Recipes

Gin And Tonic Tarts

Daisy Nichols|

Gin And Tonic Tarts
4.5 (2 ratings)
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These are so much fun! What could be better than a favourite cocktail in tart form? Make these and watch them disappear. The fizzy chocolate is a fantastic addition and the juniper in the pastry gives a familiar gin aroma to the cocktail.These can be found in my cake cabinet at Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio every day, but they’re especially popular with the on-the-way-home-from-work crowd on Friday evenings. I think these effervescent tarts just shout, "The weekend is here!" — Darren Purchese, author of Lamingtons & Lemon TartComponents:Juniper sweet tart casesFizzy white chocolate with limeLime curdGin and tonic jellyLime marshmallow
Servings
12
Ingredients
  • 10 ounce plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 3/4 cup icing (confectioners’) sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground juniper
  • 5 ounce cold unsalted butter, diced
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/3 cup icing (confectioners’) sugar
  • 1 1/2 ounce citric acid powder
  • 1 1/2 ounce baking soda
  • finely grated zest of 2 limes
  • 12 ounce white chocolate, melted and cooled (but still liquid)
  • 8 eggs
  • juice and finely grated zest of 6 limes
  • 9 ounce unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 3/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar
  • 4 gold-strength gelatin leaves, 1/4 ounce, soaked and drained
  • 4 fluid ounces gin
  • 12 fluid ounces tonic water
  • 6 fluid ounces sugar syrup
  • 5 gold-strength gelatin leaves 1/4 ounce, soaked and drained
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 3/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon liquid glucose
  • 10 gold-strength gelatin leaves 3/4 ounce, soaked and drained
  • finely grated zest of 1 lime
  • finely grated lime zest for garnish
Directions
  1. Place the flour, icing sugar, salt, juniper, and butter in a freestanding electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until you have a fine sandy texture.
  2. Add the egg and egg yolk to the bowl and mix again until the dough starts to come together.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it briefly with your hands to bring it together.
  4. Form a square shape with the dough and flatten it on a large piece of plastic wrap. Cover the dough completely with the plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill and rest for 45 minutes.
  5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch.
  6. Transfer the dough onto a couple of sheets of baking paper, place them on a tray and rest them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
  7. Preheat the oven to 340 degrees F. Place twelve 3 1/4-by-1-inch round tartlet tins or rings on a baking tray (or two) lined with baking paper.
  8. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and, using an 3 1/4-inch round pastry cutter, cut 12 discs from the two sheets of pastry. Line the tartlet tins with the pastry discs. Place the tarts in the refrigerator to rest for 20 minutes.
  9. Remove the tarts from the refrigerator and trim any excess pastry from the rims. Blind bake the tarts for 20 minutes or until cooked. Remove the pie weights and return the tarts to the oven for 2 minutes to dry out.
  10. Remove the tarts from the oven and leave them to cool in the tin. Turn out the tarts onto a wire rack.
  11. Place the icing sugar, citric acid, bicarbonate of soda, and lime zest in a bowl. Add the melted chocolate and stir to combine. Set aside until cool, but keep it liquid.
  12. Using a pastry brush, brush the chocolate mixture on the inside of the juniper sweet tart cases.
  13. The remainder of the chocolate can be spread out thinly on a clean and smooth work surface using a palette knife. Leave the chocolate to set for a few minutes before scraping it up with a metal scraper or the blade of a knife. Store the shavings in a container until needed.
  14. Place all the ingredients, except the gelatin, in a bowl and whisk well to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk the mixture constantly. Continue to cook — being careful of the steam, which can burn — and check your water does not run dry in the pan (top up the water if needed). Heat the curd until it reaches a temperature of 82 degrees C (180 degrees F), using a digital thermometer for accuracy.
  15. Prepare a large bowl of iced water.
  16. Remove the bowl from the saucepan on the heat and add the gelatin, stirring well until it has dissolved. Strain the curd into another bowl, then set this bowl in the larger bowl of iced water to cool the curd down quickly.
  17. Stir the mixture occasionally over the ice to cool the curd down to a temperature of 104 degrees F. Pour the curd into the prepared tart cases and tap the tarts gently to level them flat.
  18. Place the tarts in the refrigerator to finish cooling and set. This will take around 30 minutes.
  19. Note: The curd can also be cooked in the microwave by placing all the ingredients, except the gelatin, in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix well and cook for 20 seconds on high power (100 percent) then stir vigorously. Repeat these steps until the curd is starting to bubble and is smooth and shiny. Remove from the microwave and add the soaked gelatin. Mix well again, then proceed with the method as above.
  20. Mix the gin, tonic water, and sugar syrup together in a bowl. Transfer to a saucepan over medium heat and gently bring to the boil.
  21. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the gelatin until it has dissolved.
  22. Strain the jelly mixture through a small sieve into a plastic container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
  23. Place the egg whites in a freestanding electric mixer and start to whisk them slowly on low speed.
  24. Place 5 fluid ounces of water, the caster sugar, and glucose in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently to dissolve the sugar and bring the syrup to the boil.
  25. Once the syrup has come to the boil, turn the mixer with the egg whites to medium speed.
  26. Cook the syrup until it reaches a temperature of 125 degrees C (257 degrees F), using a digital or sugar thermometer to check the temperature. Then slowly trickle the syrup in a constant stream down the side of the bowl into the whisking egg whites, ensuring it doesn’t touch the whisk.
  27. Melt the gelatin in the still-hot saucepan and add it to the bowl. Whisk well until the mixture starts to cool and thicken, then add the lime zest.
  28. Transfer the mixture to a piping (icing) bag fitted with a small plain nozzle.
  29. Note: Left-over marshmallow can be piped into bulbs on a lightly greased baking tray for use as a garnish or extra component for any number of other desserts. They will last up to 1 week.
  30. To assemble:
  31. Remove the tarts filled with the curd from the refrigerator. Pipe small bulbs of marshmallow onto each tart.
  32. Place a spoon in some hot water and then scoop some gin and tonic jelly onto each tart. Garnish the tarts with some fizzy white chocolate shavings and fresh lime zest to get the party started.
  33. Note: For a variation, try a piña colada tart — switch lime curd for pineapple, gin and tonic jelly for a Malibu jelly, and remove the juniper from the pastry. Keep the lime marshmallow as is, but maybe top the tarts with shaved coconut.
  34. Recipe adapted from Lamingtons & Lemon Tart by Darren Purchese (Hardie Grant, 2017)
 
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