Walnut Tarts, Tarragon Chicken And Creamy Mash by Zarnak Sidhwa

Ingredients for Walnut Tarts:

• Walnuts  50 gm
• Cream cheese  50 gm
• Butter, softened  50 gm
• Flour  50 gm
• Salt  a pinch

Ingredients for Filling:

• Walnuts  85 gm
• Egg yolk  1
• Light brown sugar  50 gm
• Maple syrup  2 tbsp
• Vanilla essence  1/2 tsp
• Butter melted  1 tbsp
• Salt  a pinch

Method:

1. Heat oven on 180 C to make the pastry, grind the walnuts in a food processor until finely ground, then pulse in cream cheese, butter and flour and a pinch of salt until the dough just comes together.
2. Lightly flour your hands to prevent sticking, then roll the dough into small balls.
3. Use your fingers to gently press them into the bottom and up the sides of a 12 hole mini muffin tin.
4. Chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
5. Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan for 3-5 minutes until the filling.
6. Cool a little, reserve few of them , then roughly chop the rest.
7. Whisk the egg yolk, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla essence and melted butter with a pinch of salt, then remove from the oven.
8. If the pastry had puffed up a little, gently press it down with a teaspoon or your fingers.
9. Spoon 1-2 tsp of filling into each of the pastry cases, then top each with a whole walnut.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust turns golden and the filling is set.
11. Leave to cool a little in the tin.
12. Eat warm with some cream whipped up with maple syrup.

Ingredients for Tarragon Chicken:

• Oil  2 tsp
• Garlic  2-3 cloves
• Spring onions  2
• Tarragon  1/2 tsp
• Chicken stock  1 cup
• Chicken breast  2
• Salt  1/2 tsp
• Cream 1/2 cup
• White pepper  to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil, add garlic, and the spring onions, stir, add half the tarragon, put the chicken fillets into the pan.
2. Turn over the breasts add chicken stock, let cook, add the salt.
3. Cover and cook.
4. Remove the chicken breasts to serving dish.
5. Bring the remaining liquid  to a boil, add the cream and stir well, then sprinkle in some more tarragon, stir again and add white pepper.
6. Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, and serve.

Ingredients for Creamy Mash:

• Potatoes  1/2 kg
• Salt  1/2 tsp
• Cream  4 tbsp
• Butter  2 tbsp
• Milk  1 tbsp
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Boil potatoes with water and 1/2 teaspoon salt, until done.
2. Warm cream and melt butter, together in a pan .
3. Drain water from potatoes.
4. Put hot potatoes into a bowl.
5. Add cream and melted butter.
6. Use potatoes masher to mash potatoes until well mashed, adding milk to achieve the consistency you desire.
7. Do not over beat or your potatoes well get gluey.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.