Herb Tartlets

Herb Tartlets

These easy Herb Tartlets are all about the taste of the herbs.   Often herbs are used to enhance the flavours of other foods but here they are the stars of the show, rather than a supporting act.  The choice of herbs to include is up to you, depending on what you have to hand and which flavours you prefer, but they need to be soft herbs and you need to think about the balance of flavours as some stronger herbs, such as rosemary, will dominate the others.   

I generally include chives as I love their mild oniony flavour and then add other soft, milder herbs that are growing in my herb garden such as parsley, tarragon, chervil or sorrel.   You can choose to just use one herb – tarragon or sorrel are good on their own as they both have very distinctive flavours – or use several.   If using more than one variety, I would stick to three or four, otherwise the flavours will not be distinct.

Combined with a mixed green salad and maybe a potato salad, these tartlets make a fantastic light summer lunch or supper.   They are also good as part of a buffet at a summer party or as a snack at a drinks party.

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Other savoury tarts and quiches

Savoury tarts and quiches are a fantastic, cook-ahead simple supper or lunch. They are easy to make and are great either hot or at room temperature. They can also be easily divided into portions if you are feeding a large number of people. Easily transportable, they also make a good addition to lunch-boxes or basis for a picnic. Some of my favourites are listed below.

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Recipe for Herb Tartlets

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Mixed herb tart

Herb Tartlets

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8 tartlets 1x
  • Category: Tart
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: English

Description

These Herb Tartlets allow the flavour of fresh herbs to be the star of the show rather than a supporting act.


Ingredients

Scale

For the pastry:

  • 275 g (10 oz) plain flour
  • 125 g fat (4 oz) I use a mix of half butter and half Trex as I think this makes the lightest pastry)
  • Salt
  • A little water

For the filling:

  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 3 eggs
  • 150 ml (5 fluid oz) double cream
  • 50 g (2 oz) mixed fresh herbs – such as parsley, chives, chervil, tarragon or sorrel
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

Method:  for the pastry

  1. Set oven to 200 degrees C/gas mark 6. Make the pastry. Put the flour in a bowl.  Add the fat and combine –  either by “rubbing in” by hand or processing – until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add a little cold water (2-3 tbsp) and shape the mixture into a dough.
  2. Roll out your pastry and use a round pastry cutter to cut circles.  Put a circle in each indentation in your tartlet tin.

Method:  for the filling

  1. Break the eggs into a bowl, add the cream and beat until mixed.
  2. Add the crushed clove of garlic.
  3. Chop the fresh herbs finely and add them to the cream and egg mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Spoon the filling into each pastry circle in your tartlet tin.
  5. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
  6. When slightly cooled, remove from the tartlet tin, and place on a cooling rack.
  7. The tartlets can be eaten hot, warm or at room temperature.

Keywords: herb tartlets, fresh herbs

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Rhubarb Gin Cocktails

Cocktails in the garden
Rhubarb gin cocktails

Rhubarb Gin Cocktails

Back in April, I made a batch of home-made Rhubarb Gin.  I was interested to experiment with a range of flavour combinations and so made several versions:  plain Rhubarb Gin, Rhubarb and Vanilla Gin, Rhubarb and Orange Gin and Rhubarb and Ginger Gin.   It is really easy to make your own Rhubarb Gin but it does take a month or so until it is ready to drink.  If you don’t have the time, inclination (or rhubarb!) to make your own, there are a number of great Rhubarb Gins available now.

Products from Amazon.co.uk

My home-made Rhubarb Gins all taste great on their own but, as I love cocktails, I thought I’d have a go at creating a few using the different flavours.    I gathered together a few willing volunteer tasters and the following were unanimously agreed to be the best of my Rhubarb Gin cocktail recipes.

Bottles of rhubarb gin
Rhubarb gin

Rhubarb Gin cocktail recipes

The method is the same for all the cocktail recipes – pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice to mix and cool then pour into a glass and enjoy!

If you like cocktails, and want to experiment with them at home, I would really recommend that you buy a cocktail shaker.  Shaking the mix of liquids in your cocktail over ice means the result will be properly combined and icy cold.

