Spinach and Sweetcorn Tartlets

I love making and eating tarts. Last May when I was in Allahabad to celebrate Vaanya's 1st Birthday, I tried my hands on them and since then have been making and enjoying batches of these crispy yummy pastry. 

A tart is basically a shortcrust pastry with a filling which can be either sweet or savoury. A tartlet is a miniature tart.

Though I always love to make tarts with a sweet filling especially chocolate, this time I decided to try the classic combination of spinach and sweetcorn combined with the goodness and gooeyness of cheese. A perfect Savoury Tartlet.

Ingredients: For Tartlets(makes four 3 1/2" size tarts)I used two 3 1/2" tarts and one 6" tart.

• 1 cup refined flour
• 40 gms unsalted butter cubes(cold)
• A little cold water for kneading

Procedure:
Take flour and butter in a bowl and rub the butter cubes with the flour till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (in texture).

Now add cold water 1 tbsp at a time and knead to get a smooth dough. Do not over knead.

 Wrap this dough in a plastic sheet and refrigerate for half an hour.
Take out the dough and roll it with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Roll it roughly to a circle with 1/8" thickness.

 Gently press the dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the tart tin. Trim excess dough. 

Line all the 4 tart tins the same way. Make holes on the sides and bottom with a fork and refrigerate for another half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. Bake the tarts for 15-20 mins or till they get a light brown colour. Take them out and let them cool.

Ingredients: For filling

• 1 cup spinach (blanched and chopped)
• 1/2 cup Del Monte Whole Kernel Corn
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp refined flour
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup cold milk

Procedure:
Take little oil in a pan and saute garlic. Add spinach and let it cook for some time. Add salt to taste.
In another pan add butter and flour. Mix well till it browns lightly and add milk while stirring well to avoid lumps. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it thicken as we want a thick white sauce.
Mix the spinach and the sweetcorn with the white sauce.

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.
Pour this filling in the prepared tarts and sprinkle some grated processed cheese on top. Bake for 10 mins or till the cheese gets a lovely brown colour.

Happy Tartlet-eating
Amrita

Sending this recipe to The Del Monte Blogger Recipe Carnival

 to Bon Vivant#7-Baked Goodies


to Lets Cook#18~Starters/Appetizers

 and to Fun Fair Food event