Bake From Scratch

Ever wanted to know how to make the perfect crumble or wished someone would take the mystery out of souffles? Well now you can learn how to bake some delicious desserts with top pastry chef Tara Gartlan

Tara Gartlan

Tara Gartlan, Pastry Chef with Michelin star restaurant Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen, is hosting a six week gluten free baking course as part of the Chef Supper Club’s first ‘from scratch’ experience. Tara plans to share all the insider tips needed to prepare mouth-watering, gluten-free desserts at home.

She was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease while studying and working as a pastry chef so gluten-free is really important in her baking. “I will be sharing all the tricks and improvisations I've come up with over the years for creating restaurant-quality desserts”, she explains. But the course is for everyone who wants to learn how to bake.

“While the main theme of the course is glutenfree cooking, these recipes will appeal to anyone with an interest in baking and pastry, not just coeliacs. If you've ever wondered how pastry chefs do what we do, I'm ready to show you everything from scratch”, she says.

Tara is currently working in Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen (which is receiving rave reviews since reopening) and before that she worked at two Michelin star restaurant, The Greenhouse, five-star Lough Erne Resort, and Glover’s Alley. Here are three of her great gluten-free recipes.

Lemon Meringue Tart

Is there anything better than a lemon meringue tart? Crisp pastry, fresh citrus filling and chewy meringue topping! This recipe is a family favourite and it brings up childhood memories for my dad and his siblings. They have then passed on their love for this tart to all their kids! It was always for special occasions in my dad's family and so I make this for his birthday every year. Of course I make it more than once a year but I try to not make it too often so that it remains a special treat.

A lemon meringue tart is broken down into 3 main elements, the pastry, the custard and meringue. I've broken the steps down into as much detail as possible sharing all my tips and tricks to make it as easy as possible for you.

If you are not a coeliac or you have any other dietary requirements, the pastry recipe below can be made with normal flour and omit the xanthan gum.

LEMON MERINGUE TART

Tin Size: 23cm fluted tart tin

PASTRY

◆ 230g Gluten Free Plain Flour (Dove's Farm)

◆ 7g Xanthan Gum

◆ 70g Caster Sugar

◆ 130g Cold Butter, diced

◆ 1 Egg Yolk

◆ 1 tbsp Cold water

Temperature: 170°C Fan

Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes

Chilling Time: 30 minutes

METHOD:

➊ In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, xanthan gum and caster sugar together.

➋ Add the cold diced butter, continuing to mix with the paddle attachment until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

➌ Mix the cold water with the egg yolk and add to the breadcrumb mix, mixing until it comes together. There is no gluten to develop. If the dough isn't coming together, you can add a few more drops of water until the dough forms.

➍ Immediately after the dough comes together, roll the pastry out larger than the tin you will be using between two sheets of baking parchment. Chill for 30 minutes.

➎ While the pastry is chilling, make the Lemon Tart Filling below.

➏ Preheat the fan oven to 170°C.

➐ Lightly butter the tin. Peel off one of the sheets of baking parchment and use the side with the paper to help work the pastry into all the edges of the tart tin.

➑ Keep the tart tin on a tray lined with baking parchment or a silicone baking mat. This will prevent the tart from slipping or falling.

➒ Remove the paper, trim the edges of the tart and put the baking parchment back on top for blind baking. (Use baking beans, rice or any dried pulses; dried pulses will smell weird)

➓ Blind bake at 170°C for 15 minutes with the paper, remove the paper and bake for a further 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

Tip: If you are at all a nervous baker and would be inclined to check the pastry too early, lightly flour the pastry before putting the baking parchment which will help to stop it from sticking.

Note: In my personal experience with gluten free pastry, it would often crack when chilled first and then rolled out. I find this method easier to work with.

