Method

Strawberry Cremeux

1. Into a small dish, add the powdered gelatin and cold water and set it aside to bloom for 10 minutes. If using gelatin leaves, use two sheets (any strength) and soften this in a bowl of cold water.

2. Add the puree, eggs, yolks and sugar into a medium saucepan. Add a touch of red food colour if you wish. Place it over a medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture has thickened to a custard-like texture. It will be just above 75C on a digital thermometer, but be careful not to scramble it. It has gelatin in it to stabilise it, which will help.

3. Immediately remove it from the heat and pass the mixture through a sieve into a tall measuring jug.

4. Add in the bloomed gelatin (squeeze out the excess water if using a gelatin sheet) and blend this with a hand blender until smooth.

5. Allow the mixture to cool to 35-45C and then add in the soft butter and blend again until smooth. Finally, stir through a pinch of salt.

Soft Buns

Tangzhong

1. Into a small saucepan, add the whole milk and bread flour and cook it over a medium heat, whisking until it reaches a thick paste like consistency.

2. Scoop the mixture into a pan and set it aside to cool for 15 minutes.

Dough

1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the bread flour, salt and yeast. Split half a vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape the beans into the dry mixture.

2. Add the cooled tangzhong paste and crumble this through with your fingertips. Set the bowl to one side.

3. Add the milk, cream, egg and sweetened condensed milk to a small saucepan. Over a low heat, stir it until it reaches 46-48C/114F-188F and then immediately take it off the heat and pour it over the dry ingredients.

4. Stir the mixture together with a spatula and a plastic dough scraper, until there are no more dry ingredients at the bottom. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.

5. Add in the cold cubed butter and with the dough hook, knead for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the sides if needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

6. Remove it from the bowl and shape it into a tight ball on the work surface, before lifting it into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and proof for 1 hour.

7. Remove the proofed dough from the bowl and lift it onto your work surface – no need to flour it.

8. Cut the dough into 75g portions, you should get 12-14.

9. Cup your hand around the dough in a ‘C’ shape and rotate it underneath your fingers and palm, to create a smooth, round ball.

10. Lift each ball onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. You will fit 6 balls per tray. If you have it, spray the balls with an oil spray and cover them with cling film. If not, cover them loosely with a clingfilm. Proof them for 45 minutes – 1 hour or until doubled in size.

11. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175C/345F non-fan assisted (160C fan assisted).

12. Whisk together the egg wash ingredients and use a pastry brush, to cover the whole bun. Place them into the centre oven (you will likely need to swap the trays halfway through baking). Bake them for around 25 minutes or until golden brown all over.

13. Remove them from the oven and lift them off the tray, straight onto a wire cooling rack. Cool for at least 30 minutes.

Crème Pâtissière

1. Heat milk and vanilla in a saucepan over a medium heat. Whilst this is heating up, in a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolk, sugar, cornstarch and salt. 

2. Once the milk has come to a gentle simmer, slowly pour it over the top of the egg mixture, whisking constantly.

3. Pour the combined mixture back into the saucepan and continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. It will take about two minutes to come to a boil. Once it reaches this point, heat and whisk for a further minute to cook out all the cornstarch. You should be left with a thick, pudding-like consistency.

4. Pass the mixture through a sieve into a tall measuring jug. Add in the cold butter and blend with a hand blender until smooth. Pour it into a bowl and set it in the fridge to chill for 2 hours. 

Strawberry Gel

1. Into a small bowl, add cold water and the powdered gelatin. Let it soak for 5-10 minutes.

2. Stir together the pectin and sugar in a small bowl and set this to one side.

3. Add the fresh strawberries and strawberry puree to a small saucepan and stir them together over a medium heat until they warm slightly (about 40C/105F). Whisk in the pectin sugar mixture and continue to whisk until it reaches a boil.

4. Remove it from the heat and scoop in the bloomed gelatin before whisking it through, along with the fresh lemon juice.

5. Pour the mixture into a tall jug, cover the surface with clingfilm, and let it set in the fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight. 

Assembly

1. Add the chilled strawberry cremeux to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on a medium speed until it holds a medium stiff peak.

