Equipment
Ingredients
Vegan Shortcrust Pastry
- 180 g plain flour
- 30 g icing sugar
- 2 g salt
- 100 g vegan butter, cold and cubed
- 30 ml water, ice cold
Prune and Ginger Filling
- 200 g pitted prunes, roughly chopped
- 15 g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 20 g crystallized ginger, finely diced
- 60 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 60 ml water
- 40 g brown sugar
- 2 g ground cinnamon
- 1 g ground star anise
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
In a mixing bowl, combine the plain flour, icing sugar, and salt. Add the cold cubed vegan butter and rub the mixture between your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Drizzle the ice cold water over the flour mixture. Gently bring the dough together with your hands just until it forms a cohesive ball. Do not overwork.
Wrap the dough tightly or cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to relax the gluten and firm up the vegan butter.
While the pastry chills, prepare the filling. In a small saucepan, combine the chopped prunes, fresh grated ginger, orange juice, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, and star anise.
Bring the saucepan to a gentle bubble, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The prunes should break down into a thick, jammy paste.
Remove the filling from the heat and stir in the finely diced crystallized ginger. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly grease a 12-hole mini tart tin if it is not non-stick.
Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick. Cut out 12 circles using a round pastry cutter and gently press them into the holes of the tart tin. Prick the base of each shell lightly with a fork.
Spoon the cooled prune and ginger filling generously into each tart shell, filling them almost to the top edge of the pastry.
Bake the tarts at 180°C/350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry edges are golden brown and crisp.
Allow the tarts to cool in the tin for 10 minutes to firm up, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Keep the vegan butter as cold as possible to ensure a flaky crust; warming it during the mixing process will result in a tough, dense pastry.
- The double ginger approach provides significant depth. Fresh ginger yields a sharp, aromatic spice, while the crystallized ginger adds chewy bursts of sweetness and heat.
- If your prunes are exceptionally dry straight out of the packet, soak them in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain thoroughly before using them in the filling.
- Do not overwork the pastry dough once water is added. Gluten development is the enemy of a tender shortcrust and will make the tart shells shrink.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze fully baked tarts. Thaw at room temperature.
Reheating: Reheat in a 150°C oven for 5 minutes to restore pastry crispness.
