Chiffon Sweet Potato Tarts

 I love baking tarts or pies, they are great for parties or dinners as the pastry can be made ahead or the whole tart or pie can be assembled and frozen and baked fresh on the day of the party or dinner.  I love to serve tarts or pie for a sit-down dinner as they can be so neatly served in individual pieces which looked so enticing.  I can't stand my tarts or pies being mutilated when they are served in a party with a huge crowd, so, i will try and turn them into individual tartlets.

Below is my version of Chiffon Sweet Potato Tart turned into tartlets.




Ingredients:

Crust:

8 ozs all-purpose flour
2 ozs powdered/confectioner's sugar
a pinch of salt
4 ozs chilled butter - cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 oz shortening
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:

1 envelope or 1 tbsp gelatin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 1/4 cup mashed sweet potato(prick 2 large sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave on high for 8 minutes, turn the sweet potatoes around after 4 minutes.  Let it cool, peel the skin off and mash)
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk

Method:

To Make The Crust:

Put all-purpose flour, powdered sugar and salt into the food processor and pulse to mix.

Add in chilled cubed butter and shortening, pulse until fine breadcrumb like.

Add vanilla extract to beaten egg and then add into flour mixture with the machine running and stop machine as soon as the dough is formed. Do not overmixed.

Remove and wrap dough with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.

Divide into small balls which will fit the tart moulds and press the ball into the moulds to make tartlets.

Dock the pastry with a fork and put a piece of aluminium foil over the tartlets and weigh them down with pie weights or beans and bake in preheated oven of 375f for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and remove the weights and aluminium foil and return the tartlets to finish and browning in the oven - another 5 - 8 minutes.

To make the filling:

Bloom the gelatin with 2 tbsp water.

Heat milk and sugar until sugar is dissolved. 

Remove from heat and add in the egg yolks and stir well.

Add in the gelatin and cook until gelatin is dissolved and the batter is thickened.

Turn off the heat and add in the mashed sweet potatoes.

Put filling into a piping bag with a large star tip and pipe onto the baked tartlets.  Sprinkle with crushed sliced almonds.

Enjoy