2. Split the mixture between two piping bags, one with a large round tip nozzle.

3. Add the cooled strawberry gel into a small blend (or a tall just if using a hand blender) and blend it into a smooth gel. Add this into a piping bag.

4. Remove the crème pâtissière and with a hand whisk, whisk for 1-2 minutes, until it is smooth and there are no lumps. Add this to a piping bag. 

5. Take the cooled buns and use an apple corer or a knife to take a portion of dough out of the underside, keeping the base intact so you can put this back on! You need a decent-sized hole in order to fit the filling in so you may need to pull some of the dough out. 

6. Take the buns and fill them with the strawberry cremeux, and then the crème pâtissière. Place the base of the bun back on, to seal it. 

7. Take the strawberry cremeux with the piping nozzle, and pipe a small dollop on top of each bun. Then, using the back of a warm ¼ tsp measure, scoop a small hole out of the centre, and pipe the strawberry gel inside.

8. Finish with a dusting of icing sugar and some white chocolate decorations if you fancy making them.

9. These are best served and eaten within a few hours. 

Method

Pie Dough

1. Add the flour, sugar & salt into a large bowl.

2. Add in the butter (cut into small cubes), and toss it in the flour to coat the pieces.

3. Using your hands, work the butter into the flour, squeezing each piece between your fingers to flatten them. 

4. Add in the cream cheese, and stir it through with your hands again to dissolve it into the flour mixture. 

5. Now, mix in the ice-cold water, starting with about half, and swirl your hands to mix the water into the dry ingredients. Keep adding water just until there are no more dry ingredients in the bowl. The amount of water you need will depend on the type of flour you use.

6. Lift the dough onto your work surface and pull it together with your hands into a rough square shape.

7. Flour your work surface and the top of the dough, and using a rolling pin, roll it into a long rectangle. The dough might want to stick, so use a bench scraper to get underneath the dough to loosen it. 

8. Fold one-third of the dough up, then fold the other third of the dough over the top of this. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

9. Repeat this laminating process two more times, rolling the dough into a rectangle and folding it on itself. Once you have performed the final fold, cut the dough in half, then wrap and chill the dough for at least 1.5 hours, or leave it overnight. 

Apple Filling

1. Peel and core the apples, then cut them into cubes – 2x2cm as a guide. 

2. Toss them in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice once chopped, to prevent them from browning. 

3. Into a large saucepan, add the butter and place it over a medium heat.

4. Stir it until the butter begins to brown slightly and smells nutty.

5. Add in the apples, and stir, cooking over a medium heat for 2 minutes.

6. Add in the sugars, and continue to cook for 5 minutes, to release some of the moisture from the apples. 

7. Reduce the heat to medium low, and add in the spices, cook for 30 seconds, then add in the cornflour and cook for a minute.

8. Stir in the water, starting with about half, until you have a sauce that is thick and glossy – the consistency of a runny caramel. If you prefer a pie with a saucier consistency, then you can add more water. 

9. Finally, stir through a pinch of flaky sea salt. 

10. Pour the mixture onto a baking tray, and cover the surface with clingfilm. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Assembly

1. Remove one half of the pie dough from the fridge, and on a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a rough circle, around 3-5mm thick.

2. Lift it into a 9” pie dish – you should have a 1” overhang of dough over the edge of the tin.

3. Scoop the cooled apple filling into the dough, pressing it down with a spatula to remove any air pockets.

4. Place the pie in the fridge.

5. Remove the second piece of dough from the fridge, and on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a rough circle.

6. Remove the pie from the fridge and apply a light egg wash around the edge. 

7. Lift the second piece of dough on top, and using your fingers, firmly crimp the edges to seal the two pieces of dough together.

8. Using scissors, cut the excess dough away, leaving about a ¼” of dough around the edge.

9. Fold this excess dough underneath itself to create a thick rim.

10. Use your thumb and index finger on one hand to gently pinch the edge of the dough. With the index finger of your other hand, press into the pinched section to push the dough outward, creating a fluted edge. Continue this motion, crimping the entire crust of the pie. 

11. Place the pie into the fridge for 30 minutes. 

12. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 225C/435F non-fan assisted, and place a baking tray on the lower third rack of the oven. 

