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Help! I can’t think what to do with these pastry cases.

(28 Posts)
teabagwoman Thu 23-Nov-23 14:57:35

Got home today to find a pack of 4” ready baked pastry cases on my doorstep. My neighbour was going to use them to make lemon tarts for a Natter and Nosh we will both be attending but has thought better of it and passed them to me. Now our ‘do’ is very much a finger buffet so filling them with crème fraiche and berries won’t work and my mind is blank. Can anyone suggest a firm filling I can use so that the tarts can be cut into small pieces?

Aldom Thu 23-Nov-23 15:08:19

Lemon tart, bakewell tart, syrup tart.
Hope these suggestions help. smile

Grandmadinosaur Thu 23-Nov-23 15:10:08

Fill with a chocolate ganache mixture.

shysal Thu 23-Nov-23 15:50:34

How about easy Banoffee pie, using tinned dulce de leche or caramel condensed milk?

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 23-Nov-23 16:31:26

I think whatever you put in them, when cut up they might be a bit difficult for a finger buffet. More suited to keeping for desserts perhaps, they should have a reasonable shelf life.

MiniMoon Thu 23-Nov-23 16:36:05

Why not make quiches, or custard tarts.

Fleurpepper Thu 23-Nov-23 17:25:56

Is the pastry sweet or savoury?

Callistemon21 Thu 23-Nov-23 18:08:09

Quiches if plain, cool and cut into four if possible

Tarte au Citron? if sweet and -ditto-

Fleurpepper Thu 23-Nov-23 18:11:33

Grated stilton, 1 egg, a bit of pepper, and milk to make soft mixture- into cases, bake.

Callistemon21 Thu 23-Nov-23 18:12:52

That sounds nice and easy! 🙂

CanadianGran Thu 23-Nov-23 18:16:15

I was thinking savory as well. Here's a leek tart, I've made similar and they were a hit.
www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/leek-tart-recipe

Nannee49 Thu 23-Nov-23 18:25:55

If savoury, try delicious cheddar and cherry tomato tarts, a favourite buffet item on the menu of a very chic catering company I once worked with.
Pack the pastry cases with grated mature cheddar then pour over a rich custard made with one or two eggs and around 250 ml of double cream - depending on size of pastry case - then cut 6 cherry tomatoes in half & evenly arrange them on top of the cheese mixture, cut side up. Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped thyme and bake for approx 30 mins in a medium oven until firm to the touch and golden. They can easily be cut into equal, non-floppy portions of deliciousness.
Or, still using the custard mix, pack in crumbled good stilton & sliced ripe pears topped with a scattering of chopped walnuts instead of the cheddar and tomatoes.

teabagwoman Thu 23-Nov-23 18:49:49

Thank you for all the great suggestions. The savoury ones sound delicious but unfortunately they are sweet pastry cases. Grandmadinosaur I like the idea of chocolate ganache, I think that would be very popular. *Aldom I did think about Bakewell Tart but as the cases are already baked would they take a second time in the oven? I've never used ready prepared pastry cases before.

To be honest I'm not keen on pastry these days which is why I'm keen to use them up at the Natter and Nosh..

Elegran Thu 23-Nov-23 18:53:27

I have made this Delia Smith recipe (from her book, "How to cheat at cooking") both in individual tartlets and in a single bigger case, and it is yummy either way.
www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/tarts-and-flans/chocolate-tartlets No cooking, just melt the ingredients together and purinto the cases.
The M&S Fairtrade truffle sauce in the recipe is now called just M&S chocolate truffle sauce, but they still have it. There is also a salted caramel sauce in Tesco in exactly the same size and shape of jar, which I think must come from the same manufacturer. I have mixed it with glace cherries and chopped nuts for a filling. Tesco used to sell the chocolate truffle sauce, but don't seem to have it at the moment.

Callistemon21 Thu 23-Nov-23 18:55:11

I have made this Delia Smith recipe (from her book, "How to cheat at cooking")

I had that wonderful book but think I gave it to a DC going off to university and never got it back.

Elegran Thu 23-Nov-23 19:07:46

Just realised that I typed " and purinto the cases" While it is so nice that on eating it you may well be tempted to purr, I really meant you to pour the mixture into the cases

Elegran Thu 23-Nov-23 19:11:51

That book was published in 2008. Still available on amazon, and there are good used copies for as little as £3.29, free delivery.

Callistemon21 Thu 23-Nov-23 19:54:22

Elegran

That book was published in 2008. Still available on amazon, and there are good used copies for as little as £3.29, free delivery.

I'm sure I bought it years before that, probably in the 1970s 🤔

Elegran Thu 23-Nov-23 21:05:34

Maybe mine was a second edition.

Callistemon21 Thu 23-Nov-23 21:45:39

I knew I should have kept mine 😁
It's probably worth a fortune now

grandMattie Thu 23-Nov-23 21:53:38

Bakewell tart?
Large mince pie, with crumble topping instead of pastry?

Megslotts Sun 26-Nov-23 12:05:07

teabagwoman

Got home today to find a pack of 4” ready baked pastry cases on my doorstep. My neighbour was going to use them to make lemon tarts for a Natter and Nosh we will both be attending but has thought better of it and passed them to me. Now our ‘do’ is very much a finger buffet so filling them with crème fraiche and berries won’t work and my mind is blank. Can anyone suggest a firm filling I can use so that the tarts can be cut into small pieces?

Lots of folk have given you advice, so I don't need to.
I'm not usually of smutty mind but gosh! Is this a wind-up? Are you really called natter & nosh 😅 & your really called Teabag woman. Can't make it up can you haha 😆

cc Sun 26-Nov-23 12:27:12

I'm guessing that your event has already happened now, what did you cook?

Daisydaisydaisy Sun 26-Nov-23 12:51:07

Ooooo My mouth is watering reading these ideas 😀💋

icanhandthemback Sun 26-Nov-23 13:50:41

A custard tart? How about some fruit with a jelly and blancmange mixed together poured on top so it sets and can be cut easily.