
Reduce the oven heat to 125°C (255°F) to
preheat for baking the tart. To bake
Place the prepared tart shell into the oven
Spiced caramel and pour the custard over the caramel layer.
Next, mix the spices and salt into the dulce Bake for 30 minutes or until the custard is
de leche with a maryse spatula, and spread slightly wobbly in the centre, then remove
over the base of the pastry shell. from the oven and allow to cool.
Pumpkin custard Once the custard has completely cooled,
Add the pumpkin puree, brown butter, remove the tart from the tin and portion
cream, sugar and salt to a large saucepan into slices with a hot, sharp knife (see
and bring to a simmer, then remove from page 39).
 CELEBRATION TARTS

St Honoré Tart
Filming Dessert Masters in 2023 was an incredible experience, not only for the friendships
Gareth made with his competitors, who are some of the best pastry chefs in Australia, but
also for the inspiration it gave us to continue pushing the boundaries at Tarts Anon.
This tart was inspired by the classic French pastry, Gâteau Saint-Honoré, named after
the patron saint of pâtissiers. Our version includes a hazelnut caramel base, baked vanilla
custard, vanilla crème diplomate and is adorned with caramelised profiteroles filled with
vanilla crème pâtissière. This one is the ultimate ‘any celebration’ celebration tart.
We use a St Honorè piping (pastry) tip here – see page 91 for our hack if you don’t
have one.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 30 g (1 oz) cornflour (cornstarch)

30 g (1 oz) butter
Hazelnut caramel
80 g (2¾ oz) hazelnuts Caramel
80 g (2¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 150 g (5½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
100 g (3½ oz) Dulce de Leche (page 111)
Vanilla custard
Profiteroles 475 g (1 lb 1 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
75 g (2¾ oz) butter 55 g (2 oz) double (heavy) cream
8 g (0.3 oz) caster sugar 40 g (1½ oz) cream cheese
80 g (2¾ oz) milk 140 g (5 oz) soft brown sugar
75 g (2¾ oz) water 6 g (0.2 oz) vanilla paste or
3 g (0.1 oz) salt 1 vanilla bean, scraped
90 g (3 oz) flour 1 g coffee beans
165 g (6 oz) egg 195 g (7 oz) egg yolk
Vanilla crème pâtissière Crème diplomate
455 g (1 lb) milk 125 g (4½ oz) double (heavy) cream
115 g (4 oz) caster sugar 175 g (6 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
2 g vanilla paste 350 g (12½ oz) Vanilla crème pâtissière, above
70 g (2½ oz) egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). To make a caramel, add the sugar to a
saucepan over low heat to gently melt the
Hazelnut caramel sugar. Continue to cook until the caramel
Roast the hazelnuts on a baking tray (sheet) goes a deep brown, then add the warm
for approximately 15 minutes. Once they hazelnuts, stir until they are coated and
are a medium golden brown, remove then tip them onto a tray to cool slightly.
them from the oven and set aside. If your
hazelnuts still have skin on them, pour them While the hazelnut caramel is still warm,
onto a tea towel (dish towel) while they are transfer it to a food processor and blend
still hot, gather the corners together, and roll until very smooth. Weigh 100 g (3½ oz) of
them around inside the towel to loosen the the caramel and mix it with the dulce de
skins. Then shake the nuts out of the towel leche. Spread an even layer of the mixture
to separate them from the skin. over the base of the pastry shell.
 TARTS ANON

Bake the profiteroles for 25 minutes, then

allow to cool at room temperature.
Reduce the oven to 125°C (255°F) to
preheat for cooking the custard layer.
Vanilla crème pâtissière
To make the crème pâtissière, bring the
milk, half the sugar and vanilla to a boil
in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the
rest of the sugar and the cornflour in a
bowl. Once the milk has reached a boil,
add a small amount to the eggs and whisk
to combine. Return this mix to the saucepan
and whisk vigorously over a medium heat.
Continue to mix until it returns to a boil,
Profiteroles then add the butter, a little at a time.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Remove the mixture from the heat and give
it a quick blend with a hand-held blender.
Place the butter, sugar, milk, water and salt Transfer to a container and place a piece of
in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the
medium heat. Once the butter has melted crème pâtissière to prevent a skin forming.
and the mixture has reached a simmer,
reduce the heat to low and stir in the flour Once the crème pâtissière has cooled,
with a maryse spatula on a low heat. remove the plastic wrap cover and give it a
Continue to cook this mixture until a thin film whisk to break up any lumps. Place roughly
starts to coat the base of the saucepan and 300 g (10½ oz) inside a piping bag to fill the
the pastry has formed a large lump or ball profiteroles, and set the remainder aside.
around your spatula.
Caramel
Remove the pastry mixture from the Place a small saucepan over medium
saucepan and place into a stand mixer heat. Make a direct caramel by heating
fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix the a saucepan on the stove and gradually
pastry on low heat to start cooling it down.
Once it has come down to 50°C (120°F)
add the egg a little at a time until the
pastry forms a short ‘V’ when the paddle
is removed from the mix (you may not
need the whole amount of egg). Once this
has all come together, place the pastry
into a piping (pastry) bag with a 10 mm
(½ in) piping nozzle attached. Pipe 4 cm
(1½ in)‑wide domes onto a baking tray
(sheet) lined with baking paper. If you have
a silicone dome mould with this dimension,
a really good way to get a consistent size is
to pipe your mix into these moulds, flatten
the bases with a palette knife, freeze them,
then thaw them on trays once demoulded.
 CELEBRATION TARTS

Vanilla custard
Bring the creams, cream cheese, sugar,
vanilla and coffee beans to a simmer in
a saucepan, then remove from heat. To
temper the egg yolks, add them to a mixing
bowl and whisk in a small amount of the
hot cream mixture until well incorporated.
Add the remaining cream mixture and use a
hand-held blender to blend until the mixture
is shiny and smooth – to prevent any air
from being incorporated into the mix, keep
the head of the blender underneath the
surface. Strain the mixture into a measuring
jug through a fine sieve to use straight
away – you want to keep it as warm as
possible to ensure the mixture cooks evenly
in the oven.
adding the sugar one layer at a time,
allowing each layer to fully melt and start Pour this mixture over the hazelnut caramel
to caramelise before adding the next. layer of the tart and bake until slightly
Once the sugar has fully dissolved and the wobbly in the centre, around 30 minutes.
caramel is a medium brown colour, remove Remove from the oven, then allow to cool
it from heat and allow to cool slightly – the slightly before placing in the fridge to set.
heat will continue to cook the caramel so be
sure not to let it get too dark as the residual Crème diplomate
temperature will cause it to burn. Once Whip the creams to soft peaks in a stand
the caramel has cooled and thickened mixer, then add the reserved crème pâtissière
somewhat, dip the tops of the profiteroles and continue to whip to firm peaks. Once
in the caramel, and then sit them back on stiff, place the cream in a piping bag fitted
their bases so that each profiterole has a with a St Honoré nozzle.
clean cap of caramel on top. If you have
a dome mould that the profiteroles will fit Once the custard is cool, place ten of the
into, place each one top-side down into profiteroles equidistantly around the edge
the mould so that the caramel sets into a of the vanilla custard. Pipe the crème
perfect dome shape – it’s not essential, but diplomate into short peaks in between each
the visual impact is worth it! Once all of the profiterole, facing outwards, then pipe a
caramel has set, poke a small hole into the whole ring of peaks on the inside of the
bottom of each profiterole with a paring profiterole circle, ensuring to keep the angle
knife, and then cut a hole in the tip of the of the peaks consistent. Pipe a second
piping bag so that it will fit inside. Pipe ring inside the piped circle, then place an
enough custard to fill the entire profiterole, eleventh profiterole in the middle of the tart.
then sit them base-down on a baking tray
(sheet) until you assemble. Portion the tart into slices with a hot, sharp
knife (see page 39).
Savoury
Tarts
 SAVOURY TARTS

