HOWARD MIDDLETON

Black carrot and wild garlic tartlets

Packed with unusual fare - the bounty of Sheffield's Food Festival - these gluten-free tartlets are versatile enough to adapt with more standard ingredients.  Try common-or-garden carrots or golden beetroot, any strong cheese, and use a regular pesto or tapenade.  The pastry can be tricky to handle, but I think it's worth the effort.  You'll need to work carefully and patiently when lining the tins, and chill the pastry cases before baking.  This recipe makes eight little tartlets using 9cm mini quiche tins, but you could bake a big one in a single round or rectangular tin if you prefer.

Ingredients

1 or 2 black carrots (or other root veg)

1 tbsp olive oil

a knob of butter

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

For the pastry

150g rice flour, plus extra for rolling

50g quinoa flour

50g potato flour (or cornflour)

50g polenta (or gluten-free pinhead oats)

1/4 tsp gluten-free baking powder

100g cold unsalted butter, cubed

25g strong cheese (Knuckleduster or other), finely grated

freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp poppy seeds

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 large egg

1 large egg white (save the yolk for the filling)

For the filling

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

180ml milk

about 50g strong cheese (Knuckleduster or other), grated

1 tbsp pesto (wild garlic or other)

Method

1. Peel and slice the carrots.  Part cook in boiling water for 5 mins, then drain.  Heat the olive oil and butter in a sauté pan or frying pan. Add the carrots, sugar and balsamic vinegar and cook for 5-10 mins until the sugar has dissolved and the carrots are glazed.
2. Mix the flours, polenta (or pinhead oats) and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl.  Rub in the butter until it’s like breadcrumbs.  Stir in the cheese, pepper, poppy seeds and lemon zest.
3. Whisk the egg and egg white, pour into the flour mix, stir with a knife, then bring together by hand.
4. Lightly grease eight 9cm loose-bottom mini quiche tins.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 4mm (1/4in) thick.  Stamp out with a round cutter about 11cm in diameter.  Gently ease the discs into the tins, patching any cracks.  Pop the pastry cases into the freezer for 20 mins.
6. Preheat the oven to 210C/190C fan/gas 6-7 and heat a baking sheet.
7. Put a paper muffin case in each pastry case, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 12 minutes, then remove the beans and paper case and bake for another 5 minutes to dry off the surface.
8. Leave the pastry cases to cool in their tins while you prepare the filling. (You can patch again with pellets of uncooked pastry if any cracks have appeared.)
9. Whisk the egg, egg yolk, milk, cheese and pesto in a jug.
10. Put the carrot slices in the pastry cases. Fill with the savoury custard and bake for about 18-20 mins until firm and golden on top.