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Rhubarb gin

Rhubarb in the Garden

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 1 serving 1x
  • Category: Cocktails
  • Cuisine: English

Description

This is a lovely summery cocktail which is a delicate pink colour.  I made it with my Rhubarb and Vanilla Gin but plain Rhubarb Gin is fine.  If you can’t get Rose Lemonade, you can use ordinary lemonade and add a couple of drops of rosewater.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 50 ml Rhubarb and Vanilla Gin
  • 50 ml Rose Lemonade (such as [amazon_textlink asin='B01BMBAZ2S|B003JGUS0E|B00XUKANQI|B00612E3PO|B00AKFNWGY' text='Fentiman's' template='ProductLink' store='tastebotanica-21success|tastebotanica-20|tastebotani0c-21success|tastebotani0a-21success|tastebotani01-21success' marketplace='UK|US|IT|FR|DE' link_id='4ca3a3b3-68b2-11e8-a0c1-55ca867c4624'])

Instructions

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice to mix and cool then pour into a glass and enjoy!


Keywords: rhubarb gin

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Cocktails in the garden

Rhubarb Gimlet

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 serving 1x
  • Category: Cocktails
  • Cuisine: English

Description

I love lime so a Gimlet is one of my favourite cocktails.   This one, which I made using my plain Rhubarb Gin,  has a fantastic sweet-sour tang.    To make sugar syrup you just need to put equal volumes of sugar and water in a pan, heat until the sugar dissolves and then allow to cool.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 50 ml Rhubarb  Gin
  • 25 ml fresh lime juice (half a lime)
  • 20 ml sugar syrup

Instructions

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice to mix and cool then pour into a glass and enjoy!


Keywords: rhubarb gin, rhubarb gimlet, cocktail

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Rhubarb Martini

  • Author: Tastebotanical

Description

This is a really simple cocktail but somehow the combination tastes quite sophisticated.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 65 ml Rhubarb and Orange Gin
  • 10 ml dry vermouth

Instructions

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice to mix and cool then pour into a glass and enjoy!


Notes

I made it with my Rhubarb and Orange Gin.  If you just have plain Rhubarb Gin, you can at 10 ml of an orange liqueur (such as Cointreau).

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Cocktails in the garden

Rhubarb and Ginger Warmer

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 serving 1x
  • Category: Cocktails
  • Cuisine: English

Description

The  “warmer” in the title refers to the heat from the ginger –  I still make it icy cold in the cocktail shaker! 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 50 ml Rhubarb and Ginger Gin
  • 50 ml ginger wine (such as Crabbies)

Instructions

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice to mix and cool then pour into a glass and enjoy!


Notes

I made it with my Rhubarb and Ginger Gin but it tastes just as good made with plain Rhubarb Gin as the ginger wine provides sufficient gingeriness!

Keywords: rhubarb gin, cocktail, ginger wine

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Elderflower gin

 

Crab and prawn tart with chilli, lime and coriander

Crab tart ingredients
Chilli, coriander and crab

Equipment

Small frying pan, quiche or flan dish  (28 cm)

Crab tart ingredients
Spring onions, chilli and coriander

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Spicy seafood tart

Crab and prawn tart with chilli, lime and coriander

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: for 8 people 1x
  • Category: Tart
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: English

Description

The chilli, lime and coriander add zest to the more delicate taste of the seafood in this summer tart.  It is great for a light lunch or supper or as part of a cold buffet.


Ingredients

Scale
  • For the pastry:
    275 g plain flour
    125 g fat (I use a mix of half butter and half Trex as I think this makes the lightest pastry)
    Salt
    A little water
  • For the filling:
    5 spring onions
    Half a red chilli
    1 tbs oil
    100 g crab meat
    150 g raw prawns
    3 eggs
    200 ml double cream
    Bunch of coriander
    Zest of half a lime

Instructions

  1. Set oven to 200 degrees C/gas mark 6.Make the pastry. Put the flour in a bowl.  Add the fat and combine –  either by “rubbing in” by hand or processing – until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add a little cold water (2-3 tbsp) and shape the mixture into a dough.
  2. Roll out your pastry and use it to line your quiche or flan dish.   Bake for 5  minutes in the oven to allow the pastry to “set”.  This will stop the filling making it soggy!   Remove the pastry case from the oven and allow to cool a little.
  3. Chop the spring onions and chilli and add to the frying pan with a little oil.  Cook for 5 minutes until softened.
  4. Put the spring onion and chilli mixture into the pastry case along with the  crab meat and raw prawns.
  5. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, add the cream, and beat until combined.  Chop the coriander and add to the mixture along with the grated lime zest.  Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Pour the egg and cream mixture into the pastry case.
  7. Place your quiche or flan dish in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.
  8. The tart can be eaten hot, room temperature or cold.