Savoury tarts were not at all part of the

business model when we opened our
first store, but once we had established
ourselves as a pastry cafe in Cremorne,
we started looking for new ideas and
concepts for the tarts.
Working at Lune Croissanterie, Gareth would see many couples come through the doors,
and noticed that one person would go for the decadent and sweet pastries and the other
would get a simple ham and cheese croissant because that was the only savoury thing
on the menu. Working off the idea of tapping into this market, the first savoury tart – our
Cheese and Bacon (page 177) or ‘The Boyfriend Tart’ – was born.
There’s some irony in the naming of these tarts, as you’ll see as you go through the
recipes. The Cheese and Bacon Tart is much, much more than that, consisting of a leek and
maple bacon financier topped with a gruyere cheese custard and chives. The Mushroom
and Parmesan Tart (page 183) is more accurately a pickled mushroom and sweet-and-sour
onion financier topped with a mushroom and parmesan custard. We even serve this one
with a shaved truffle add-on when truffle season rolls around. Making a highly ‘refined’,
restaurant-quality savoury tart that sits on a pastry retail counter is no mean feat, and
these tarts are, surprisingly, some of the ones we’re most proud of.
Our savoury tarts have (rightly) been accused (applauded?) of being bold in flavour
and that’s what they are, and, we’ll add, unashamedly so. That is to say, these are about
flavour and we haven’t tried to make these a ‘healthy option’ – they’re big, bold and
flavourful and unapologetic about that. Gareth often says when he’s not hungry, he’s still
‘hungry for flavour’. Even as a young child Gareth would be in the kitchen creating meals
many children would take years to acquire a taste for. At ten years old he invented what
he called ‘Slop’, essentially chopped tomatoes, crispy bacon, onions and mushrooms, all
cooked down in a pan with heaps of Worcestershire sauce, to which, once it collapsed into
a heap, he would add chopped up toast like a breakfast panzanella. Of course, he didn’t
understand the fundamentals of cooking at that point – but he did know that the longer
he cooked it the browner it would get and therefore the more delicious.
With such beginnings, the evolution of these savoury tarts is worthy of a novel on its
own, but suffice to say the biggest achievement has been working out how to incorporate
sweetness e.g. the sweet and sour onion chutney, tomato jams, and sweet corn custards.
Sugar is key to the balance of these savoury tarts, as it neutralises the salt and acts as a
carrier of the flavour explosions we’re chasing.
When baking, you’ll find that compared to the sweet versions, the savoury tarts are
more complex in their number of steps but generally require a little less precision in the
making. That being said, don’t be a dingus, and still follow the recipe carefully.
 SAVOURY TARTS

Cheese and Bacon Tart

This tart took longer to get right than any other on the menu. The first versions were way
too intense; incorporating all the required, but heavy, elements of a tart and achieving
a balance of flavour and a final product that was portionable at room temperature was
almost impossibly hard. It needed to be textural, not just a tray bake held together by a
‘bunch of knackered eggs’ (as Gareth would say). But something that required hours of
setting was not going to be feasible in the production kitchen. After many iterations, here
is the final recipe – it’s so good that it seems unlikely it will ever change again.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 5 g (0.2 oz) salt

chives, finely chopped, for garnishing 90 g (3 oz) egg
60 g (2 oz) Brown butter (page 111)
Leek and bacon cake batter olive oil, for frying
200 g (7 oz) leek, sliced into 2 mm (1⁄16 in) rounds
200 g (7 oz) smoked speck, Gruyere custard
cut into 1.5 cm (½ in) cubes 110 g (4 oz) gruyere cheese
30 g (1 oz) maple syrup 85 g (3 oz) egg yolk
30 g (1 oz) soft brown sugar 250 g (9 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
90 g (3 oz) natural almond meal 2 g salt
35 g (1¼ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2½ g (0.1 oz) baking powder

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). To make the batter, weigh the dry
ingredients in a bowl and stir them together.
Leek and bacon cake batter Add the eggs to the mixing bowl of a stand
Place a large pot of water on the stove and mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and
bring to a boil. Season the water with a good mix on low speed until combined (or do so
amount of salt, approximately 15 g (½ oz) by hand).
per 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) of water. Blanch
the sliced leeks in the salted boiling water Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You
for 15 seconds. Drain and refresh in iced want this to be warm enough so that the
water, then squeeze out the water from the liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but
leeks – you should have approximately 130 g cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any
(4½ oz) of leek left. burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add
Add some olive oil to a frying pan and heat it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for
on high until it starts to smoke. Add the roughly 100°C/210°F).
speck and cook until evenly caramelised
on all sides, then remove from the pan Once the butter comes up to temperature,
and discard the oil. Place the same pan slowly pour it into the whisked eggs while
over medium heat and add the maple mixing (or add little by little if whisking
syrup and the brown sugar. Bring this to a by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well
thick and bubbly caramel then return the emulsified, as this will ensure that the
drained speck pieces. Cook for one minute butter doesn’t bleed out later making the
or until the edges of the speck start to look cake a greasy texture. Then add in the dry
a little candied. Drain any excess caramel ingredients and mix until well combined,
and set aside. ensuring that there are no lumps suspended
throughout the batter.
TARTS ANON

Vigorously mix the leek and speck into the

cake batter by hand to ensure that the leek
has been fully distributed and the speck
pieces aren’t sticking to one another.
To bake
Pour the batter into the pastry shell. Bake
the tart for approximately 18 minutes,
or until the crust is an even golden brown
and the centre of the tart is firm. Remove
from the oven and allow to cool inside the
tin. Using the back of a spoon, press down
firmly on any areas where the cake has
risen unevenly so that the surface is flat.
Gruyere custard
Grate the cheese and mix with the egg
yolks in a measuring jug, then set aside.
Bring the cream and salt to a boil in a
saucepan over medium–high heat, then
pour it over the egg and cheese. Using a
hand-held blender, blitz the custard until
it is smooth and glossy. Pour the custard
on top of the cake layer, and bake in the
oven for 15 minutes, or until it is set.
To finish
Allow to cool at room temperature, then
remove the tart from the tin. Using a hot
sharp knife, portion the tart into slices
(see page 39). Sprinkle an even layer
of the cut chives over the top of the tart.
 SAVOURY TARTS

Corn and Jalapeño Tart

For a long time, the Cheese and Bacon (page 177) and Mushroom and Parmesan tarts
(page 183) were the only savoury options on the menu. They had taken so long to develop
that they sat there for a few months as we built up the energy to tackle a new one.
Eventually the idea came to create something using a corn cake, stemming from our love
of tamales. The corn cake didn’t quite work, as you’ll see from the recipe, which uses
almonds as well as corn kernels, but from that came a sweet corn custard, paired with
pickled jalapeños and cheese. The mountain of parmesan cheese on top is a nod to
Dan Hong’s revolutionary grilled corn with parmesan and lime, which we first had at Ms. G’s
in Sydney way back in 2012. It works perfectly here, too.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 60 g (2 oz) Brown butter (page 111)
parmesan for grating 50 g (1¾ oz) grated parmesan
lime, for zesting olive oil
Leek, corn and jalapeño cake batter Corn custard
200 g (7 oz) leek, sliced into 2 mm (1⁄16 in) rounds 40 g (1½ oz) butter
100 g (3½ oz) corn kernels (fresh or frozen) 200 g (7 oz) corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
7 g (¼ oz) salt 210 g (7½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream
90 g (3 oz) almond meal 20 g (¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
20 g (¾ oz) pickled jalapeño slices, chopped 7 g (¼ oz) salt
35 g (1¼ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour 80 g (2¾ oz) cream cheese
2.5 g (0.1 oz) baking powder 100 g (3½ oz) egg yolk
90 g (3 oz) egg

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). To make the batter, weigh the dry
ingredients, except the parmesan, in a bowl.
Leek, corn and jalapeño cake batter Add the eggs to the mixing bowl of a stand
Place a large pot of water on the stove mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and
and bring to a boil. Season the water with mix on low speed until combined (or do so
a good amount of salt – approximately by hand).
15 g (½ oz) per 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) of
water. Blanch the sliced leeks in the salted Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You
boiling water for 15 seconds, then drain want the butter to be warm enough so that
and refresh in iced water. Squeeze out the the liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly,
water from the leeks – you should have but cool enough so that it doesn’t develop
approximately 130 g (4½ oz) of leek left. any burnt characteristics. If the butter is too
hot, it can also fry the egg mixture as you
Add some olive oil to a frying pan and heat add it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim
until it starts to smoke. Add the corn kernels for roughly 100°C/210°F).
and 2 g of the salt and cook until they
are evenly caramelised on all sides, then
remove from the pan, discarding the oil.
 TARTS ANON

