An easy peasy pastry that lifts any dish. You dont even need a rolling pin
This pastry is ridiculously easy to make. You do not need any special equipment at all yet it is sophisticated all the same. All you need is a bowl, a regular kitchen knife and some scales to weigh the ingredients.
Nothing says apero like a small square of this tangy tart from the South of France
Shhhh! dont tell anybody but if you have a jar or two of Onion & Beer Confit handy and some very buttery pastry then this is a five minute assembly job. With a bit of planning this is how “Slow Food” can be “Fast Food” 😉 and how you can be a kitchen star with ease! Traditionally this is made with bread and indeed made with a pizza dough it is also sublime but must be eaten on the spot…generally not a problem.
Now if ever there was a biscuit for the “Boudoir” (Larousse: “a woman’s private sitting room” and derived from the French verb “bouder” to sulk…go figure) this is it. This is what you want at hand to energise and inspire you as you leaf through something Cartlandesque or maybe even Marquis de Sadesque. Handily bite size as who wants crumbs in her boudoir?
These delicately flavoured nibbles are perfect served with black tea ( in porcelain cups and saucers p-lease) and also add a satisfying crunch and hint of perfume served with to ice creams and sorbets. I luckily have some cochineal essence which I purchased in Paris some years ago. Cochineal is made from ground up beetles from Mexico & South America and was invented by the Aztecs and used in their food and dying industries. It has been used since the 17th century in those other famous pink biscuits “Biscuits rose de Reims”. Luckily because it is all natural and nobody is yet concerned with beetle rights, cochineal is becoming fashionable again. Find in specialist patisserie and baking supply shops.
