"I do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens. Only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses.
Nobody, not even the rain has such small COLD hands.” - E.E.Cummings
I dont know why this poem keeps reverberating throughout the hollow corners of my kitchen every time I do playtimes with pies and tarts. Its not because Im hallucinating or something. I don't intend to bastardise such eloquence that is E.E. Cumming's poem by changing a word or two either.
But this poem reminds me of what Ada told me about my small cold hands, working to my advantage, doing magic on doughs and crusts. My pies and tarts turn out almost perfect in all occasions; and kneading is nothing short of bliss.
Ada is a former colleague of my little boy from work and she is Italian. I have to put stress on Italian because if you truly knew me, anything Italian is my kryptonite. I go weak at the knees about Italy. I soaked in their culture, people, language, music and especially their food. In my past and next lives, I am an Italian ragazza (woman). Lol! And so anything that Ada says about food is gold. At least to me. She used to say while munching on my food," I can feel the love from those small hands". I always looked forward to my little boy's accounts after a day's worth in the office especially about Ada. Such an animated, quintessential Italian woman she definitely is.
Anyway, going back to my cold hands, Ada said that cold hands keep the dough intact. Thus, making your dough perfectly moulded on your pie/tart tin. You have to work on the dough very quickly lest your dough becomes very sticky and difficult to mould and a pair of cold hands gives you more air time to craft and mould without ruining the intactness of the dough . The trick of the trade is that when the dough gets very sticky, pop it quickly in your freezer for 10 minutes then work on it again. A stone benchtop helps too - since it doesn't trap heat.
It doesn't mean that you can no longer make pies and tarts if you aint got a pair of cold hands. Run them through cold water or hold a pack of ice, then you are off to a good start.
Ingredients:
1 recipe basic sweet crust
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 recipe basic pastry cream
680g (1 1/2 lb) assorted fresh fruits, such as thinly sliced pears, plums, peaches, kiwis, berries and grapes (you can also use tropical fruits but make sure they are not the soggy type) Stone fruits are still the best.
55g (2 oz) apricot jelly or strained apricot jam
1 tsp water
Preheat the over to 200C (400F/ Gas mark 6). Roll out the pastry and line a 23 cm (9-in) tart tin. Prick the surface with a fork and chill for 10 minutes in the freezer. Bake blind for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the base of the tart with lightly beaten egg.
Return to the over for 10 to 5 minutes until the edges are brown and the base of the crust is golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Assemble the tart as close to serving time as possible.
Whisk the cooled pastry cream and fill the tart shell, smoothing the top with a spatula. Carefully arrange the fruit in a decorative pattern over the pastry cream
Warm apricot jelly in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the water and stir until smooth. Using a pastry brush, glaze the fruit.
Basic sweet crust:
140g (5 oz) plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
55g (4 oz) caster sugar
115g (4 oz) unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk
1-2 tbsp ice-cold water
Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small chunks and add to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or two knives in a criss-crossing motion, blend the butter into the flour mixture until it has the consistency of damp sand, with a few pea-sized pieces remaining.
Using a fork or wire whisk, beat the egg yolk with the cold water. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the flour, stirring only until the mixture has become moistened. The dough should stick together and be able to hold the form of a ball. Cover the ball with plastic wrap. Smooth the ball of the dough with a rolling pin so it forms a flat disc that fills the corners of the plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of half an hour. (If it has been chilled for a long time, it may need to soften slightly at room temperature before use.)
To roll out the piecrust, unwrap the disc and place on a lightly floured rolling surface. Roll the dough from the center of the disc to the edge, until the crust is the desired thickness and 2.5 cm (1 in) wider than the pie tin by rolling it onto the rolling pin and then positioning it over the pie tin. Carefully press the dough into the pie tin. If any cracks appear during the transfer, use lightly floured fingers to push the seams back together. If you cannot transfer the entire piece of dough at once, do not panic - this dough patches easily. Simply cover the base of the tart tin with the main portion of the dough, and use the scraps to cover the sides. Trim the excess from the edge of the tart crust.
Basic pastry cream:
This useful pastry cream can be made up to 1 day ahead
115g (4 oz) sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tbsp cornflour
235 ml (8 fl oz) whole milk
120 ml (4 fl oz) whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla essence
Combine the sugar, eggs, egg yolk and cornflour in a medium bowl. Set aside. Place the milk and cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, or in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over low heat. Bring to a simmer and remove from the heat. Slowly whisk the hot milk and cream into the sugar mixture. When smooth, return to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. Bring the thickened mixture to the boil and cook for 1 minute, still whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Place plastic wrap or parchment paper on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and chill in the refrigerator until needed, or for a minimum of 3 hours.