Once the butter comes up to temperature, Corn custard

slowly pour it into the whisked eggs while Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan
mixing (or add little by little if whisking until foamy, then add the corn kernels. Cook
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well until their skins are lightly caramelised,
emulsified, as this will ensure that the then add the cream. Bring the mixture to the
butter doesn’t bleed out later, giving the boil, then pour into a blender and blitz on the
cake a greasy texture. Then add in the dry highest speed for 3 minutes. Pass this mix
ingredients and mix until well combined, through a fine sieve to remove any corn husk,
ensuring that there are no lumps suspended then weigh 350 g (12½ oz) in a saucepan
throughout the batter. Mix the leek, jalapeño, and add the sugar, salt and cream cheese.
grated parmesan and corn vigorously into Gently heat the mixture, whisking now and
the cake batter to ensure that the leek and then to ensure the cream cheese doesn’t
the corn pieces are fully distributed. catch on the bottom of the pan. Weigh the
eggs in a measuring jug and pour in the
To bake corn mixture after it’s reached a boil. Blend
Pour the batter into the pastry shell. Bake the mixture with a hand-held blender until
the tart for approximately 18 minutes, or smooth and glossy, and pour directly over
until the crust is an even golden brown the warm cake layer. Bake for 20 minutes, or
and the centre of the tart is firm. Remove until the custard is firm to the touch.
from the oven and allow to cool inside the
tin. Using the back of a spoon, press down To finish
firmly on any areas where the cake has Once the custard is cool, remove the tart
risen unevenly so that the surface is flat. Set from the tin and portion into slices with
aside while you prepare the custard filling. a hot, sharp knife (see page 39). Using a
microplane, finish each slice with a generous
Reduce the oven temperate to 120°C (250°F) grating of parmesan, followed by a little lime
to preheat for baking the custard layer. zest (about a third of a lime’s worth).
 SAVOURY TARTS

Mushroom and Parmesan Tart

This tart was quite literally made to be a crowd-pleaser. People kept messaging us on
Instagram asking for a vegetarian savoury tart and, after he’d had enough of being
bugged, Gareth complied. The result is, in our opinion, the best savoury tart we’ve ever
made. Gareth was very adamant that it would not be a vegetarian version of the Cheese
and Bacon Tart (page 177) – he wanted to create something that was delicious in its own
right and that just happened to be vegetarian. And in fact, many staunch meat-eaters will
attest that this is their favourite of the bunch.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Caramelised onions

parmesan cheese, for grating 150 g (5½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
chives, finely chopped, for garnishing 5 g (0.2 oz) salt
140 g (5 oz) sherry vinegar
Mushroom duxelles 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) onions, sliced
25 g (1 oz) olive oil
400 g (14 oz) button mushrooms, thinly sliced Mushroom cake batter
salt and pepper, to season 75 g (2¾ oz) natural almond meal
25 g (1 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
Pickled mushrooms 3 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
25 g (1 oz) olive oil 4 g (0.14 oz) salt
200 g (7 oz) button mushrooms, 120 g (4½ oz) egg
sliced 1 cm (½ in) thick 85 g (3 oz) Brown butter (page 111)
20 g (¾ oz) sherry vinegar 80 g (2¾ oz) Mushroom duxelles, left
5 g (0.2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar 125 g (4½ oz) Pickled mushrooms, left
salt and pepper, to season 100 g (3½ oz) Caramelised onions, above
Mushroom puree Parmesan custard
approx. 200 g (7 oz) cooked button mushrooms, 95 g (3¼ oz) Parmesan cheese
leftover from preparing the Mushroom 85 g (3 oz) egg yolk
duxelles, above 250 g (9 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
approx. 200 g (7 oz) pouring (whipping) cream, 2 g salt
see method 3 g (0.1 oz) sherry vinegar
salt and pepper, to season 170 g (6 oz) Mushroom puree, left

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). mushrooms will be used for the mushroom
puree (see next page) to avoid waste.
Mushroom duxelles
Place a saucepan over high heat and add Pickled mushrooms
the olive oil. Once the oil starts to smoke Add the oil to a pan over high heat and
lightly, add the sliced mushrooms, season sauté and season the mushrooms as you
with salt and pepper and sauté until they did for the duxelles. Once they are a light
are a light golden brown colour. Drain this golden brown, turn off the heat and add the
mixture through a sieve and set aside. Take sugar and vinegar to deglaze the saucepan.
80 g (2¾ oz) of the cooked mushrooms Let this mixture sit for as long as possible to
and chop them finely with a sharp knife. let the vinegar penetrate the mushrooms.
They should be as small as they can go
before they become a puree. Any remaining
 TARTS ANON

Mushroom puree Once the butter comes up to temperature,

Combine the remaining cooked mushrooms slowly pour it into the whisked eggs while
from the duxelles with an equal weight of mixing (or add little by little if whisking
cream into a saucepan. Bring this mix to a by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well
boil and blend until a smooth puree. Season emulsified, as this will ensure that the
to taste and set aside. butter doesn’t bleed out later, giving the
cake a greasy texture. Then add in the dry
Caramelised onions ingredients and mix until well combined,
Place a frying pan over low heat and add ensuring that there are no lumps suspended
a small amount of the sugar. Allow this to throughout the batter. Vigorously mix the
melt and slowly caramelise, then add the duxelles, pickled mushrooms and onions
remainder. Stir with a wooden spoon until into the cake batter by hand to ensure
the caramel is an even golden brown. At that the onions and mushrooms have been
this point, add the salt and vinegar and fully distributed.
increase the heat to bring the mixture
to a boil over medium–high heat. Allow To bake
this mixture to reduce until the bubbles Pour the mushroom cake batter into the
are thick, then add the onions. Stir with pastry shell. Bake the tart for approximately
a wooden spoon until the onions start 18 minutes, or until the crust is an even
to break down. Continue to simmer this golden brown and the centre of the tart is
mixture while stirring now and then until springy but not too firm. Remove from the
the liquid is almost gone and the onions are oven and allow to cool inside the tin.
soft. Pour into a sieve to allow any excess
liquid to drain off, then cool in the fridge. Using the back of a spoon, press down firmly
on areas where the cake has risen unevenly
Mushroom cake batter so that the surface is flat.
Weigh the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir
them together. Add the eggs to a separate Parmesan custard
mixing bowl and, using a stand mixer To make the parmesan custard, grate the
fitted with a whisk attachment, mix until cheese and mix with the egg yolks in a jug
combined on low speed (or do so by hand). and set aside. Bring the cream to the boil
with the salt, vinegar and mushroom puree
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You then pour this over the egg and cheese. Using
want this to be warm enough so that the a hand-held blender, blitz the custard until it
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but is smooth and glossy. Pour this mixture over
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any the baked cake layer, and bake again in the
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot, oven for 15 minutes, or until it is set.
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add
it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for To finish
roughly 100°C/210°F). Allow to cool at room temperature, then
remove the tart from the tin and use
a hot, sharp knife to portion into slices
(see page 39). Using a microplane, grate a
liberal coating of parmesan cheese on top
of the slices and garnish with a sprinkling
of cut chives.
 SAVOURY TARTS

Sweet Potato, Spinach

and Goat’s Cheese Tart
This is Catherine’s favourite of the savoury tarts and although Gareth would never deign
to admit this, if you’re looking for a ‘lighter’ option that’s a real brunch crowd pleaser, then
this is the one. It is essentially a tart-ified form of the done-to-death (but we can see why)
Melbourne brunch menu item of some kind of orange root vegetable, goat’s cheese and
spinach. Whenever it’s on the menu, our baby will happily munch away at the excess sweet
potato while we get work done at the shop.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Dukkah crumbs

