I just followed a recipe from Saturday's Times Magazine for Wensleydale and onion tart. The pastry ingredients are:

250 g plain flour
75g butter
50g lard
2 egg yolks

Method for pastry:

Rub flour together with butter and lard until it resembles breadcrumbs. Using a knife, mix in the egg yolks until a dough forms. Knead gently until smooth.

This resulted in a very hard ball of pastry, which just fell apart when I tried to roll it out to line the flan tin.

Normally, I make a classic shortcrust pastry for savoury flans, binding it together with water, and have never had any problems. Perhaps I should have added water to this recipe, even though it wasn't specified.

Any ideas?

The addition of the egg makes a rich shortcrust pastry. Usually you would add enough water to the crumb and egg to bring it together. Looks like the Times have missed a bit out. What a shame.

Thanks, Tess-g. I will give it another go tomorrow. Had fish 'n' chips today instead.

That's more like it! Made the pastry properly today, adding water. It was a delicious tart, with Wensleydale cheese, onions, chives and cream. Let me know if you want the recipe.

Cool
Did you do it by feel?


You may want to contact the website to tell them their recipe is wrong.

I just did as Tess-g advised, and added water as necessary.

I will try and let the Times Magazine know.

Oh.....yes please for the recipe

Glad to hear it worked this time.

Thank you.

The recipe for Wensleydale and Onion Tart is:

2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
275 ml double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch chives, chopped
250g Wensleydale, grated

for the pastry:
250g plain flour
75g chilled butter, diced
50g lard, diced
2 egg yolks, beaten
water as necessary

1 First, make the pastry. Put the flour in a bowl, add the butter and lard and rub together with fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Using a round-bladed knife and a cutting motion, mix in the egg yolks [and sufficient water] until a dough forms. Gently knead until smooth.
Lightly flour a work surface and roll out pastry to size of a tea plate. Cover with cling film and place in fridge for 10 minutes.

2 Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4 and lightly butter a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin.

3 Roll out chilled pastry again and use to line tin. Prick the base with a fork, line with parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 30 mins. Remove paper and beans, then bake for a further 8 minutes. Set aside and reduce the oven temperature to 170C/Gas3.

4 Place onions and oil in a pan and fry gently for 10 minutes until lightly golden. Scatter into cooked pastry case.

5 Mix together the eggs, cream, seasoning and chives, add the cheese and carefully pour into the pastry case. Bake for 35 minutes until set and golden.

Sounds fabulous...thank you

My digital scales have decided to quit tonight so until I replace them, pastry is off the menu. Don't you just love modern technology

I've c&p your recipe and will cook it when I can.

Is there a recipe share thread? If not, then there should be..

Sounds like a good idea.