Watercress Cheese Tartlets Recipes

WATERCRESS & CHEESE TARTLETS

Steps:

• Sift flour into a mixing bowl and add salt.
• Rub 1/3 cup of the butter into the flour until mixture resemble bread crumbs.
• Stir in the cold water to make a firm dough.
• Knead the dough lightly, ten roll out on a lightly floured surface.
• Line 4 4-inch tartlet pans with the dough, trimming the dough to fit the pans.
• Prick the bases with a fork and set aside in the refrigerator to chill.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter in a skillet.
• Discard the stems from the watercress or spinach and add the leaves to the skillet (if using spinach, make sure it's well drained before mixing with the filling ingredients) along with the garlic and shallot.
• Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the watercress is wilted.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cheese, yogurt and paprika.
• Spoon the mixture into the pastry cases and cook in a preheated oven at 350F for 20 minutes or until the filling is firm.
• Turn out the tartlets and serve hot or cold.

GOAT'S CHEESE & WATERCRESS QUICHE

Steps:

• Put the flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the egg and about 1-2 tbsp water to form a soft dough. Knead well then wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Knead the pastry again and roll it out to line a 20cm loose-bottomed flan tin (the pastry won't shrink, so no need to chill). Patch holes with spare pastry and brush the base and sides with egg.
• For the filling, fry the onion in the oil until just soft, add the watercress and cook until just wilted. Beat the eggs and milk and stir in the watercress mixture and goat's cheese.
• Season and if you like, add a pinch of nutmeg. Put the flan tin on a bakingsheet and bake the pastry blind for 5 minutes. Add the filling and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 180C/gas 4/ fan 160C and cook for 25-30 minutes or until lightly set.

SPRING TARTS WITH WATERCRESS SALSA VERDE & WHIPPED LEMON FETA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Unroll the pastry but leave it on the parchment, then transfer it to a baking tray. Brush egg yolk all over. Trim the edges with a large, sharp knife - this will give you a neater finish but isn't essential. Cut the pastry in half lengthways, and move the pieces apart so they have a little space to puff up as they cook. Score a border about 1cm from the edge of the pastry, all the way around, then cut slashes across the centre to prevent it from puffing too much. Be careful not to score the border.
• Toss the carrots and radishes in a little oil and a sprinkling of salt in a small roasting tin. Put the pastry on the top shelf of the oven and the veg on the middle one, and cook for 25 mins, or until the pastry is golden and has a crisp base, and the veg are starting to soften. Leave to cool while you make the lemony feta.
• Crumble the feta into a bowl, add the mascarpone, lemon zest and milk and blend using an electric hand whisk until smooth. Chill until needed. To make the salsa verde, put all the ingredients in a small hand processor and whizz to a pesto consistency. This will keep in the fridge for a few days.
• Bring a pan of water to the boil, and have a bowl to hand filled with cold water and some ice. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and cook for 1-2 mins until bright green but still crunchy. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out and plunge straight into the iced water. Do the same with the sugar snaps, and finally the peas, draining these in a sieve, then cool in the ice water with the other veg.
• Spread the whipped feta over the bases, top with the veg (you can mix them up or keep the roasted veg on one tart and the green veg on the other, if you like), then drizzle with salsa verde and a little oil. Best served within an hour or two, but leftovers will keep for a day in the fridge.