45 g (1½ oz) panko breadcrumbs
Caramelised onions 20 g (¾ oz) chopped roasted almonds
150 g (5½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 40 g (1½ oz) dukkah
5 g (0.2 oz) salt 1 g salt
140 g (5 oz) sherry vinegar vegetable oil, for toasting
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) onions, finely sliced
Spinach and shallot puree
Leek and sweet potato cake batter 100 g (3½ oz) shallots, sliced thinly
350 g (12½ oz) sweet potato 80 g (2¾ oz) vegetable oil
200 g (7 oz) leek, sliced into 2 mm (1⁄16 in) rounds 130 g (4½ oz) spinach leaves
65 g (2¼ oz) natural almond meal 100 g (3½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream
15 g (½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2.5 g (0.1 oz) baking powder Goat's cheese custard
3 g (0.1 oz) salt 140 g (5 oz) goat’s cheese
105 g (3½ oz) egg 130 g (4½ oz) Spinach and shallot puree,
75 g (2¾ oz) Brown butter (page 111) see above
olive oil 150 g (5½ oz) pouring (whipping) cream
salt, to season 4 g (0.14 oz) salt
100 g (3½ oz) egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 165°C (330°F). Leek and sweet potato cake batter
Peel and cut the sweet potato into batons
Caramelised onions approx. 2 cm (¾ in) thick and 7 cm (2¾ in)
Place a frying pan over low heat and add a long. Toss the sweet potato in a little olive
small amount of the sugar. Allow this to melt oil and salt, then roast on a tray lined with
and slowly caramelise, repeat the process baking paper for 20 minutes, or until soft.
with the remainder. Stir with a wooden spoon Once cooked, remove from the oven and
until the caramel is an even golden brown. allow to cool in the fridge until you are
At this point, add the salt and vinegar, and ready to assemble the tart.
bring to a boil over medium–high heat. Allow
this mixture to reduce until the bubbles Place a large pot of water on the stove and
are thick, then add the onions. Stir with a bring to a boil. Season the water with a
wooden spoon until the onions start to break good amount of salt – approximately 15 g
down. Continue to simmer this mixture, while (½ oz) per litre (34 fl oz/4 cups) of water.
stirring, until the liquid is almost gone and
the onions are soft. Drain off any excess
liquid then cool in the fridge.
Blanch the leek in the salted boiling water Spread 150 g (5½ oz) of caramelised onions
for 15 seconds, then drain and refresh in on top of the cake layer and set aside.
iced water. Squeeze out the water from
the leeks – you should have approximately Dukkah crumbs
130 g (4½ oz) of leek left. Heat a small amount of vegetable
oil in a small pan and add the panko
To make the batter, first weigh out the dry breadcrumbs. Stir gently to ensure they
ingredients in a bowl and stir them together. cook evenly and drain through a sieve
Add the eggs to a mixing bowl and, using a once they start to turn a light golden
stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, brown – they will continue to colour, so
mix until combined on low speed (or do so be sure not to take it too far. Mix the fried
by hand). breadcrumbs with the chopped almonds,
dukkah and salt.
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan.
You want this to be warm enough so that Spinach and shallot puree
the liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, Add the shallots to a frying pan and cover
but cool enough so that it doesn’t develop with the vegetable oil. Bring to a simmer
any burnt characteristics. If the butter is too over medium heat, then lower the heat so
hot, it can also fry the egg mixture as you that the onions can confit gently until they
add it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim are slightly golden brown in colour. Turn off
for roughly 100°C/210°F). the heat and allow the shallots to cool in the
pan. Bring a large pot of salted water to the
Once the butter comes up to temperature, boil and blanch the spinach for 1 minute.
slowly pour it into the whisked eggs while Drain the spinach and refresh in iced water
mixing (or add little by little if whisking to keep the colour vibrant. Once refreshed,
by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well squeeze out the water from the spinach and
emulsified, as this will ensure that the add to a saucepan along with the drained
butter doesn’t bleed out later, giving the shallots. Stir to combine over medium–high
cake a greasy texture. Then add in the dry heat. Once cooled slightly, add to a blender
ingredients and mix until well combined, and blend for 2 minutes, or until smooth.
ensuring that there are no lumps suspended Reserve the puree in the fridge until needed.
throughout the batter. Vigorously mix the
leek into the cake batter by hand to ensure Goat’s cheese custard
it has been fully distributed. Bring the cheese, spinach and shallot
puree, cream and salt to a simmer in a
To assemble and bake saucepan. Meanwhile, add the egg yolks to
Spread the cake batter into the pastry shell. a tall measuring jug. Once the mixture has
Take the roasted sweet potato pieces and come to a simmer, pour it into the jug with
place into the cake batter in three concentric the eggs and using a hand-held blender,
circles. Use a palette knife to smooth out the blitz the custard until it is smooth and
cake so that the sweet potato pieces are glossy. Pour this mixture over the jam
flush with the level of the cake. layer in the pastry shell and bake the tart
for 15 minutes, or until the custard is set.
Bake the tart for approximately 18 minutes,
or until the crust is an even golden brown To finish
and the centre of the tart is firm. Remove Allow to cool at room temperature, then
from the oven and allow to cool inside the remove the tart from the tin and
tin. Using the back of a spoon, press down portion into slices with a hot, sharp knife
firmly on any areas where the cake has risen (see page 39). Dust each slice with an even
unevenly so that the surface is flat. sprinkling of the dukkah crumb.
Smoked Potato
and Chorizo Tart
This tart was meant to be a Spanish-inspired version of the Cheese and Bacon Tart. We had
been developing it alongside a tomato tart that we never did get right, but the tomato jam
we created during testing was amazing, so eventually the two ideas were combined – and
this is the delicious result. It may seem against your better judgement to blend potatoes
into a puree, however, once baked with the egg and cream, this process helps the potato
set for clean portioning. Not to mention the ever-so-smooth potato custard texture, which
speaks for itself.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) Leek and chorizo cake batter
200 g (7 oz) leek, sliced into 2 mm (1⁄16 in) rounds
Potato puree 200 g (7 oz) chorizo, cut into approx.
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) royal blue potatoes 1.5 cm (½ in) rounds
approx. 200 g (7 oz) pouring (whipping) cream 90 g (3 oz) natural almond meal
35 g (1¼ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
Parsley crumbs 2.5 g (0.1 oz) baking powder
vegetable oil, for frying 5 g (0.2 oz) salt
70 g (2½ oz) panko breadcrumbs 90 g (3 oz) egg
5 g (0.2 oz) flat leaf parsley 60 g (2 oz) Brown butter (page 111)
1 g salt Olive oil, for frying
Tomato jam Smoked potato custard
50 g (1¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar 270 g (9½ oz) Potato puree, left
50 g (1¾ oz) sherry vinegar 135 g (5 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
250 g (9 oz) white onions, finely diced 2 g smoke powder
3 g (0.1 oz) salt 4 g (0.14 oz) salt
175 g (6 oz) canned crushed tomatoes 90 g (3 oz) egg yolk
2 g dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Parsley crumbs

Heat a small pan of vegetable oil and
Potato puree add the panko breadcrumbs. Stir gently
To make the potato puree, place the to ensure the breadcrumbs cook evenly
potatoes, whole and unpeeled, straight and start to turn a light golden brown –
on a rack in the oven and bake for 1 hour. they will continue to colour, so be sure
Once the potatoes can be stabbed with not to take it too far. Strain through a
a paring knife with no resistance, remove sieve, reserving the oil. Place the fried
from the oven and allow to cool before breadcrumbs on paper towel to drain.
peeling. Weigh the cooked potatoes and
place in a saucepan with an equal amount
of cream and bring to a simmer. Remove
the saucepan from the heat and break up
the potatoes with a whisk. Then, blend until
smooth using a hand-held blender. Pass the
puree through a fine sieve to remove any
rogue lumps, then set aside.
 TARTS ANON

Using the reserved oil, fry the picked parsley it, so a thermometer is useful (we aim for
leaves until the oil stops bubbling and the roughly 100°C/210°F).
parsley leaves are opaque but not turning
brown. Place the fried parsley on paper towel Once the butter comes up to temperature,
to drain. Once cool, crush the parsley leaves slowly pour it into the whisked eggs while
slightly and mix together with the salt and mixing (or add little by little if whisking
breadcrumbs. by hand). Ensure that the mixture is well
emulsified, as this will ensure that the
Tomato jam butter doesn’t bleed out later, giving the
Heat a medium saucepan on the stove, cake a greasy texture. Then add in the dry
add the caster sugar and stir with a ingredients and mix until well combined,
wooden spoon to ensure it is cooking to ensuring that there are no lumps suspended
an even golden–brown caramel. Add the throughout the batter. Mix the leek and
sherry vinegar and bring to a boil. Then, chorizo vigorously into the cake batter to
stir in the onions and the salt and cook on ensure that the leek and the chorizo pieces
a low heat until the onions start to collapse are fully distributed.
and become transparent and brown. Once
the liquid has all but evaporated, add the To bake
crushed tomatoes and oregano and cook Pour the batter into the pastry shell. Bake
until the mixture thickens. Reduce the jam the tart for approximately 18 minutes, or
until it becomes a thick paste, then decant until the crust is an even golden brown and
into a container to cool. the centre of the tart is firm. Remove from
the oven and allow to cool inside the tin.
Leek and chorizo cake batter
Place a large pot of water on the stove and Using the back of a spoon, press down
bring to a boil. Season the water with a good firmly on any areas where the cake has
amount of salt – approximately 15 g (½ oz) risen unevenly so that the surface is flat.
per 1 litre (34 fl oz) of water. Blanch the leek Spread 150 g (5½ oz) of tomato jam on top
in the salted boiling water for 15 seconds, of the cake and set aside while you make
then drain and refresh in iced water. Squeeze the custard filling.
out the water from the leeks – you should
have approximately 130 g (4½ oz) of leek left. Smoked potato custard
Bring the potato puree, cream, smoke
Add a little olive oil to a frying pan and heat powder and salt to the boil in a saucepan.
over high heat until it starts to smoke. Meanwhile, add the egg yolks to a tall
Add the chorizo pieces and cook until they measuring jug. Once the cream mixture has
are evenly caramelised on all sides, then reached a boil, pour it over the egg yolks
remove from the pan and discard the oil. and blend with a hand-held blender until
smooth and glossy. Pour this mixture on top
Weigh the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the of the jam layer and bake for 15 minutes,
eggs to a mixing bowl and, using a stand or until the custard is set.
mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix until
combined on low speed (or do so by hand). To finish
Allow to cool at room temperature, then
Melt the brown butter in a saucepan. You remove from the tin. Portion the tart into
want this to be warm enough so that the slices using a hot, sharp knife (see page 39)
liquid doesn’t cool down too quickly, but and sprinkle an even layer of the parsley
cool enough so that it doesn’t develop any crumbs onto each slice.
burnt characteristics. If the butter is too hot,
it can also fry the egg mixture as you add
 SAVOURY TARTS

Potato and Raclette Tart

Inspired by a Swiss raclette, this is the first tart we made in which the bottom layer of the
tart isn’t actually cooked inside the pastry shell. That may seem like we’re just making any
old thing, putting it in a pastry shell and calling it a tart, and well, in this case, we are.
There’s always an exception to the rule! The potatoes here are cooked lyonnaise style then
placed into the blind-baked pastry shell after the fact. We do this process the day before,
so the next day you can place the potatoes straight inside the pastry shell and bake the
custard on top. This tart would make an epic addition to a hearty winter dinner spread.
Or, if you don’t want to make a tart but for some reason are looking at a tart cookbook
for inspiration (strange but could happen), you can also just use the recipe for potatoes
lyonnaise. You will not be disappointed.

