Holiday Brunch Tarts
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
Either you love it or you hate it. Butternut squash, that is. I am in the ‘love it’ camp, which you may have noticed because I already have a couple recipes with butternut squash as the main ingredient. This recipe is different though. The star ingredient isn’t the squash, it’s the savory custard. The recipe is adapted from The Great British Baking Show’s former judge, Mary Berry. I love the ease of this recipe. You can make a dozen of them the day before, refrigerate them and pop them in the oven for 10 minutes before serving, or freeze them for a later date.
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
¾ lb. butternut squash peeled, small dice
½ yellow onion, small dice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
4 sheets of filo dough
3 tablespoons of melted butter
2 eggs, room temperature
10 oz. heavy cream
3 oz. brie—cold
6 teaspoons of jellied cranberry sauce
Ground paprika for dusting the tops of the tarts
Preheat the oven to 400°
Butter a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss squash and onion with olive oil, add a healthy pinch of salt and dash of pepper. Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the squash is soft.
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
Set aside to cool.
While the squash is roasting, gather and measure all the other ingredients. Slice the brie into 12 pieces and set aside. Beat the eggs in a measuring cup then add the cream to combine.
You will need a ruler or some kind of measuring tool handy.
Have all other ingredients measured, ready, and close by before you pull out the filo dough. Lay four sheets of filo dough out on top of each other and measure out 12 squares 4” x 4”. You should have three down and four across with a bit left over. With a pastry cutter or knife gently cut through all four sheets. Place one square on top of the muffin tin, now with the second layer place it at a slight angle so that you get a star shape; brush the second layer with melted butter and then repeat with the third and fourth sheet, brushing the fourth sheet only. Gently push the tart shell into the pan, making sure it reaches the bottom and edges of the tin. Repeat with the rest of the squares. You need to work quickly so that the dough doesn’t dry out, but because the shape of the tart isn’t uniform, you don’t have to be too fussy about how you lay the layers into the tin. Next fill all the tarts about halfway with the cooled squash and onion mixture. Pour the cream mixture over the squash being careful not let the cream spill out of the shell about 1/8th of a cup per tart. Finally, add ½ teaspoon of cranberry sauce to each tart and a piece of brie. Sprinkle the paprika over the top and place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. You want a crisp top and a golden bottom. Serve warm or at room temperature.
You can make these the day before and then just pop them in a 350° oven for ten minutes or freeze them for future use.
Adapted from Mary Berry’s cookbook Classic
Photo by: Lucy Alexander