Strawberry Tart with Custard

A fresh Strawberry tart to be flavoured in a beautiful Spring day.

Ingredients:

6 brick pastry sheets
strawberries
Filling:
1/2 pint (300 ml) milk
4 tablespoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons butter
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons flour

Preparation:

Cover a buttered tart mould with the Brick sheets and bake it until golden brown.

Prepare the filling: Mix the softened butter with the cornflour and add the milk.Beat in the yolks and add the sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time and cook very gently until it thickens.

Place in the refrigerator. When it is cold pour into the baked pastry and place again in the refrigerator. After cooling filledd with the strawberries and serve it.

Soft Cheese Slices (fatias de Requeijão)

This is a Traditional recipe from Alentejo usually done at farmhouses because the farmers do their own cheese and they use it to prepare this kind of cake-pudding.

Ingredients:

1 lb (450 gr) soft cheese (riccota, requeijão)

7 oz (200 gr) granulated sugar

4 oz (110 gr) flour

4 egg yolks

6 whole eggs

1 coffeespoon cinnamon

Preparation:

Combine the sugar with the cheese, to obtain a soft paste. Add the flour, the cinnamon, the eggs and the egg yolks. Mix very well. Prepare a baking tray , 8x12 inches (20.5 x 30.5) well greased and lined.

The lining paper must also be greased and sprinkled with flour. Pour the mixture onto this and bake at 180ºc/350ºF/Gas 4 for 20 minutes, until firm and golden.

Cut the cake into slices and sprinkle with icing sugar or cinnamon.

Chocolate Truffles

Truffles are bite-sized petit four made with a creamy mixture of chocolate, butter and liqueur.

I usually make them for Easter but also for Christmas and other parties. I hope you like this recipe with portuguese liqueur Tia Maria, they are really creamy and flavoured.

Ingredients:

7 oz (200gr) dark chocolate

31/2 oz (100 gr) butter

31/2 oz (100 gr ) icing sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon Tia Maria Liqueur

Preparation:

Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie, then add the butter and stir continuously until the mix is smooth. Remove from the heat and add the sugar, the egg and the liqueur. Let rest in cold two hours.

With a teaspoon, take small pieces of chocolat and work them quickly with hands to form a ball. Then roll it in cocoa. Let rest in cold again.

Potato Delights - Delicias de batata

These delights are from Ribatejo Province and they are made with mashed potato that give them an interesting texture. They are delicate and very sweet.

Ingredients:

3 oz (90 gr) ground almonds

31/2 oz (100 gr) mashed potatoes

7 0z (200 gr) granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornflour

1 tablespoon butter

3 eggs

3 tablespoons water

Preparation:

Mix the water with the sugar and boil to make a light syrup ( achieved very quickly, almost immediately after reaching boiling point - 101ºC/215ºF).

Add the mashed potato and almonds. Boil until thick, over a low flame, stirring. Set aside until almost cold. Add the eggs and flour and beat well.

Bake the mixture in well- buttered patty tins, at 210ºC/425ºF/gas 7 for 20 minuteas or until golden brown. Take out of the tins carefully, before they are completely cold.