LEMON TART FILLING

◆ 6 Medium Eggs

◆ 200g Double Cream

◆ 4 Lemons, Zest & Juice

◆ 200g Caster Sugar

Temperature: 160°C Fan

Cooking Time: 30-35 minutes

METHOD:

➊ In a large bowl, whisk the eggs to just break them up. Add in the cream and whisk until combined well with the eggs.

➋ Roll the lemons on the counter, this will help you get the most juice out of your lemons. Finely zest the lemon peel using a microplane or a zester. Add in the zest and the zest to the egg and cream mix.

➌ Add in the sugar to mix and whisk to make sure it will combine. If you use a microplane there is no need to pass the tart filling through a sieve. If the zest is quite large, pass the mixture through a sieve as the larger pieces of zest will not be nice to eat.

➍ Transfer the tart mix to a pouring jug and tap that lightly on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.

➎ Once the pastry is blind baked, drop the oven temperature down to 160°C.

➏ Put the tart tin on the lined tray back in the oven, quite low and remove any oven racks above it. Let the tart heat up for 5-10 minutes so that the lemon mix will start to cook immediately.

➐ Pour the jug of lemon tart filling in the oven and fill it right up to the top of the pastry.

➑ If your oven cooks unevenly, make sure to turn the tart half way through cooking time. Bake for 30-35 minutes. You are looking for the centre of the tart to be slightly wobbly.

➒ Remove from the oven and let the tart fully cool in the tin.

➓ Remove the tart from the tin before decorating with meringue. Once the tart is cool, start the Italian meringue mix.

ITALIAN MERINGUE

◆ 3 Medium Egg Whites

◆ 170g Caster Sugar

◆ Enough water to dampen the syrup, about 30-40g

METHOD:

➊ Put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.

➋ In a small pot, add the sugar and water. Add the water 10g at a time and stir, until all the sugar is saturated. Use a pastry brush and water to remove any sugar that has got stuck on the sides of the pot, this will prevent your sugar from crystallizing.

➌ Bring the sugar syrup to 118°C, once the sugar syrup reaches 110°C start whisking the egg whites on medium speed.

➍ Once sugar syrup reaches 118°C and the egg whites are frothy and starting to increase in volume, slowly stream in the hot sugar syrup just on the edge of the bowl into the egg whites.

➎ Turn it up to high speed and mix until the bowl is no longer hot to the touch. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag with a nozzle and pipe on to your tart.

➏ To toast the topping: use a blowtorch or turn up the grill of the oven on high and pop the tart in the oven until it is toasted and puffy.

Times will vary in home ovens so keep a close eye.

This recipe will keep at room temperature for 3 days. Don't keep your lemon meringue tart in the fridge or it will cause the meringue to weep and lose its crunch.

Apple Crumble

This recipe is gluten free but works perfectly with normal flour. From previous experiences I find that gluten free crumble needs to be baked off beforehand ensuring you get a perfect crumble topping that isn't soggy. It is also super handy to make a double or triple batch of crumble topping to have on hand for cheesecake bases and a quick crumble for when you get a craving.

This recipe also works with normal flour as well as gluten free flour. Enjoy!

Dish: 26cm Pyrex Pie Dish, 6cm deep

Yield: 6-8 portions

CRUMBLE TOPPING

◆ 115g Diced Salted Butter, Cold

◆ 115g Caster Sugar

◆ 225g Gluten Free Plain Flour (I used Dove’s Gluten Free Plain Flour)

◆ 1 tsp Cinnamon

◆ 1 tsp Ginger

◆ 100g Gluten Free Oats

METHOD:

➊ Preheat the oven to 180C fan.

➋ Rub together the butter, sugar, flour, and spices with the tips of your fingers until fine breadcrumb texture forms.

➌ Stir in the oats.

➍ On a flat baking tray lined with baking parchment, bake off the crumble for 30 minutes, tossing crumble mix halfway through cooking. Crumble should be golden and crush any larger crumbs with the back of a spoon.

➎ Leave to cool fully on a baking tray.

