Pastry chef Dominique Ashford treats us to a Christmas special, an alternative to the mince pie, pecan and date tarts served with homemade custard. The Christmas tree is up and the barn is feeling all cosy with the ESSE Ironheart pumping out warmth. The festive tarts are baked in the surround heat of the ESSE wood-fired oven and the custard is prepared using the cast iron hotplate above the fire.
Ingredients
Dough
- 375g plain flour
- 50g caster
- ½ tsp salt
- 226g cream cheese
- 226g butter
- Zest of 1 orange
Mix in a food processor or stand mixer, rest then roll out to about 2mm thick and cut into rounds to fit your tin. Fill with the date and pecan mix. Bake at 180°C [ESSE dial guide middle of HOT] for 15-20 mins.
Filling
- 3 medium eggs
- 200g dark brown sugar
- 60ml maple syrup
- 60ml brandy
- 28g melted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- ½ tsp salt
- 100g chopped pecans
- 100g chopped dates
Combine all. Delicious served with homemade custard – chef’s tip – add a little cornflour to prevent splitting.
Custard
- 250g double cream
- 125g milk
- 3 yolks
- 50g caster sugar
- 5g corn flour
- Vanilla
Bring the cream and milk to the boil. Whisk yolks, caster, corn flour, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour the simmering liquid on and mix, return to the ban, and gently cook out until it thickens.
Dominique Ashford was the pastry chef for the Houses of Parliament for 13 years. Dominique knows and loves her food and wants ESSE cooker owners to do so, too. Baking courses with Dominique are planned for 2025 at the ESSE factory showroom in Barnoldswick where gourmet cookery courses will be laid on using ESSE’s electric range cookers.