13. Once the pie is chilled, remove it from the fridge and brush an egg wash over the dough. 

14. Sprinkle a light dusting of demerara sugar on top, and then use a knife to cut 3 air vents in the centre of the pie.

15. Place it onto the pre-heated tray, and bake for 25 minutes.

16. Then, move the pie up to the middle shelf of the oven and lower the temperature to 180C/355F. Bake for a further 60-70 minutes. 

17. The pie will darken quite quickly, so you will most likely need to cover the top of the pie with a sheet of foil for the final 30-45 minutes to prevent it from burning. 

18. Once baked, the pie should be a deep golden colour, and the filling should be bubbling up slightly.

19. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool. Let the pie cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. It will still be warm, with a soft, and runny center. But for cleaner slices, allow it to cool completely or even chill it in the fridge—then reheat individual slices as needed.

Method

Pâte Brisée

1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, flour and salt. Mix on a low speed until the butter has completely broken down into fine crumbs and there are no large chunks of butter. 

2. Slowly drizzle in the cold water and mix for a few seconds until it pulls together into a dough. 

3. Gently knead the dough into a disc on your work surface and wrap it in clingfilm, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. After 30 minutes, place it in between two silicon mats (or two sheets of parchment paper), and roll the dough into a rough disc that is around 3-5mm thick. 

5. Refrigerate the pastry again for 1 hour and preheat the oven to 180C/355F Non-fan Assisted. This is a good point to prepare your pastry cream. 

6. Peel the silicon mats/parchment paper off the pastry and ensure the dough is cold but flexible. If it is too cold it will break so just leave it for a few minutes to soften slightly if needed.

7. Lift the pastry into a 22.5cm fluted tart ring and use your hands to gently press it into the edges. Work quickly, being careful not to tear the pastry. 

8. Use a knife to trim the excess pastry off and place the tart shell back into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes. 

9. Scrunch up a piece of baking paper and press this into the chilled tart shell. Fill the tart shell with baking beans or rice and then place it on a tray and straight into the oven to bake.

10. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, then remove the baking beans, and continue to bake for a further 10-15 minutes, or until the pastry is an even golden brown colour. 

11. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 30 minutes. 

Pastry Cream

1. In a medium saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat, add the milk and the scraped vanilla pod just until it is steaming. 

2. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt until smooth and thickened.

3. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture over the sugar and eggs mixture, whisking constantly.

4. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Whisk constantly over medium heat until it begins to bubble, then cook for 1 minute.

5. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pass the mixture through a sieve placed over a large bowl.

6. Whisk in the butter until the mixture is smooth. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate it for an hour. 

Frangipane

1. Into a stand mixer, add the soft butter, salt, lemon zest and sugar. Beat for 2-3 minutes on a medium-low speed until slightly thicker and paler in texture.

2. Slowly drizzle in the eggs and beat for a further minute.

3. Finally, add in the ground almonds/almond flour and scoop in the required amount of cooled pastry cream. Beat until smooth. 

4. Add the mixture into a piping bag.

Assembly & Baking

1. Lower the oven temperature to 175C/345F Non-Fan Assisted.

2. Take the raspberry jam and spread a few tablespoons across the bottom of the cooled pastry. Make sure it is nice and even.

3. Next, pipe the frangipane evenly into the tart shell. Use a palette knife if needed to smooth it out.

4. Slice your fresh raspberries in half and press them gently into the frangipane.

5. Next, take your time, and evenly place the flaked almonds around the entire tart in a nice circular pattern. This is optional, you can simply sprinkle them on!

6. Place it into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until it is an even golden colour all over.

7. Remove it from the oven, and at this point this filling will still be slightly soft, so let it cool for an hour at room temperature before serving. 

Method

Raspberry Pastry

1. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cold cubed butter and then sift over the raspberry powder, icing sugar and red food powder. With the paddle attachment, beat on a medium low speed for 2 minutes or until the butter is smooth. As the butter is cold you will need to scrape down the bowl a few times to ensure it is completely incorporated. 

2. Add in the egg yolks and beat again for around 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl again to ensure it’s all incorporated.

3. Finally, sift in the flour, scrape the bottom of the bowl just to loosen the butter stuck on the bottom, and then mix again on a low speed until it pulls together to form a dough, about 20-30 seconds.

