Julie Jones, Instagram influencer and author of Soulful Baker and The Pastry School conducts online work-shops for pastry decorating and this is the book that her followers have been crying out for.

A collection of basic sweet, shortcrust and hot water pastry recipes at the start of the book can each be used for a variety of pies and tarts and with a wide range of fillings, both sweet and savoury.

Chapters on Fruit, Meat & Fish, Vegetables, Sweet Dairy and Cheese include 40 recipes that can all be adapted to a variety of decorative approaches. The recipes suit small and large rounds and small and large squares, according to how many people you’re planning to serve. In total there are more than a hundred decorative pies and tarts to feast your eyes on. Recipes include a linear fruit pie, a cheese lattice pie, a pumpkin-baked pastry tile pie and a carrot and courgette flower pie. Every chapter includes exquisite photography by Andrew Montgomery of both the food and the inspiration behind it.

Art in Pastry: The Delicate Art of Pastry Decoration: Recipes and Ideas for Extraordinary Pies and Tarts is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Indigo.ca.  

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Sweet Pumpkin Tart

Instead of using canned pumpkin purée, this delicious tart involves roasting a fresh pumpkin or squash to tenderness. The difference in the flavour and texture is far superior. My favourite pumpkin to use is the Delicia, which has the most amazing colour and sweet-tasting flesh. The velvety smooth, buttery, intense sweetness blows my mind every time I taste it. Good alternatives are the Kent and Kabocha varieties, but butternut squash will work brilliantly.

Makes 1 large tart or 6 small tarts

For the pastry

1 batch sweet shortcrust pastry (see below)

For the filling

750g (1lb 10oz) pumpkin, seeds removed but skin on, cut into rough 5cm (2in) chunks 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

250g (9oz) condensed milk 

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground allspice 

4 eggs

Variations and additions

•  Add vanilla seeds to the pastry.

•  Change up the spice blend to suit your personal taste. 

•  Serve decorated with whipped cream.

 

Line your tin with the pastry and blind-bake and trim according to the instructions on page 13. Leave the baked pastry case in the tin for filling and finishing. Any excess pastry can be used for decoration.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6

Place the pumpkin chunks in a deep roasting tray and drizzle with the oil, tossing to coat. Roast for 1 hour, then cover with foil and continue to roast for another 30 minutes. You are looking for slightly caramelized, tender flesh. Once done, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tray. 

When cool enough to handle, spoon the pumpkin flesh from the skin, discarding the skin and any overly charred bits. Ideally, you should end up with about 350g (12¼oz) flesh, but don’t worry too much if the weight is slightly under. Put the pumpkin flesh in a food processor. Add the condensed milk and all of the spices then pulse until smooth and silky. Transfer to a large bowl, making sure to transfer every last drop. 

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs (without incorporating too much air), then stir them into the pumpkin mixture. Pass through a fine sieve. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 140°C/120°C fan/275°F/gas mark 1.

Place the tin containing your blind-baked pastry case on a baking sheet and pour the pumpkin mixture into the case, filling it as close to the top of the pastry case
as possible. Bake for 35 minutes, then check by gently tapping the oven shelf with
a wooden spoon, looking for movement across the surface. There should be ripples towards the centre. If there are ripples moving towards the edges, leave to bake
for a bit longer, checking every 5 minutes. The filling will set further as it cools,
so don’t be tempted to overbake. When done, remove from the oven and leave
to cool completely before decorating. 

 

Butterflies & Flowers

A selection of edible flowers and leaves, along with some pre-baked pastry shapes, fruit and sprinkles, can make any sweet-tart prettier. When placing the decorations, try to
do so without overthinking: the more natural the placement, the more beautiful the finish will be.

Baked Pastry Tiles

Pre-baked pastry shapes make for effective decor. The shapes, of course, can differ, as can the way in which they are arranged. Here, I opted for triangles, which were cut using a triangular cutter. (If you don’t have a triangle cutter, simply mark out equilateral triangles on strips of pastry, then cut.) Chill the cut pastry well before baking, then egg wash and bake at 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6 for 10 minutes until golden and crisp. The baked tiles can be arranged upon the tart’s surface. A little trimming may
be required to make some edges fit, in which case I recommend using a serrated knife. 

 

Savoury shortcrust pastry

This pastry is particularly short but can be used successfully for decorative pastry work. It is surprising how much the dough will change after a rest: the liquid from the egg yolk and the milk is absorbed by the flour as it rests, giving you a great dough to work with. It will never be as pliable as the sweet version (the icing sugar in that makes the dough softer), which is why you sometimes see a savoury dough that contains a little sugar. I have never needed to add sugar to this recipe, but if you have trouble, it will probably be due to the absorption of the flour. 

If after resting, the dough seems very hard to roll or is cracking around the edges, lightly spray the surface with water, then rewrap and rest again before rolling. 

Mix the flour and butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed until the butter has been incorporated into the flour and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the salt and mix for a few seconds before
adding the egg yolk and milk. 

Continue to mix until a cohesive dough forms – this will only take 30–60 seconds, depending on the mixer. Turn the dough out onto the work surface (there is no need to dust with extra flour) and bring it swiftly together with your hands, without overworking.

Lay out a long sheet of clingfilm and place the dough on the lower half. Flatten the dough well with the palms of your hands and then fold the other half of the clingfilm over the top. Roll between the clingfilm briefly, then rest for at least
30 minutes at room temperature if using to line a tin, or in the fridge if using
for decoration.

The pastry is now ready to be used for lining a tin or for making a beautiful pie top.

Makes 1 batch

230g (8oz) plain flour

125g (4½ oz) butter, cold, cut into 1cm (½in) cubes

pinch of salt 

1 egg yolk 

2 tablespoons milk

For the egg wash 

1 egg yolk, mixed with a few drops of boiling water

 

Basic Pastry Recipes

sweet shortcrust pastry

This is such a great pastry to work with, perfect for making all of the beautiful designs you can possibly think of. It handles well, and cuts and shapes well too – but most importantly, it tastes amazing! If baked properly, this pastry will
be crisp, yet each bite will melt perfectly in your mouth. 

Mix the flour and butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on a medium speed until the butter has been incorporated into the flour and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar and salt, if using, and mix for
a few seconds before adding the egg yolk and milk. 

Continue to mix until a cohesive dough forms – this will only take 30–60 seconds, depending on the mixer. Turn the dough out onto the work surface (there is no need to dust with extra flour) and bring swiftly together with your hands, without overworking.

Lay out a long sheet of clingfilm and place the dough on the lower half. Flatten the dough well with the palms of your hands and then fold the other half of the clingfilm over the top. Roll between the clingfilm briefly, then place in the fridge
to rest for at least 30 minutes.

The pastry is now ready to be used for lining a tin or for making a beautiful pie top.

Makes 1 batch

230g (8oz) plain flour

125g (4½oz) butter, cold,
cut into 1cm (½in) cubes

50g (1¾oz) icing sugar, sifted

pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter, which is preferable)

1 egg yolk 

2 tablespoons milk

For the egg wash 

1 egg yolk, mixed with a few drops of boiling water

 

Recipe reprinted with permission from Kyle Books.