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How to Make Puff Pastry Tartlets: With or Without Moulds
Instructions
Beat the egg with 1 tsp of water: this wash makes the tartlets golden. Without it they come out pale beige.
Method one, in a muffin tin. Thaw the pastry at room temperature for 30-40 minutes: it should be pliable but still cold. Roll the sheet out lightly and cut it into squares of about 10 by 10 cm with a sharp knife.
Grease the muffin tin with oil and press in the squares so the corners point up. Brush the pastry with egg, keeping it off the cut edges: egg glues the layers together and the edges rise less.
Bake in an oven preheated to 200 °C for 15-18 minutes, until golden. The time depends on the oven and the thickness of the pastry. Take the tartlets out of the tin and cool them on a rack so the bases do not go soggy.
You get cups with the corners sticking up, handy for salads and pâtés.
Method two, without moulds. Roll the pastry out lightly and cut 6 circles 8 cm across. Cut a 4 cm circle out of the centre of three of them to make rings.
Prick the centres of the whole circles with a fork, brush them with egg and place the rings on top. Brush the rings with egg and sprinkle with sesame. Bake the cut-out centres alongside: they make lids or crisp rounds. Bake at 200 °C for 15-18 minutes.
While the tartlets are hot, gently press the centres down with a spoon to make a well for the filling.
Method three, neat cases. Roll the pastry thinner, to about 3 mm, and cut circles 8 cm across.
Grease the muffin tin and line the cups with the circles, shaping even sides: the pastry should not stick out far over the edge. Prick the bases with a fork.
Cover the pastry with pieces of foil and fill with weights: pearl barley, dried peas, beans or ceramic baking beads. The weights stop the base puffing up.
Bake at 200 °C for 10-12 minutes, then remove the foil and weights and bake for about 5 minutes more, until the base is dry and golden.
Tips
- 1
Puff pastry rises thanks to steam, so preheat the oven for 15-20 minutes. If the pastry gets soft and sticky, chill the shaped tartlets for 15-20 minutes before baking.
- 2
Cut the pastry with a sharp knife or cutter in one straight press, without sawing: a blunt edge seals the layers and the sides rise unevenly.
- 3
Fill the tartlets just before serving: a moist filling makes the base soggy. A lettuce leaf or a thin layer of butter under a moist salad helps.
- 4
Hot fillings such as julienne go in just before serving and straight to the table: heat softens puff pastry quickly.
What Temperature to Bake Puff Pastry Tartlets
Puff pastry producers recommend baking at 200-230 °C: in a hot oven the water in the dough turns to steam quickly and pushes the layers apart. At 180 °C, as in the video below, the tartlets will still bake, but they rise less and take longer, 20-25 minutes.
| Tartlets | Oven |
|---|---|
| Cups in a muffin tin squares or circles | 200 °C, 15-18 min |
| Without moulds rings on circles | 200 °C, 15-18 min |
| Cases with weights thin pastry | 200 °C, 10-12 min with weights, 5 min without |
| Mini tartlets circles 5-6 cm | 190 °C, about 10 min |
| Re-crisp before serving baked ahead | 200 °C, 5 min |
How to Keep Tartlets Crisp
- Store empty baked tartlets in an airtight box at room temperature for up to 2 days. Before serving, crisp them in the oven for 5 minutes at 200 °C.
- Fill the tartlets just before serving. Shop-bought wafer cases go soggy in about 40 minutes; puff pastry holds up longer but softens too.
- Use cold fillings that are not too wet: sauces and juicy tomatoes soak the base.
- For sweet tartlets, brush the inside with melted chocolate or beaten egg white and let it set: this layer keeps moisture away from the pastry.
Fillings for a Festive Table
- Red caviar with cream cheese. Step by step: tartlets with red caviar.
- Crab salad. Crab salad with corn goes in just before serving.
- Chicken liver pâté with egg and pickle: pâté recipe.
- Liver salad. Finely chopped chicken liver salad with pickles.
- Chicken and mushroom julienne. A hot filling: oven-baked julienne.
- Cream cheese with egg and herbs. As in the "Easter chicks" snack.
For pregnant women, the NHS advises avoiding liver pâté and cold-smoked fish: smoked salmon should be heated until steaming hot. Pasteurised cream cheese is fine.
How Long Filled Tartlets Keep
Filled tartlets should stay at room temperature for no more than 2 hours, or 1 hour in hot weather, according to the US FDA. For a long party, put out small platters and replace them with fresh ones from the fridge.
Keep salad fillings separately in the fridge at 2-6 °C. Russian food-safety guidance (Rospotrebnadzor) limits salads with boiled eggs or canned vegetables to 6 hours after dressing, so dress the filling just before you fill the tartlets.
Calories in Puff Pastry Tartlets
100 g of baked puff pastry has 558 kcal, 38.5 g of fat, 45.7 g of carbohydrates and 7.4 g of protein, according to the USDA. The filling comes on top: caviar and cream cheese make a rich tartlet, a vegetable salad a lighter one.
Video
FAQ
How do you make tartlets without moulds? +
Cut 8 cm circles from puff pastry and cut a 4 cm centre out of half of them. Place the rings on the whole circles, brush with egg and bake at 200 °C for 15-18 minutes. The sides rise by themselves; press the centres of the hot tartlets down with a spoon.
What temperature do you bake puff pastry tartlets at? +
At 200-220 °C in a preheated oven. Mini tartlets bake at 190 °C for about 10 minutes.
How long do you bake puff pastry tartlets? +
At 200 °C for 15-18 minutes, until golden. Cases with weights bake for 10-12 minutes, then the weights come out and they bake for about 5 minutes more.
How do you stop the base from puffing up? +
Prick the base with a fork, cover with foil and fill with weights: grain, dried peas or ceramic beads. Without weights, press the centre down with a spoon straight after baking.
Can tartlets be baked in silicone moulds? +
Yes, the same way as in a metal tin. Stand the silicone mould on a baking tray so it does not bend. Bases brown less in silicone, so you can bake them for 2-3 more minutes out of the mould.
Which pastry is better: yeast or yeast-free? +
Yeast-free puff pastry is the usual choice for tartlets: it is flakier and crisper. Yeast puff pastry is puffier and softer, and it works for tartlets too.
How long do empty tartlets keep? +
Up to 2 days in an airtight box at room temperature. Crisp them for 5 minutes at 200 °C before serving.
How long before serving should tartlets be filled? +
Ideally right before serving. Fillings with mayonnaise or sauce soak the base, and shop-bought wafer cases go soggy in about 40 minutes.
How long can filled tartlets stay on the table? +
No more than 2 hours at room temperature and no more than 1 hour in hot weather. After that, refrigerate or discard them.
How many calories are in puff pastry tartlets? +
100 g of baked puff pastry has 558 kcal, according to the USDA. The filling adds to that.
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