1 × baked Shortcrust Pastry shell (page 23) 120 g (4½ oz) Caramelised onions, above
30 g (1 oz) olive oil
Caramelised onions
150 g (5½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar Potato crumbs
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) onions, finely sliced 250 g (9 oz) frozen french fries
5 g (0.2 oz) salt vegetable oil, for frying
140 g (5 oz) sherry vinegar 10 g (¼ oz) chives, finely chopped
Potatoes lyonnaise Raclette custard
260 g (9 oz) royal blue potatoes, or similar 110 g (4 oz) smoked raclette cheese
3 g (0.1 oz) rosemary sprigs, chopped 85 g (3 oz) egg yolk
5 g (0.2 oz) thyme leaves 250 g (9 oz) pouring (whipping) cream
2 g salt 2 g salt
1 g pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F). Potatoes lyonnaise

Line an empty tart tin with a large piece
Caramelised onions of aluminium foil that can hang over the
Place a frying pan over low heat and add edges – this will be folded over the top later.
a small amount of the sugar. Allow this to Cut a piece of baking paper to size so that
melt and slowly caramelise, then repeat it will fit inside the bottom of the tart tin and
the process with the remainder. Stir with place it inside the foil layer. Trim the sides
a wooden spoon until the caramel is an of the potatoes if necessary, so that they
even golden brown. At this point, add the can fit on a mandolin, then slice them to
salt and vinegar, then increase the heat to roughly 1–2 mm (1⁄32–1⁄16 in) thin. Combine
high to bring to a boil. Allow this mixture the rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper in a
to reduce until the bubbles are thick, then bowl and mix together.
reduce the heat to medium and add the
onions. Stir with a wooden spoon until the Next, place a slightly overlapping layer of
onions start to break down. Continue to potatoes on the bottom of the tin, roughly
simmer this mixture, while stirring, until the 240 g (8½ oz), reinforcing the edges to
liquid is almost gone and the onions are ensure an even and level layer. Spread
soft. Pour into a sieve to allow any excess 100 g (3½ oz) of the caramelised onions on
liquid to drain off, then cool in the fridge. top of the potatoes and follow with a drizzle
of olive oil.
 TARTS ANON

Sprinkle a good amount of the herby salt Raclette custard

mix over the top and repeat this process Reduce the oven to 125°C (255°F). Place
until you have run out of potatoes, making the tart in the oven for 10 minutes or so
sure to finish with a complete layer of to reheat the potato base. This will allow
potato, you should have approximately the heat to properly conduct through the
two layers of caramelised onion. Place bottom of the tart and allow the custard
a piece of baking paper on the surface to cook evenly.
of the potatoes, then gently fold over the
overhanging aluminium foil to ensure that Next, grate the cheese and mix with the
the potato is covered without disrupting the egg yolks in a tall measuring jug and set
shape too much. Bake for 60 minutes. aside. Bring the cream and salt to the boil
in a saucepan, then pour it over the egg
Once a sharp knife can pierce the potatoes and cheese. Using a hand-held blender,
easily, remove from the oven and allow to blitz the custard until smooth and glossy.
cool at room temperature. Once the potato Pour this mixture on top of the potato layer,
is cool enough to handle, place a plate (or and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or
something flat and the same size as the until the custard sets. Allow to cool at room
tart tin) on top and weigh it down with temperature.
something large and heavy. Leave overnight
in the fridge to compress the layers. To finish
Once cool, remove the tart from the tin and
The next day, remove the weight and the portion into slices with a hot, sharp knife
foil, then peel off the baking paper. Place (see page 39). Mix 90 g (3 oz) of the potato
the potato onto a tray, then use a plate to crumbs with 10 g (¼ oz) of chopped chives,
flip the potato upside down and remove it then spread an even layer of the mixture
from the tin. Peel off the baking paper and over the slices.
use some paper towel to dab off any excess
oil or moisture. Remove any loose bits of
potato or onion. Flip upside down a second
time, then slide the potato into the baked
pastry shell.
Potato crumbs
Take the frozen French fries and blitz them
quickly in a food processor until they form
a fine crumb. Fill a large frying pan a
quarter full of vegetable oil and heat to
180°C (355°F). Be sure to leave lots of room
in the pot for the oil to bubble up as you
add the potato. Drop the potato crumbs
into the hot oil and whisk them as they
cook to prevent them from sticking together.
Once they are an even golden-brown colour
and the oil is bubbling less, pour the oil and
fried potato through a sieve to drain the
oil. Let it sit for a few seconds then pour the
fried potato crumble onto a tray or a plate
lined with absorbent paper towel. Sprinkle
on some salt, then set aside.
The Trim
 THE TRIM

Quick Troubleshooting Guide

Let us assure you there are going to find the path of least resistance, which
be hiccups. Pastry cracks, it’s prone to usually means cracking.
shrinkage and it’s difficult to know when The best way to resolve this is to
a custard is baked perfectly. reinforce any weaker areas, whether it be
Here are some of the issues that a crease, a hole, an unmixed section of
we are asked about (and encounter pastry, or an area where the pastry has
ourselves) often. While the techniques and dried out. Use a small piece of scrap pastry
explanations in this book will aim to fool- from the trimmed edges and press into the
proof your tart baking, please don’t be areas that look as though they might open
discouraged if this is your most referenced up. Once they are baked, you can use a
section of the book! Maybe you can’t polish microplane to shave down any overhanging
a turd but you sure can polish a tart. bits that have been used to patch a hole.
No one will ever know!
Common Issues Pastry glue
Pastry glue (see page 109) was a little trick
Blonde pastry that I learnt from Heston Blumenthal. He
Blonde pastry is a very sensitive subject. would blend the trim from the edges of the
Some people love the almost doughy texture pastry with a little egg and a splash of water
of a meat pie crust that could have used to create a thick paste that could be used to
an extra 10 minutes in the oven. However, repair any cracks in the shell. We’ve adopted
when making tarts that may need to be this technique as protection or a ‘bonding’
baked up to three times, this texture usually element for tarts such as the Honey and
isn’t achievable. Once you start introducing Almond Shortbread Tart (also page 109)
fillings that need their own baking, the where the shortbread would normally not
cooking of the crust is essentially put on fuse to the pastry. This is also a great way to
hold until the filling has done its thing. repair smaller cracks that could potentially
So to avoid undercooking pastry like leak custard or other fillings. We always
this, people are tempted on occasion to make up a small batch of this every couple
check the pastry during blind baking and of days for handyman jobs.
will sometimes even remove the blind baking
weights just to finish it off. Shortcrust Puffing
pastry’s inclination to shrink makes baking Puffing will only happen to the pastry in
without weights, regardless of doneness, two instances: if the dough is overworked
a bad idea. So, keep the weights inside and therefore air is introduced into the
the shell and continue to cook until it is an dough, or if the weights used to blind bake
even colour throughout – even if it means aren’t snug enough and there is space
reducing the oven temperature slightly. between the pastry and the lining. In the
case of the former, you would really need
Cracks to over-work the pastry rather significantly
Cracking is something that will always be to establish a gluten network capable of
a looming threat to the tart maker. Pastry holding air pockets, similar to bread. As for
that hasn’t been completely mixed together not having enough rice (or any other weight)
will be prone to cracking as there aren’t any to weigh down the pastry as it cooks, little
bonds to hold it together. With pastry made bubbles can start to appear on areas of the
the way that we do it, shrinkage is a very pastry – and although delicious in the ways
real and ever present problem. And when of texture, these can disrupt the structural
the pastry wants to retract, it will always integrity of the tart and aesthetic.
 TARTS ANON

