Australia is a true melting pot of cultures and this is reflected in its cooking. As an island of indigenous peoples alongside a global panoply of immigrants with different culinary influences and traditions, its foodways are ripe for exploration. Ross Dobson’s new book, Australia: The Cookbook, does just that. Today, we have a recipe from the book to share with you for that classic sweet Aussie staple: the Neenish Tart.
Happy cooking!
Neenish Tarts
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus at least 1 hour chilling
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes: 12 tarts
You wouldn’t be alone if you assumed these were British. They sound it, but these are, in fact, uniquely Australian. They have quadruple layers of sweetness. In order of appearance from bottom to top, the layers are: pastry, jam (jelly), mock cream, icing. There’s quite a bit going on here so you could be excused for using readymade shortcrust pastry instead of making your own. But you really do have to make your own mock cream and icing, and you may need to see a dentist immediately after eating one.
Ingredients
250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) raspberry jam (jelly)
1 quantity Washed Mock Cream (recipe on page 383 or online here)
For the pastry
60 g/2½ oz (¼ cup) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
80 g/3 oz (½ cup minus 4 teaspoons)
caster (superfine) sugar
1 egg
240 g/8½ oz (2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
For the icing (frosting)
240 g/8½ oz (2 cups) icing (confectioners’) sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons whole (full-fat) milk
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1–2 drops rose pink food colouring
Method
To make the pastry, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a 12 x 60-ml/2-fl oz-hole patty cake or 12-hole small muffin pan with butter. Set aside.
To make the pastry, put the butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or use hand-held electric beaters. Beat on medium speed for 4–5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl a couple of times, to make a creamy mixture. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour and baking powder. Add 2 tablespoons boiling water and beat for a minute or so until the mixture starts to clump together. Tip onto a lightly floured work counter and briefly knead to form into a smoothish ball. Don’t over-knead the dough. Cut the dough into 2 equal portions. This will make it easier to work with. Working with one portion at a time, roll out to a thickness of 3 mm/⅛ inch, then use a pastry cutter to cut out 6 x 9-cm/3½ inch circles. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Press the dough circles into the holes of the prepared pan. Sit a cupcake or small muffin paper case in each one and fill with baking beans (pie weights), then bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and papers and bake for another 2–3 minutes until golden. Remove from the pan and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
Put the jam (jelly) into a saucepan and stir over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes until it can be spooned easily. Spoon the jam directly into the cooled pastry cases (shells). Set aside.
Make the mock cream according to the directions on page 383, then put 1 tablespoon over the jam in the pastry cases. Use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly over the jam, then set aside.
To make the icing (frosting), sift the icing (confectioners’) sugar into a bowl. Put the butter and milk into a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the butter has just melted. Don’t allow it to boil. Use a balloon whisk to whisk the butter mixture into the sugar in the bowl until smooth. Pour about half the mixture into another small bowl. Stir the cocoa powder through one portion of the mixture and stir the pink food colouring into the other. Leave to stand for 5–10 minutes so it becomes less runny. Put about 1 teaspoon of the chocolate icing on one side of each tart and 1 teaspoon of the pink icing on the other. You can use the back of the spoon or a palette knife to spread, but the icing should settle and become smooth.
Transfer the tarts to a tray and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
—Australia: The Cookbook by Ross Dobson (Phaidon) is out now.
Australia: The Cookbook
A celebration of Australian cuisine like never before — 350 recipes showcasing the rich diversity of its landscapes and its people.
Australia is a true melting pot of cultures and this is reflected in its cooking. As an island of indigenous peoples alongside a global panoply of immigrants with different culinary influences and traditions, its foodways are ripe for exploration. As well as the regional flora and fauna that make up bush tucker, there are dishes from all over the world that have been adopted and adapted to become Australia's own...
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