Amber tarts with Welsh whisky cream

Makes 4 individual tarts or 1 large tart Desserts and puddings

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Method

To make the whisky cream, heat the sugar and whisky in a small pan over a low heat to dissolve the sugar and cook off the alcohol. Cool completely, then whisk with the cream until just floppy. Chill until needed.

To make the tarts, sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugar. Add the egg yolks and 2tbsp cold water and mix with a knife, then bring together to form a pliable dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190C/ 170C F/Gas 5. Cut the dough into 4 pieces and roll out a piece at a time, as thin as you can, to line 4 x 10cm shallow round fluted tins (or roll out 1 piece to line a 20cm shallow fluted tin), leaving an overhang of around 1cm. Use the excess to stamp out small shapes for decoration. Chill for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Stir the flour into the sugar and whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Add the orange extract, if using.

If using hand-cut marmalade, push through a fine sieve set over a bowl to catch the runny part. Place the pieces that collect in the sieve on a board and finely chop and put in a small pan along with the runny marmalade and butter and stir together until the butter has melted. Cool for a few minutes then whisk into the egg mixture.

Carefully paint the pastry shapes being used for decoration with a little of the filling mixture and lay them on a greased baking sheet.

Prick the pastry bases with a fork and line with scrunched up baking parchment, cut to a little larger than the tin or tins, and add baking beans. Put on the baking sheet with the shapes and cook for 12 minutes. Part way through cooking, check on the colour of the pastry shapes and remove when a nice amber colour. Remove the beans and paper from the tart tins and cook for a further 4 minutes. Using a sharp knife carefully slice off the pastry overhang to create a neat top.

Pour in the filling mixture almost to the top of the pastry case or cases and put in the oven. Lower the temperature to 180C/160C F/Gas 4 and bake for 8 minutes. Lower the oven again to 170C/150C F/Gas 5 and bake for a further 5-8 minutes until just puffed without splitting (they will sink as they cool). Transfer to a wire rack and leave for a few minutes before unmoulding.

Decorate with the cooked pastry shapes and serve warm or cold with the whisky cream.

This recipe featured in the May/June 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.