Perfect custards
Perfecting baked custards is one of the hardest
things to teach. In so many recipes, times
and temperature will always be a great
measuring stick to abide by. But the baked
custard is one that requires understanding
and observation – it’s something that takes
a bit of time to get a handle on. There are
warning signs, of course, but knowing the
difference between a ‘wobble’, a ‘jiggle’
and a ‘shiver’ is key to getting the set on
those custards just right.
Low cooking temperatures are very
important, but having the temperature of
the custard high enough before baking is
critical. Baking from a cold custard mixture
means that the outside areas of the custard
Brûlée-ing will begin cooking before the centre – eggy
People always argue which sugar is the custard around the edges of your tart is a
best for brûlée. We use caster (superfine) common sign of this. Keeping your custard
sugar because the finer sugar means that mixture warm once you have assembled it
it melts faster. The faster the sugar melts, will get you the quick, even cook you desire.
the more control you have over how it From there, residual heat is king. The
caramelises, instead of waiting extra time setting point of egg is around 84°C (183°F),
for the larger crystals of a granulated so getting the centre of the custard to
sugar to become fluid and therefore begin that temperature is the goal. An oven set
colouring before it’s fully liquid. It’s just to 125°C (255°F), the temperate we bake
science really. custards at, can have hot spots, and fans
A blowtorch has always been can push heat around unevenly, so things
considered a must-have for this technique. are not always going to happen like in the
When I was a very green apprentice making movies. Keep an eye on how the custard is
brûlées we once ran out of gas in the baking throughout the process by giving
kitchen, which would usually spell disaster the shelf or tin a little tap to see how the
for this technique. But needs must and it mixture is moving. If it’s almost at the point
turns out that heating up a large kitchen that you are after (we’re usually looking for
spoon on the gas burner and using the a slight wobble in the centre), sometimes
scalding metal to caramelise the sugar is opening the door and allowing the tart
a very resourceful way to circumvent this to sit in that warm environment for a few
problem if you don’t have a blow torch. minutes will just tide it over without putting
extra heat into parts of the custard that are
already at the optimum temperature.
 TARTS ANON

Index A
almonds
berries see blackberries, raspberries, redcurrants,
strawberries
almond cake batter 59, 67–8, 71, 157–8 Black Forest Tart 99–100
almond shortbread 109 blackberries
Anzac Biscuit Tart 117–18 Blackberry and Orange Cheesecake Tart 75
Banana and Brown Butter Tart 111–12 blackberry gel 75
Black Forest Tart 99–100 Brillat-Savarin custard 165–6
Brillat-Savarin and Quince Tart 165–6 Brillat-Savarin and Quince Tart 165–6
Caramelised Apple Crumble Tart 97–8 brown butter 111
Carrot Cake Tart 61–2 butter 17
Cheese and Bacon Tart 177–8 brown butter 111
Cherry and Almond Tart 59–60 Shortcrust Pastry (Pâte Brisée) 23–7
Chocolate and Chestnut Tart 149–50
Chocolate Malt Tart 93–4 C
Chocolate, Orange and Whiskied Pecan Tart cake batters
163–4 almond cake batter 59, 67–8, 71, 157–8
coconut batter 87–8, 117–18, 129–30 banana cake batter 111–12
Coconut Pandan Tart 87–8 carrot cake batter 61
Corn and Jalapeño Tart 179–80 chocolate cake batter 85–6, 93–4, 99–100,
Espresso Caramel Chocolate Tart 85–6 149–50
Fig and Honey Tart 51–2 cinnamon cake batter 97–8
Honey and Almond Shortbread Tart 109–10 coconut cake batter 87–8, 117–18, 129–30
Hot Cross Bun Tart 143–4 hazelnut cake batter 103–4
Mushroom and Parmesan Tart 183–4 honey cake batter 51–2, 165–6
Pineapple Tart 157–8 hot cross bun cake batter 143
Rhubarb Bakewell Tart 67–8 pecan cake batter 65–6, 163–4
Signature Pear Tart 71 pistachio cake batter 159–60
Smoked Pecan and Butterscotch Tart 65–6 vanilla sponge 81–2
Smoked Potato and Chorizo Tart 189–90 caramel
Sweet Potato, Spinach and Goat’s Cheese Tart caramel 65, 171–3
185–6 caramel glaze 157
Ube and Coconut Tart 129–30 coconut caramel 87, 117
White Chocolate, Raspberry and Pistachio Dulce de Leche 139
Tart 159–60 espresso caramel 85
Anzac Biscuit Tart 117–18 espresso caramel glaze 85–6
apples hazelnut caramel 171
apple jam 97–8 malt caramel 93
Caramelised Apple Crumble Tart 97–8 orange caramel 145–6, 163
caramelised apples 97 salted caramel 56
Eggnog and Fruit Mince Tart 155 spiced caramel 168
fruit mince 155 Caramelised Apple Crumble Tart 97–8
apricots caramelised apples 97
Apricot and Desert Lime Tart 105–6 caramelised onions 183–4, 185, 191
apricot custard 105 caraway shortbread 134
apricot gel 105 carrots: Carrot Cake Tart 61–2
cheese 17
B Brillat-Savarin custard 165–6
banana: Banana and Brown Butter Tart 111–12 Brillat-Savarin and Quince Tart 165–6
barley Cheese and Bacon Tart 177–8
barley infusion 93 goat’s cheese custard 185–6
Chocolate Malt Tart 93–4 gruyere custard 177–8
 THE TRIM

Potato and Raclette Tart 191–2 coconut glaze 81–2

raclette custard 191–2 Coconut Pandan Tart 87–8
Sweet Potato, Spinach and Goat’s Cheese Tart coconut soak 81
185–6 Lamington Tart 81–2
tiramisu custard 103–4 pandan infusion 87
Tiramisu Tart 103–4 Ube and Coconut Tart 129–30
see also cream cheese, parmesan coffee
cheesecake custard 75, 76 espresso caramel 85
cherries Espresso Caramel Chocolate Tart 85–6
Black Forest Tart 99–100 espresso caramel glaze 85–6
Cherry and Almond Tart 59–60 Marsala soak 103–4
cherry jam 99–100 tiramisu custard 103–4
kirsch glaze 99–100 Tiramisu Tart 103–4
poached cherries 99 corn
sour cherries 59 Corn and Jalapeño Tart 179–80
spiced plum tart 60 corn custard 179–80
chestnuts cream cheese
chestnut glaze 149 Blackberry and Orange Cheesecake Tart 75
chestnut puree 149 Carrot Cake Tart 61–2
Chocolate and Chestnut Tart 149–50 cheesecake custard 75, 76
chilli: Corn and Jalapeño Tart 179–80 Corn and Jalapeño Tart 179–80
chocolate 17 corn custard 179–80
Black Forest Tart 99–100 cream cheese glaze 61
Chocolate and Caramel Tart 56 Honey and Almond Shortbread Tart 109–10
Chocolate and Chestnut Tart 149–50 honey custard 109–10
Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart 55 Mango and Yuzu Tart 114
chocolate cake batter 85–6, 93–4, 99–100, Raspberry and Jasmine Cheesecake Tart 76
149–50 St Honoré Tart 171–3
chocolate custard 56, 134 ume custard 119
chocolate glaze 81–2 vanilla custard 171–3
chocolate hazelnut custard 55 Vanilla Custard Tart 47
chocolate malt glaze 93–4 White Peach and Ume Tart 119–20
Chocolate Malt Tart 93–4 yuzu custard 114
Chocolate, Orange and Whiskied Pecan Tart crème diplomate 171–3
163–4 crème pâtissière, vanilla 171–3
Earl Grey, Chocolate and Caraway Tart 134 custards
Espresso Caramel Chocolate Tart 85–6 apricot custard 105
Lamington Tart 81–2 Brillat-Savarin custard 165–6
Matcha, Strawberry and Rice Cream Tart cheesecake custard 75
91–2 chocolate custard 56, 134
Mulled Wine, Pear and Gingerbread Tart chocolate hazelnut custard 55
145–6 corn custard 179–80
pecan ‘gianduja’ 163–4 eggnog custard 155
white chocolate and raspberry glaze 159 gingerbread custard 145–6
White Chocolate, Raspberry and Pistachio goat’s cheese custard 185–6
Tart 159–60 gruyere custard 177–8
cinnamon cake batter 97–8 honey custard 109–10
coconut mango custard 79
Anzac Biscuit Tart 117–18 matcha custard 91–2
coconut cake batter 87–8, 117–18, 129–30 parmesan custard 183–4
coconut caramel 87, 117 passionfruit custard 124, 151–2
 TARTS ANON

