Saffron Scented Yogurt Cream & Peach Tarts

Saffron Scented Yogurt Cream & Peach Tarts. Dairy products, fruit and vegetables are things I love to splurge on! I would rather have an excess of these in my refrigerator, than wait to cook or plan cooking after a hurried trip to the store. The milk is boiled and refrigerated the previous day, a few tetra-packs of them stashed away for emergencies. Lassi and buttermilk in tetra packs come in handy always. And how can we not have paneer , and no we don't ever get tired or bored of it ubiquitous though it undoubtedly is! I mostly make it at home with 3% milk, though I prefer the firmer packaged variety for grilling. 

We eat yogurt like there is no tomorrow and I set it every night. Its an integral part of our breakfast, lunch , dinner and snacks. Chilled low fat yogurt sweetened with a bit of sugar and vanilla, topped with nuts is often my guilty pleasure post lunch! Blitzed with fruit it's a refreshing drink in the kids' snack box. The hunger pangs born out of boredom can often be remedied with some yogurt sprinkled with chat masala! Sounds very dramatic, but yes, not a day goes without yogurt!  

     

I made these little tarts filled with saffron scented yogurt cream, pistachios and peaches. Hung curd, sweetened, whisked with some saffron infused cream can't be anything but good of course! A bit of texture with chopped pistachios makes it even better. Light and delicious, a simple, make ahead recipe for Mother Dairy's  Summer Of Happiness Challenge. 

To participate, submit a recipe using any of these Mother Dairy products. Mother Dairy Paneer, Chach, Curd, Blueberry Yogurt, Mango Lassi, Aam Doi and Mishti Doi. More details and recipes by Chef Vikas Khanna here. 

Saffron Scented Yogurt Cream & Peach Tarts (serves  6-8)

Delicately flavored yogurt cream and peaches in crisp buttery tart shells. 

Ingredients:

Short Crust Pastry (recipe below)

Mother Dairy Curd - Two 400 gram boxes to give about 1 1/2 cups hung yogurt.

Fresh cream, 25% fat (I have used Amul) - 1/2 cup / 120 ml

Saffron - 2 generous pinches

Powdered sugar - 4 tablespoons ( or more to taste)

Chopped pistachios - 1/4 cup

Fresh peaches (or mangoes), sliced for garnish

Method : 

For the tart shells: 

Flour : 175 grams

Butter : 113 grams, cubed and chilled till very cold

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Powdered sugar - 1/2 tablespoon

Ice cold water - 2 tablespoons (plus 1 tablespoon if needed)

Equipment : One Small and another large metal bench scraper. Chill these at least for 15 mins.  Alternatively you could use a food processor. 

A rolling pin.

Pie weights or kidney beans. Small squares of aluminum foil.

Cling film

Special instructions : Work in a cool kitchen.

Method : To make the pie crust : 

Mise en place.

Whisk together the flour, sugar and salt, transfer mixture onto your kitchen counter. 

Dump the cold butter on the flour. Toss the pieces in the flour so that the flour coats it. 

Using the bench scraper, briskly cut the butter into the flour till the mixture resembles bread crumbs. This will take a couple of minutes.

Make a well in the middle of the flour. Take 2 tablespoons cold water from the freezer and pour into the well. Gently gather the flour into the water using your fingertips. The dough will begin to come together. 

If you pinch some dough between your thumb and forefinger, it should hold together and not crumble apart. Though the mixture may look dry-ish at this stage, it will come together well. Add more of the chilled water just half a teaspoon at a time if the mixture doesn't hold when pinched. Remember, excess water will make the pastry tough. 

Once you have added the needed amount of water, divide the flour mixture into two portions.  Smear each portion gently once across the counter with the heel of your hand. Gather it back, the pastry will be smoother now. 

Flatten, wrap well in cling film and refrigerate for at least half an hour. Overnight is fine too.

When ready to bake : 

If the pastry is very firm, leave it (still wrapped) on the counter for 15-20 minutes or till firm but malleable enough.

Flour your counter very lightly. 

Gently roll out the pastry about 3-4 mm thick. Cut out circles . 

Slip them in gently into the tart molds, taking care not to stretch it or it will shrink later. (If I ever learn to do this neatly, will tell you how) Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour or overnight to suit your schedule. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with cling film and refrigerate. 

Pre-heat oven to 190 C/ 375 F. Remove cling film, place squares of foil inside the cups, put some kidney beans to weigh them down and bake for 18-20 minutes or till light golden and crisp. Store airtight till needed.

