I thought I had this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe from Baking Chez Moi all figured out. Recently when I was cleaning out our chest freezer, I came across a package of mini tart shells that I needed to use up. Since I knew that this week I was working with pastry with my online cooking camp, I didn’t particularly want to make a ton of pastry (or even a small amount) on the weekend so I reckoned I’d do some “using up” of what’s on hand.
Except then when I took the pastry shells out of the freezer I realised they were vol-au-vent shells (so, puff pastry). Ummm. Ok. I didn’t think Dorie would mind that I was cooking through my Covid pantry so I went with those. I made 1/4 of the filling (kind of like a mango and lime custard) for two tiny puff pastry tarts and baked them up when my oven was already on for something else (gotta multitask when it’s a billion degrees!).
I topped one with coconut before baking so it was all toasty when it was baked. The other I left plain and grated a bit of lime zest over it before I served.
These were lovely, albeit “wrong” and I’ll definitely make them again when I have some shortcrust pastry on hand because while the puff pastry was fine, I know these would work better in a regular tart shell. In any case, one less thing lurking in the bottom of the chest freezer is always good!
Get the recipe for Dorie Greenspan’s Tropical Tartlets on page 159 of Baking Chez Moi.
Tuesdays with Dorie participants don’t publish the recipes on our blogs, so you’re encouraged to purchase Baking Chez Moi for yourself which you can do on Amazon (this link should bring you to the Amazon store in your country) or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository. Then join us, baking our way through the book!
Please note: This post contains affiliate links. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post also contains affiliate links from The Book Depository. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!
__________
__________
MY BOOK! In the French kitchen with kids is out now! Click here for details and how to order!
Waste not, want not… well done, Mardi
Using what you had on hand is fine. I enjoyed these very much.
I love your ingenuity. I admit I had some pastry in the freezer left over from something else I’d made, just enough for 2 tarts. These were delicious!
They turned out beautifully!
I totally think it is great you used what you had…especially these times we find ourselves living in. I think yours look cute with the puff pastry!
i wouldn’t mind a little mango vol-au-vent. sounds yum!