pistachio custard 127–8 F

pumpkin custard 168 figs
raclette custard 191–2 Fig and Honey Tart 51–2
rice custard 123 fig jam 51
smoked potato custard 189–90 fig leaf powder 51
tiramisu custard 103–4
ume custard 119 G
vanilla custard 171–3 gels
yuzu custard 114 apricot gel 105
blackberry gel 75
D mango gel 114
dates: Pistachio and Date Tart 127–8 raspberry gel 76
desert limes see limes rhubarb gel 133
Dulce deLeche 139 strawberry gel 91
Apricot and Desert Lime Tart 105–6 white peach gel 119
Blackberry and Orange Cheesecake Tart 75 ‘gianduja’, pecan 163–4
Chocolate and Caramel Tart 56 ginger
Chocolate Malt Tart 93–4 ginger jam 124
Chocolate, Orange and Whiskied Pecan Tart gingerbread custard 145–6
163–4 Mulled Wine, Pear and Gingerbread Tart
Earl Grey Chocolate and Caraway Tart 134 145–6
Espresso Caramel Chocolate Tart 85–6 Passionfruit and Ginger Tart 124
Honey and Almond Shortbread Tart 109–10 spiced plum tart 60
Mango and Macadamia Tart 79–80 gingerbread custard 145–6
Mango and Yuzu Tart 114 glazes 34–8
Matcha, Strawberry and Rice Cream Tart brown butter glaze 111–12, 143–4
91–2 caramel glaze 157
Mulled Wine Pear and Gingerbread Tart chestnut glaze 149
145–6 chocolate glaze 81–2
Plain Old Lemon Tart 48 chocolate malt glaze 93–4
Pumpkin and Spiced Caramel Tart 168 coconut glaze 81–2
Raspberry and Jasmine Cheesecake Tart 76 cream cheese glaze 61
Rice Pudding Brûlée Tart 123 espresso caramel glaze 85–6
Smoked Pecan and Butterscotch Tart 65–6 kirsch glaze 99–100
St Honoré Tart 171–3 macadamia cream glaze 79
White Peach and Ume Tart 119–20 mulled wine pear glaze 145
dukkah crumbs 185–6 pandan glaze 87
duxelles, mushroom 183 smoked maple glaze 65–6
ube glaze 129
E white chocolate and raspberry glaze 159
Earl Grey, Chocolate and Caraway Tart 134 goat’s cheese custard 185–6
eggs gruyere custard 177–8
crème diplomate 171–3
Eggnog and Fruit Mince Tart 155 H
meringue 151–2 hazelnuts
Passionfruit, Rhubarb and Strawberry Pavlova Brillat-Savarin and Quince Tart 165–6
Tart 151–2 Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart 55
pastry glue 109 chocolate hazelnut custard 55
vanilla crème pâtissière 171–3 hazelnut cake batter 103–4
see also custards hazelnut caramel 171
hazelnut praline 55, 103
 THE TRIM

St Honoré Tart 171–3 M

Tiramisu Tart 103–4 macadamia nuts
honey macadamia cream glaze 79
Brillat-Savarin and Quince Tart 165–6 Mango and Macadamia Tart 79–80
Fig and Honey Tart 51–2 malt
Honey and Almond Shortbread Tart 109–10 chocolate malt glaze 93–4
honey cake batter 51–2, 165–6 Chocolate Malt Tart 93–4
honey custard 109–10 malt caramel 93
hot cross bun cake batter 143 mango
Hot Cross Bun Tart 143–4 Mango and Macadamia Tart 79–80
Mango and Yuzu Tart 114
J mango custard 79
jams mango gel 114
apple jam 97–8 Marsala soak 103–4
cherry jam 99–100 matcha custard 91–2
fig jam 51 Matcha, Strawberry and Rice Cream Tart 91–2
ginger jam 124 meringue 151–2
quince jam 165 Mulled Wine, Pear and Gingerbread Tart 145–6
raspberry jam 81, 159 mulled wine pear glaze 145
redcurrant jam 149 mushrooms: Mushroom and Parmesan Tart 183–4
rhubarb jam 67, 151–2
strawberry jam 151 N
tomato jam 189–90 nuts see almonds, chestnuts, hazelnuts,
macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts
K
kirsch glaze 99–100 O
onions
L caramelised onions 183–4, 185, 191
Lamington Tart 81–2 spinach and shallot puree 185–6
leeks oranges
Cheese and Bacon Tart 177–8 Blackberry and Orange Cheesecake Tart 75
Corn and Jalapeño Tart 179–80 cheesecake custard 75
leek and bacon cake batter 177–8 Chocolate, Orange and Whiskied Pecan Tart
leek and chorizo cake 189–90 163–4
leek and sweet potato cake batter 185–6 Eggnog and Fruit Mince Tart 155
Smoked Potato and Chorizo Tart 189–90 fruit mince 155
Sweet Potato, Spinach and Goat’s Cheese Tart hot cross bun cake batter 143
185–6 Hot Cross Bun Tart 143–4
lemons orange caramel 145–6, 163
Eggnog and Fruit Mince Tart 155 soaked raisins 143
fruit mince 155
hot cross bun cake batter 143 P
Hot Cross Bun Tart 143–4 pandan
lemon and rhubarb tart 48 Coconut Pandan Tart 87–8
Plain Old Lemon Tart 48 pandan glaze 87
rice custard 123 pandan infusion 87
limes parmesan
Apricot and Desert Lime Tart 105–6 Corn and Jalapeño Tart 179–80
apricot gel 105 Mushroom and Parmesan Tart 183–4
desert lime puree and syrup 105 parmesan custard 183–4
lyonnaise, potatoes 191–2 parsley crumbs 189–90
 TARTS ANON

passionfruit potatoes
ginger jam 124 Potato and Raclette Tart 191–2
Passionfruit and Ginger Tart 124 potato crumbs 191–2
passionfruit custard 124, 151–2 potato puree 189
Passionfruit, Rhubarb and Strawberry Pavlova potatoes lyonnaise 191–2
Tart 151–2 Smoked Potato and Chorizo Tart 189–90
pastry smoked potato custard 189–90
in a little more detail 28–31 praline
pastry glue 109 hazelnut praline 55, 103
Shortcrust Pastry (Pâte Brisée) 23–7 pecan praline 163–4
the process 24–7 profiteroles 171–2
troubleshooting guide 197–8 pumpkin
Pâte Brisée (Shortcrust Pastry) 23–7 Pumpkin and Spiced Caramel Tart 168
peaches: White Peach and Ume Tart 119–20 pumpkin custard 168
pears pumpkin puree 168
Mulled Wine, Pear and Gingerbread Tart purees
145–6 chestnut puree 149
mulled wine pear glaze 145 date puree 127
poached pear puree 145 desert lime puree and syrup 105
Signature Pear Tart 71 mushroom puree 183–4
pearl barley see barley pecan puree 65–6, 163
pecans pistachio puree 159
Chocolate, Orange and Whiskied Pecan Tart poached pear puree 145
163–4 potato puree 189
pecan ‘gianduja’ 163–4 pumpkin puree 168
pecan cake batter 65–6, 163–4 spinach and shallot puree 185–6
pecan praline 163–4 sweet potato purees 129
pecan puree 65–6, 163 white peach puree 119
Smoked Pecan and Butterscotch Tart 65–6
pectins 17 Q
pickled mushrooms 183 quinces
Pineapple Tart 157–8 Brillat-Savarin and Quince Tart 165–6
pistachios quince jam 165
Pistachio and Date Tart 127–8
pistachio cake batter 159–60 R
pistachio custard 127–8 raclette custard 191–2
pistachio paste 127 raisins, soaked 143
pistachio puree 159 raspberries
White Chocolate, Raspberry and Pistachio Lamington Tart 81–2
Tart 159–60 Raspberry and Jasmine Cheesecake Tart 76
Plain Old Lemon Tart 48 raspberry gel 76
plums: spiced plum tart 60 raspberry jam 81, 159
poached cherries 99 white chocolate and raspberry glaze 159
poached pear puree 145 White Chocolate, Raspberry and Pistachio
pork Tart 159–60
Cheese and Bacon Tart 177–8 redcurrants
leek and bacon cake batter 177–8 Chocolate and Chestnut Tart 149–50
leek and chorizo cake 189–90 redcurrant jam 149
Smoked Potato and Chorizo Tart 189–90 rhubarb
lemon and rhubarb tart 48
 THE TRIM