4. Scoop the dough out and place it onto a large silicone mat and place a second silicone mat on top. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it is around 3-5mm thick, don’t worry too much about the shape.

5. Place the entire sheet of pastry into the freezer for 30 minutes.

6. While the dough is chilling, take the perforated tart ring and very lightly grease the inside with soft butter. This helps to prevent the dough from sticking to the ring.

7. Remove the chilled dough from the freezer and, working quickly, peel the top silicone mat off of the dough. Press the 4 tart rings firmly into the dough, lift them up, and transfer them to a perforated tray lined with a perforated baking mat. The dough should be cold enough that it attaches to the ring as you lift it up. Place the tray in the fridge while you cut the walls.

8. With the remaining dough, use a ruler and a sharp knife to cut 4 strips of dough each measuring 9.6 x 0.9 inches (24.4 x 2.3cm). These measurements seem quite precise, but this will ensure the dough fits perfectly into the tart rings with no excess overlapping. If they feel too warm to lift up, place them back in the freezer for 5 minutes just so they can cool back down slightly. 

9. Remove the baking tray with the tart bases from the fridge and remove one strip of dough for the walls.

10. Working quickly, take the strip of dough and place it inside the tart ring. Use your fingers to gently press together this strip of dough, against the base of the tart. The idea is to slightly push down the wall of dough so that it meets the dough on the base of the tart shell and there are no gaps. If at any point you feel the dough is too warm or is tearing, place everything back in the freezer for 10 minutes then carry on.

11. Repeat this with the remaining tarts, again, chilling the dough if needed. At this point, squeeze together the remaining scraps of dough, and repeat the process, rolling the dough and chilling it, so that you can create the final 2 tart shells. 

12. Once you have lined all the tart shells, avoid trying to move them in case the dough tears. Chill the entire tray in the freezer for 15 minutes and pre-heat your oven to 175C/350F.

13. Remove the shells from the freezer and holding a knife perpendicular to the tart shell, trim off the excess pastry hanging over the tart ring so that the pastry is flush. 

14. Place the tart shells in the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. While they bake, add the egg wash ingredients to a small ramekin and blend it to combine – I prefer to use a hand blender as it fully emulsifies the colouring into the egg mixture. 

15. Remove the tarts from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. At this point, the pastry should have retracted slightly from the ring mould, and you should be able to lift it off easily. 

16. Lift the shells up and using a pastry brush, apply an even egg wash all over the tart. Lower the oven temperature to 140C/285F and place them back on the tray and into the oven for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool. 

Raspberry Soufflé

 – Raspberry Base

1. Into a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch.

2. Add the puree into a medium saucepan and heat it until it reaches around 40C. Once hot, sift in the cornstarch mixture and whisk together. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble. Once bubbling, cook for a further minute.

3. Immediately pass the mixture through a sieve into a bowl and cover the surface with cling film. Chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.

 – Meringue Base

1. Fill a pan with a shallow amount of water and place it over a medium heat. Meanwhile, add the egg whites and sugar into a medium bowl and place this over the water once it is simmering.

2. Whisk constantly until it reaches 60-65C (140-150F) on a digital thermometer.

3. Immediately remove it from the heat and place it on a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

4. Whisk on a medium speed  for 6-7 minutes until you have a stiff meringue.

5. While it is whisking, remove the raspberry base from the fridge, whisk it, then weigh 75g and add this into a medium bowl.

6. When the meringue is done, fold it in thirds into the raspberry base until you have a homogenous mixture. 

Assembly

1. Add the raspberry soufflé mixture into a piping bag and snip the end off.

2. Take the cooled tart shells, and place a few torn up raspberries into the base.

3. Pipe the soufflé mixture into the tart shells, filling them right to the top, and then use a palette knife to level them so they are completely flush with the top of the tart.

4. Place the tarts back onto your baking tray, and place the perforated tart rings around the pastry again. This will just help to provide a little structure and prevent the pastry from cracking as the soufflé expands.

5. Place the tarts into the oven and bake them for 7 minutes. They should rise just slightly.

6. Once they are baked, these can be served warm or alternatively served chilled (place the tarts into the fridge for 1 hour)

7. To garnish, add some freshly sliced raspberries.