Keywords: crab and prawn tart, chilli, coriander

Crab, prawns, lime and chilli
Crab tart ingredients

Crab, prawns, chilli and coriander
Crab tart – ready for the oven

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Elderflower Gin

Gin and elderflowers
Gin ingredients – elderflower and lemon

Elderflower Gin

Many people, including me,  use these fragrant flowers to make Elderflower Cordial but they can also be used to make beautiful floral-flavoured Elderflower Gin.  Unlike some flavoured gins, such as Rhubarb Gin, which take a number of weeks to mature before they can be drunk, Elderflower Gin is ready the next day!   It is great on its own or with a mixer, such as tonic, or with sparkling wine.

Elderflowers are a good starting point for new “foragers” as they are so widely available and easily recognisable.   They are the blossoms of the elder (Sambucus nigra) which is a small tree or shrub commonly found in woodlands and gardens throughout the UK.   The small creamy-white flowers are arranged in big clusters and bloom in late May or early June.   In autumn, they turn into purple elderberries which also have a range of culinary uses.

Elderflowers
Elderflowers

Equipment

Jam jar

Elderflower cordial
Picked elderflowers

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Elderflower gin

Elderflower Gin

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 500 ml 1x
  • Category: Gin
  • Cuisine: English

Description

Add the scent of early English summer to your cocktails with this home-made Elderflower Gin.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 elderflower heads
  • 1 strip peel from an unwaxed lemon
  • 1 tablespoon of caster sugar
  • 500 ml gin

Instructions

  1. Wash the elderflower heads to remove any insects.
  2. Put the elderflower heads into the jar together with the lemon peel and caster sugar.  Add the gin.
  3. Allow to infuse for 24 hours.
  4. Strain through a sieve lined with muslin or kitchen paper into a clean jar or bottle.
  5. The gin will keep for approximately one month.

Keywords: elderflower gin

Gin and elderflowers
Elderflower Gin

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Rhubarb Gin

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Rhubarb gin

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Preparing to make Elderflower Cordial

Elderflower and lemon cupcakes

Elderflower
Elderflower and lemon cupcakes

 

 

 

 

Rose and Strawberry Cream Cake

This Rose and Strawberry Cream cake is one of my favourite show-stopping recipes for a summer celebration. It is a basic Victoria sponge cake, delicately flavoured with rose, sandwiched with rose-scented strawberry jam and whipped cream.

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Loved this recipe? Check out the recipe index.

An easy cake recipe for a summer celebration

I created this Rose and Strawberry Cream Cake for a family birthday.    My brief was to produce a simple Victoria Sandwich cake with jam and cream with no “funny stuff” (why do my family always say this….?).   I tried very hard to stick to the brief and started off with a classic strawberry-and-cream Victoria Sandwich cake but, inevitably, I got enthused by the possibilities of adding an element of rose (strawberry and rose – such a great combination!).

My efforts resulted in a lovely buttery  Victoria sponge,  sandwiched together with strawberry and rose-flavoured jam and billowing cream, and adorned by romantically-strewn rose petals.  I was very proud until my daughter said to me “It’s not the most masculine of cakes, is it?” and I was struck by the realisation that perhaps my hearty, hill-walking husband might not be as enthusiastic about the rose petals as I was….. Luckily, he tends to focus on how things taste and was quite happy with his rather girly looking cake.  (And as one of my sons, quite rightly, commented, “you need to break those gender stereotypes, mum…!”).