Passionfruit, Rhubarb and Strawberry Pavlova T

Tart 151–2 tart making
Rhubarb Bakewell Tart 67–8 baking 32–3
rhubarb compote and syrup 133 glazing 34–8
rhubarb gel 133 lining 31
rhubarb jam 67, 151–2 pastry 24–30
Vanilla and Rhubarb Tart 133 slicing 39–41
rice tea
Matcha, Strawberry and Rice Cream Tart cheesecake custard 76
91–2 chocolate custard 134
rice cream 91 Earl Grey, Chocolate and Caraway Tart 134
rice custard 123 matcha custard 91–2
Rice Pudding Brûlée Tart 123 Matcha, Strawberry and Rice Cream Tart
91–2
S Raspberry and Jasmine Cheesecake Tart 76
salted caramel 56 tiramisu custard 103–4
shortbread Tiramisu Tart 103–4
almond shortbread 109 tomatoes
caraway shortbread 134 Smoked Potato and Chorizo Tart 189–90
Shortcrust Pastry (Pâte Brisée) 23–7 tomato jam 189–90
Signature Pear Tart 71
slicing tarts 39–41 U
smoked maple glaze 65–6 ube
Smoked Pecan and Butterscotch Tart 65–6 Ube and Coconut Tart 129–30
Smoked Potato and Chorizo Tart 189–90 ube glaze 129
smoked potato custard 189–90 ume custard 119
sour cherries 59
spiced caramel 168 V
spiced plum tart 60 Vanilla and Rhubarb Tart 133
spinach vanilla crème pâtissière 171–3
goat’s cheese custard 185–6 vanilla custard 171–3
spinach and shallot puree 185–6 Vanilla Custard Tart 47
Sweet Potato, Spinach and Goat’s Cheese Tart vanilla sponge 81–2
185–6
St Honoré Tart 171–3 W
strawberries walnuts
Matcha, Strawberry and Rice Cream Tart carrot cake batter 61
91–2 Carrot Cake Tart 61–2
Passionfruit, Rhubarb and Strawberry Pavlova whisky syrup 163–4
Tart 151–2 white chocolate and raspberry glaze 159
strawberry gel 91 White Chocolate, Raspberry and Pistachio Tart
strawberry jam 151 159–60
sweet potatoes White Peach and Ume Tart 119–20
coconut cake batter 129–30 white peach gel 119
leek and sweet potato cake batter 185–6 white peach puree 119
sweet potato purees 129 wine, Mulled, Pear and Gingerbread Tart 145–6
Sweet Potato, Spinach and Goat’s Cheese Tart
185–6 Y
Ube and Coconut Tart 129–30 yuzu
ube glaze 129 Mango and Yuzu Tart 114
yuzu custard 114
 TARTS ANON

Acknowledgements
To Otis, you will never fully understand the impact that you had on the making of this
book – the joy of watching you grow and become the bubbly and joyful boy you are at
the time of writing has inspired me to be someone that one day you’ll look up to.
To my parents, Maureen and Rob, the endless support and encouragement you’ve
provided my entire life and career has been paramount to where I am today. And to Dom,
James, Liam, Caitlin and Sophia, the love and tight knit family network we have built
together over the last 30-odd years has only empowered me to out-do all you battlers and
finally be the favourite child.
For the Tarts Anon family, this one’s for you. I have been remarkably lucky to be able
to call all of you my friends and colleagues, particularly the ones who have been along
for the ride and then some. Kitty, GG, Alice, Anna, Nina and Marc, your comradery and
loyalty has been so important to how our business has evolved over the years, and to have
been on this journey with you (in three different establishments for some of you), has truly
been the maker of the chef I am today – and all of our achievements are testament to this.
To Xavier, you are as much a part of Tarts Anon as anyone. Your dedication to the
cause as well as your own personal development has been exemplary. The man you have
become has exhibited the personal and professional growth that you have undergone –
and the application of this to your work and how you have developed and nurtured your
team is something I am forever grateful for.
To my friend and oftentimes professional therapist Melissa Leong – thank you so
much for your support and of course your beautiful words. Getting to know you has
coincided with some of the most pivotal moments of my career, and I am very grateful to
have shared these with you.
To Amaury, Phil and Ashley I’d like to say thank you for all of the help and kindness
you have shown in assisting in promoting this book.
Catherine and I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in bringing this
book together. Claire Orrell, Armelle Habib and Lee Blaylock – the simplistic elegance that
this book has in droves is all thanks to the creative brilliance and insightful harmony that
we shared through the design and shooting of these pages. Thank you.
To the Hardie Grant team, Michael Harry, Simon Davis, Ruby Goss, Elena Callcott
and Kristin Thomas. Working with you, alongside Nola James and Helena Holmgren,
has been an absolute pleasure and has made making this book not only a smooth and
seamless process, but a joyous and thrilling ride. Thank you for your meticulous and
persistent emails and insufferable attention to detail. It was totally worth it.
To all our friends, family and former colleagues who have been so instrumental in
making me feel like what I was getting up to wasn’t a waste of time and that it would at
some point pay off. I never thought I’d need to look back and see what people’s support
would mean to me. Huge thanks.
Grant, Katrina and all the Pier OGs, Kim, Analiese, Harry, the Oud Sluis team, DBH
Alumni (London and Melbourne), the Dawgs, Bowral crew, DM Homies, Leon and Nathan,
collecting all of you as friends and support over the years is a pretty good indication of
how this isn’t a flop. Cheers.
Finally, to the original Tarts Anon fans (aka tart-holes), who lined up outside our
Richmond apartment during COVID and showed an unfathomable amount of support
and enthusiasm for what we were doing. Thank you to Sabrina Gough, Tyrone Andres,
Mel, Shawn and Cherie, Holly Hansen, Alex Clark, and so, so many more. You guys are
part of our story and we are forever grateful.
 THE TRIM

Final Vows We’ve been together for ten years, own a

house, have a baby, share a troubled dog
and co‑own a business but never got married.
Maybe one day, but for now we thought it
would be cute to write some vows to each
other for the end of the book that we can
read from each other once it’s published.
CW: Gareth, wow! We wrote a cookbook and I presume both of us are still alive to tell the
tale. What an incredible journey we’ve been on together. I always joke that, shacked up
together in lockdown, you begrudgingly humoured me by going along with my plan to
make some extra cash on the weekend. And, while it’s true you never would have started
this business without me (don’t forget it!) there’s no denying that while anyone could have
had my idea, there’s only one person on this earth who could have executed it the way
you have. Tarts Anon has succeeded beyond even my wildest imaginings, and there’s no
way that this isn’t a testament to your dedication to your craft, eye for detail and your
decision, every day, to settle for nothing less than perfection. While at times I’ll admit this
has frustrated me, the level at which you operate our business is incredible and I am certain
this is the foundation that will continue to see its success. Anything I have contributed
is superfluous to your undeniable talent, passion and hard work that has ensured the
success of this business. So, to my partner in business and also in life, you are equal
parts passionate, funny and sweet and I wouldn’t have the Gareth recipe any other way.
Hiring you as my head pastry chef was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I love you.
GW: Catherine, thank you for everything you have contributed to the Tarts Anon journey.
From sitting on the living room floor scrolling through DMs, to pulling long shifts on the
counter at our first store while pregnant, taking sole responsibility of HR, Accounts, FOH
operations, Social Media, Marketing, PR and everything in between – you have really
proved your throwaway line of ‘Gareth bakes the tarts, Cat does the everything else’ to
be more correct than you ever would have predicted. On top of this, you have taken all of
this on while being pregnant, and then while taking care of our amazing and outrageously
restless son, Otis, from infancy, right up to the talkative, happy, bottomless pit of energy
that he is today. You are a remarkably intelligent, caring, supportive and dynamic woman
and I’m so proud and grateful to have been able to share this journey, and this wonderful
chronicling of our great achievement, with you.
Published in 2024 by Hardie Grant Books,
an imprint of Hardie Grant Publishing
Hardie Grant Books (Melbourne)
Wurundjeri Country Tarts Anon
Building 1, 658 Church Street ISBN 978 1 74379 931 4
Richmond, Victoria 3121 eISBN 978 1 76144 071 7 (ebook)
Hardie Grant North America
2912 Telegraph Ave
Berkeley, California 94705 Publishers: Michael Harry, Simon Davis
Project Editor: Elena Callcott
hardiegrant.com/books Editor: Ruby Goss
Design Manager: Kristin Thomas
Hardie Grant acknowledges the Traditional Designer: Claire Orrell
Owners of the Country on which we work, the Photographer: Armelle Habib
Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation and Stylist: Lee Blaylock
the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, and Head of Production: Todd Rechner
recognises their continuing connection to the Production Controller: Jessica Harvie
land, waters and culture. We pay our respects
to their Elders past and present.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the publishers and
copyright holders.
The moral rights of the author have
been asserted.
Copyright text © Gareth Whitton
and Catherine Way 2024
Copyright photography
© Armelle Habib 2024
Copyright design ©
Hardie Grant Publishing 2024