Tip: Oftentimes I make double or triple this recipe, because it can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 months.

APPLE FILLING

7-8 Large Cooking Apples 1kg peeled, cored

Juice of 1 Lemon

100g Demerara Sugar

5 cubes Crystalised Ginger, chopped finely

Icing Sugar for dusting

METHOD:

➊ Preheat the oven to 170C fan.

➋ Peel, core, slice apples 1cm thick. Lightly coat the apples with the juice of 1 lemon.

➌ Toss the apples with the demerara sugar and chopped crystalised ginger so that they are evenly coated.

TO ASSEMBLE THE CRUMBLE

➊ Fill the pyrex pie dish with the apple slices. Spoon on the crumble topping.

➋ Bake crumble for 40-45 minutes. Apple should be soft but not mushy.

➌ To check the cooking of apples, use a small knife and insert down into the apples; the knife should go through without any tension.

Lightly dust the crumble with icing sugar.

CUSTARD

◆ 550g Milk

◆ ½ Vanilla pod, seeds

◆ 50g Egg Yolk (Approx. 2-3 Egg Yolks)

◆ 100g Caster Sugar

◆ 15g Cornflour

METHOD:

➊ Bring milk and vanilla to a simmer.

➋ Whisk together egg yolk, sugar and cornflour until smooth.

➌ Pour half of the warm milk onto the egg yolk, whisking until fully combined.

Return the mixture to the pot.

➍ Whisk the egg yolk and milk constantly until it begins to thicken and begins to bubble.

➎ Remove from heat immediately and pass through a fine sieve. Serve warm or cold.

This custard reminds me of birds eye custard and Sunday’s at my grandma’s house where there was always dessert.

Brownies

SALTED CARAMEL FOR DRIZZLE:

◆ 190g Caster Sugar

◆ 130g Fresh Cream

◆ 160g Salted Butter, diced & cold

◆ Sea Salt to taste (approx. a teaspoon)

METHOD:

➊ Make a dry caramel using a heavy bottomed saucepan and add spoonful by spoonful of sugar on medium heat.

➋ As each tablespoon of sugar turns an amber caramel, add another spoonful.

Tilt and swirl the pot to ensure an even distribution of heat throughout the caramel, do not stir the caramel at this point.

➌ Once all the sugar has reached a dark amber colour, add the cream in 3 additions and stir with a wooden spoon and add the salt as well.

➍ Bring the caramel and cream mixture to 112°C. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly for approximately 5 minutes.

➎ Add in the cold diced butter, blending the butter into the caramel piece by piece with a hand blender.

➏ Pass the caramel through a sieve and set aside to cool. Do not store caramel in the fridge, this mixture can be made ahead of time and stored at room temperature.

BROWNIES

Tin size: 25cm Square tin

Makes 12-16 brownies

◆ 175g Butter

◆ 200g Dark Chocolate (64- 70% cocoa solids)

◆ 3 Eggs

◆ 250g Caster

◆ 100g Ground Almonds

METHOD:

➊ Preheat the oven to 160°C.

➊ Melt together the chocolate & butter in the microwave until just melted. Stir together.

➊ Line the tin with parchment paper.

➊ Whisk together the eggs & sugar just until combined.

➊ Add the egg mixture to the chocolate and mix together with a spatula.

➊ Fold in the ground almonds, make sure there are no lumps of ground almonds.

➊ Pour mixture into prepared tin, drizzle the caramel over the brownie batter and swirl through with a knife or tooth pick.

➊ Bake for 35-40 minutes at 160°C.

Keep extra caramel for drizzling or add a teaspoon to your morning coffee.

Tara Gartlan’s ‘from scratch’ six week Gluten-Free Baking Course runs over six weeks starting October 3 with each episode lasting 2 hours from 2.30 – 4.30pm each Sunday with all non-perishable ingredients being supplied for each course. Prices start at €70 per week, for bookings visit thechefsupperclub.com

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