For Asians, desserts are usually a solitary treat session that don’t always follow the end of a long, heavy full course meal. We prefer to have our sweets whenever we feel like having it and it does not necessarily have to be after a main course.
Knowing all this very well, our very own Zaleha Olpin Kadir, famous participant of Masterchef UK season 14 has created a dessert that will make anyone willingly wait until the end of the meal just to sample it.
Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice
Zaleha’s special dessert highlights perfectly the usage of spices such as nutmeg and cinnamons in a sweet tart. If you have not tried making tarts, this recipe would be perfect for you to try. Go ahead and you can show off during celebrations or family events.
We’re sure everybody will be asking for another piece right after just one bite! Not only that, they will be eager to try making this delicious recipe for themselves.
So, enough chatter and let’s impress!
Ingredients
a) Butter Base
- 70 grams of chilled butter
- 70 grams of all-purpose flour
b) Wet ingredients
- 70 grams all-purpose flour
- 20 grams chilled vegetable shortening
- 1 tablespoon of caster sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 10 – 20 ml cold water
c) Filling
- 70 grams caster sugar
- 50 grams softened butter
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 75 grams ground almond
- 25 grams plain flour
- 1 tbsp. of orange zest
d) Roasted Dry Spice
- 2 cloves
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 piece star anise
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 50 grams dates, pitted and finely chopped
- 50 grams blanched, slivered almonds
e) Orange Butter Sauce
- 100g butter
- 2 cups of freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ¾ cup sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons of corn starch mixed with a bit or water (optional)
f) Nutmeg Cream Chantilly
- 1 cup heavy/double cream
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
Method
Butter Base
- Combine the Ingredients for the butter base in a bowl, wrap in a cling film and set aside.
Water Base
- For the water base, combine flour, shortening, caster sugar, yolk and salt into a bowl.
- Slowly add in the chilled water and mix until combined. Wrap in a cling film and set aside.
Filling
- Beat sugar, butter and vanilla extract till light and fluffy.
- Fold in ground almond, flour, orange zest and roasted dry spices.
- Fold in dates and chopped almond and set aside.
Roasted Spices
- Dry roast the ingredients and grind using a pestle and mortar.
Assembling the pastry
- Roll the water dough into a flat round disc so that it is big enough to wrap around the butter dough.
- Roll the round dough into a rectangle. Then roll both long ends inside. Now you have 3 layers of dough. Roll them flat again and repeat the same process at least twice. Lastly roll the dough into a rectangle.
- Now roll the dough into a tight log. Slice the dough and you will see the spirals in your dough. Roll flat and transfer the dough neatly tucking it into the tart case.
- Spread beaten mixture into the pastry case.
- Bake at 170 degrees celcius for 25 to 30 minutes.
While waiting for the tart to bake, you can use the time to make the nutmeg cream Chantilly, orange sauce and the stuffed dates.
Garnishing
These are all optional garnishes that I like to serve alongside the tart.
a) Orange Butter Sauce
- Place butter, orange juice, lemon juice, zest, sugar and salt into a small pot and boil.
- Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 mins or till thick and caramelized.
- Whisk the corn starch with some water and add to the sauce if it is too runny.
b) Nutmeg Cream Chantilly
- Beat cream with the other ingredients till soft peaks form.
- Place mixture into a decorating bag with large star tip and set aside to be used to decorate later.
Did you like what you made? Don’t be selfish and share a picture of your hard work with us. You can share it via Instagram or Facebook. Make sure to use hashtag #butterkicap or mention us @butterkicap. Can’t wait to see you try this great recipe.
More About Zaleha
Make sure you catch Zaleha on MasterChef UK series 14 on BBC Lifestyle (unifi ch 512). The series will also be on BBC Player (www.bbcplayer.com) if you need to catch-up on episodes. By the way, the BBC Player is free to all unifi Broadband subscribers for 30 days. So, don’t miss out!