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What you need to know about my Rose and Strawberry Cream cake

  • It is very easy to make. I generally make it the day before we are planning to eat it as you need to make sure the cake is completely cool before assembling it.
  • You don’t need access to fresh roses in order to make this cake as the flavouring comes from rosewater. I have lots of roses in my garden and often make Crystallised Rose Petals to decorate the cake. They are very easy to make but you do need to make them the day before so that they have time to dry off.  However, if you do not have access to fresh roses which you are certain have not been chemically-sprayed, you can decorate the cake differently. For example, sliced fresh strawberries or piped cream would look pretty good.
  • I use my home-made Strawberry and Rose Geranium Jam in this cake but, if you don’t have the time or inclination to make this,  you can flavour ordinary strawberry jam with rosewater. Just add a few drops of rosewater to four tablespoons of home-made or store-bought strawberry jam.

Edible flower recipes – roselavender and elderflower

As is probably obvious from the title of this blog, I love using floral flavourings in my cooking. For rose-lovers, there are some great easy baking recipes including  Almond Shortbread with Rosewater. For dessert, you could try Rose Ice Cream,  Rose and Raspberry Pavlova or Rose Meringues. I also have a fantastic easy recipe for delicious floral Rose Petal Jam and an easy-peasy recipe for Crystallised Rose Petals.

Lavender-lovers might like the recipes for Lavender Ice CreamLavender Cake and Lavender Shortbread and Honey Cream Tea with Lavender Scones.

For elderflower-lovers, there are recipes for Elderflower Ice CreamGooseberry and Elderflower Sorbet and Elderflower and Lemon Cupcakes. I also have a recipe for a classic Elderflower Cordial and also really easy recipes for Elderflower Gin and a lovely floral-flavoured Elderflower Vinegar.

Loved this recipe? Check out the recipe index.

Other baking recipes

I love home-baking and make a lot of easy, traditional cakesbiscuits (cookies) and desserts.

Rose and Strawberry Cream Cake recipe

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Rose and Strawberry Cake

Rose and Strawberry Cream Cake

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 60
  • Cook Time: 35
  • Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
  • Yield: serves 8 to 10 1x
  • Category: Cake
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: English

Description

This is a show-stopping cake which brings together the English summer tastes of strawberry and rose together with cream and buttery sponge.


Ingredients

Scale
For the cake:
  • 225 g (8 oz) butter (softened)
  • 225 g (8 oz) caster or superfine sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 225 g (8 oz) self-raising flour
  • 3 tablespoons of milk
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
  • 1 teaspoon of rosewater
For the sandwich filling:
  • Either 4 tablespoons of Strawberry and Rose Geranium Jam or 4 tablespoons of strawberry jam plus a few drops of rosewater  
  • 300 ml (Half a pint) double cream
For the topping

Instructions

Method:  Cake

  1. Set your oven to 180 degrees centigrade, 350 degrees fahrenheit or Gas Mark 4.
  2. Cream the butter with the sugar.  (I usually soften the butter for about 30 seconds in the microwave first as it makes it much easier!)
  3. Gradually add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture.  If it looks as if it is going to curdle, add some of the self-raising flour.
  4. Once the eggs have been incorporated add the rest of the self-raising flour.
  5. Add the milk,  vanilla extract and rosewater.
  6. Grease your Victoria Sandwich tins or containers and then add the cake mixture.
  7. Bake your cakes in the oven for around 35 minutes.  They are done when they are golden brown, springy to the touch and have shrunk away from the edge of the tin.  You can test this by inserting a skewer in the middle of the cake – if it comes out cleanly with no mixture attached, your cake is done.
  8. Allow your cakes to cool on a rack before removing them from the tins or containers.

Method:  Filling and topping

  1. Spread the rose-flavoured strawberry jam over the top of one of your cakes.
  2. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.  Spread it on top of the jam.  Then place the other cake on top.
  3. Put the icing sugar in a sieve and sift it over the top of the assembled cake.
  4. Decorate the cake with Crystallised Rose Petals.
  5. In the (unlikely) event that there is any cake left over, this needs to be stored in the fridge due to the cream icing.  It will keep for a couple of days but, like all sponge cakes, it tastes better when it is freshly made.

Keywords: rose and strawberry cake, victoria sandwich, cream

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