Savoury Tartlets

Makes 28

Baked tartlet cases can be frozen, defrost at room temperature.

Ingredients:

For the pastry shells

500g ready made shortcrust pastry

Flour, for dusting

1 egg, beaten with a good pinch of salt

3 tablespoons finely grated hard cheese (use any hard cheese of your choice)

Hummus & roasted tomato

7 cherry tomatoes, halved

200g ready made hummus

Few chives

250g soft cheese

85g smoked salmon

Dill sprigs

Method:

Heat the oven to 200C. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to a large oblong measuring 30x40cm. Cut 24 rounds with a 6.5cm round cutter, then carefully place them in hertzoggie or muffin tins to form tiny tarts. Prick the bases with a fork.

Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, add a bit of the grated hard cheese on top of each disk and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden. Scrunch the pastry trimmings together, then re-roll and cut out more rounds until all the pastry has been used. Glaze and bake as before. When all the pastry cases come out of the oven, roast the cherry tomato halves on a baking tray for 8 minutes. The cases will keep in a tin for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

To serve, fill some cases with a teaspoon of hummus, a cherry tomato and a few snipped chives. Fill others with soft cheese, a twirl of salmon, dill and black pepper.

VARIATIONS:

You can also fill these tartlets with prawn cocktail, pate and chutney….whatever takes your fancy.