Pea and Ham Tarts

  • Prep time:

  • Cook time:

  • Total time:

  • Portion/Yield:

    Serves 6 starter portions

  • Difficulty:

    Easy

Mr P loves peas and this recipe pea and ham tarts is right up his street. This recipe is one of his favourites to prepare. He uses the thermomix to capture the deliciousness of the garden peas. You can use either fresh or frozen peas which either wold give you a great taste.

Ingredients & Method

For the Short Crust Pastry

  • 150g plain flour
  • 80g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • Pinch of salt
  • 50ml cold water

For the pea and ham custard

  • 200g fresh or frozen garden peas
  • 75g double cream, warmed
  • 10g grain mustard
  • 3 medium free range eggs
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • 300g cooked ham, flaked

First prepare the pastry, weigh the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter in small pieces and add the butter to the flour. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour. Ensure that all the butter is rubbed in and evenly distributed. Add the cold water and use a pallet knife to cut the water into the flour. Work fast and do not over work the pastry, as it will make the pastry grey and elastic, you need to avoid this. Cover the pastry with cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. On a lightly floured work surface roll the pastry 3 – 4mm think out and use a 7cm in diameter cutter to cut the rounds. I line the back of a muffin tray with the pastry to make the pastry cases for these tarts. It does look rustic and different from the pristine perfect tarts. Blind bake the pastry for 20 minutes.photo of White Onion and Pecorino Tarts

While the tart cases are baking make the pea and ham custard filling. Weigh the peas into thermomix bowl and blend until smooth for 20 seconds at speed 10. Add the seasoning, lemon juice and the cream. grain mustard and the eggs, blend for 10 seconds at speed 10.photo of Pea and Ham Tarts

To cook the tarts, preheat the oven to 120°C. Place the blind baked tart cases the right way up suspended on top of the muffin tray. Shred the ham and place a generous amount of ham into each blind baked tart case. Pour the pea cream on top of the ham, until just under the rim of the pastry.photo of Pea and Ham Tarts

Bake the tarts for 15 – 20 minutes. I like to take the tarts out of the oven while they still have a slight wobble as they  will continue to cook while cooling.

Serve the warm tarts with salad and dressing.

Cooks Notes

If your tart mixture was slightly aerated and has a white foamy top run a blow torch flame over the top to blow the bubbles away. This will give your tart a shiny glaze.