Saffron Scented Yogurt Cream

Drain the yogurt in a muslin lined sieve, placing a large bowl underneath to catch the whey. Place in the refrigerator for about 8-10 hours  to get very thick yogurt.

Warm the cream with the saffron very gently over low heat. Refrigerate. 

Whisk together 1 cup of the hung yogurt, sugar and 1/2 cup cream till light. (vary proportion to taste) Stir in the pistachios. 

Keep refrigerated till serving time.

Just before serving, spoon the yogurt cream into the tart shells, top with the fruit slices and more pistachios.  Serve immediately. 

Jamie Oliver's Peach Clafoutis - Easy, Homey, Delish!

Its not everyday that you stumble upon a recipe which is super easy to make, does not have a load of fat, barely any flour, comes together in 10 minutes and bakes in 15.  A simple yet satisfying homey kind of dessert you want to eat when you crave something sweet. Made with the most basic pantry staples, this clafoutis is something I could easily fall into the habit of making. On a busy week day or on a lazy weekend, this is one of the easiest desserts you could bake. A scoop of ice cream or some whipped cream will make this good enough for company too! 

Ever since I baked Tartine's Clafoutis, I have been trying more recipes of this French dessert. That was a slightly more substantial one, but delicious nonetheless! The custard lover that I am, clafoutis with lesser flour is a welcome addition to the dessert repertoire.

I don't normally stock canned fruit, but now I think its not a bad idea to have a can or two to bake desserts like this on a whim. Store cupboard versions as Jamie calls them. Seasonal fruit like cherries, berries, plums or even apples should work good. I know you have heard this before  I would anytime prefer eating fruit fresh to those cooked to any degree. But since fruit does add appeal to dessert, I like baking in ramekins as it reduces the baking time drastically. You could bake the clafoutis in a large oven proof dish, but then the fruit will be quite mushy. You could even skip the fruit and make a plain version, so what if we can't then call it a clafoutis? 

Peach Clafoutis. Recipe here

Ingredients: To make about 8 half cup servings

Canned peaches, drained - 200 grams ( 1 small tin, I used Del Monte)

Salt - a tiny pinch

Eggs - 144 grams / 3 large

Whole milk - 450 ml (3.5 - 4% fat)
Caster Sugar - 100 grams 

Plain flour - 24 grams / 3 tablespoons

Butter - 50 grams  (I skipped this)

Confectioner's sugar - for dusting on top

Ice cream or whipped cream to serve (optional)

 Method 

• Pre heat oven to 220 C / 425 F.

• Lightly butter 8-10  half cup /120 ml capacity ramekins. Cut the peach halves into 3 pieces each. Arrange two of these pieces in each of the ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large tray, spaced about an inch apart.

• Take the sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt in a medium sized bowl. Whisk lightly to combine. We do not want to introduce air by vigorous whisking. Slowly whisk in the flour a tablespoon at a time. If there are any tiny lumps, rub between your fingers to smoothen. (Eeks? Please tell me if you have a better way to do this!) 

• Warm the milk so its barely warm (think you are warming milk to set yogurt in summer), this was 106 F on my thermometer. Err on the side of the milk being less warm than it being hot as the eggs may curdle. 

• Whisk the warm milk gently into the egg mixture. Pour it over the peaches in the ramekins.  The ramekins will be 3/4 full. 

• Bake about 13-15 minutes or till the custard is set but has a slight wobble when you shake it. To test, check at 13 minutes. Let the ramekins remain in the oven. Shake one ramekin gently to see if looks set but has a slight wobble like jelly. If it looks runny, bake 2 minutes more. If in doubt, err on the side of under baking. The clafoutis will puff up a bit and then deflate. 

• Remove the tray from the oven. Carefully transfer the ramekins on to a cooling rack. Let cool completely. Though this is eaten warm with a dusting of confectioner's sugar, I like clafoutis best at room temperature. Dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream or cream. 

Please note:

The original recipe uses 3 tablespoons sugar in the batter and 3 tablespoons dusted on top. I have used more and all in the batter.

You could use lesser sugar if using more fruit as that would make the dessert sweeter. Jamie uses a 400 gram can (almost double). I have used less fruit as I like it to be more of custard.

Do not use powdered sugar in the batter as it will clump. 

If baking the clafoutis without fruit, fill the ramekins 3/4 way up. Check at around 15 minutes. The baking time will vary depending on the size of the baking dish / ramekin.

Even if you have never baked custard before, this should be easy enough to try. Very little effort, safe and good as long as you do not over bake. From inspiration to the table in 30 minutes, don't you think this is worth a try?