Mighty Mighty Market Pies

The Market was wonderful, I managed to sell all the slices of pie and got to go home early! It was a really fun afternoon. My little cards I got printed with a link to L'Amour de Tarte blog came in the post the day before - which was very lucky! Quite a few of them got taken, so welcome to anyone who is visiting after the Market!

Here are some pictures of the lovely pies and the stall.

Market Update - Menu

After much debate, I have finalised the pies for the market stand next weekend;

Chocolate Mousse & Orange Blossom Tart
Chocolate Hazelnut Pavlova Tart
Lemon and Sugar Crepe Pie
White Chocolate, Frangipane and Berry Tart
and a classic Kiwi Bacon and Egg Pie...

I have decided to go with tried and true, I figure there will be lots of time for the others later on (such as the mango caramel tart! - shh)

First ever market stand!

Cuba St in Wellington, NZ is quite well known as one of the funkiest and quirkiest streets in the city. One of the biggest and most fun days in the Capital is the Cuba St Carnival which gets bigger every year! One of the stars of Cuba st is Mighty Mighty, which is one of those places that sums up Cuba st and NZ without even trying.

Once a month Mighty Mighty dedicate half of the floor space to have a market, which I have picked up some very nice little treasures! After having a lovely chat with the organisers last time I was there, I thought it would be fun to have stall and sell slices of pie :) This means I will get to make a few new pie ideas from my notebook (which has now surpassed the 40 ideas mark) but also to remake a few favourites! So on the 5th of September I will be at the Mighty Mighty Market seeing if anyone wants to buy a slice or two of pie...

Blackcurrant and Tamarillo Frangipane Tart

Such a mixed week has gone by, just when you think your starting to untangle the giant ball of wool that is life, you look around and realise you have simply gotten tangled in the mess...

Tomorrow is another wonderful 'Whisky, Wine, Sugar and Spice and all things Delicious' evening at work, where the idea is to bring along a bottle of your favourite drink and food to accompany. I decided on wine and of course pie, now what pie to bring.... As my heart is a bit heavy this week I have a winter version of the Sad Red Strawberry Pie. Blood red blackcurrants and blood red tamarillo mixed with a comforting frangipane filling. The base is lined with chocolate to protect the delicate pastry and contain all the wonderful red juice...

1x Pie Shell, par-cooked, 21cm
60g Chocolate, melted
1 Cup Blackcurrants
2Tbs Corn Flour
2Tbs Sugar
150g Butter, unsalted
150g Caster Sugar
175g Blanched Almonds, ground
2x Eggs
Ix Tamarillo, peeled and segmented

Brush the melted chocolate into the pie shell.
In a bowl mix the blackcurrants, cornflour and first measure of sugar, tip into pie shell.
Whisk butter and second measure of sugar until light and fluffy.
Fold in almonds and eggs until smooth.
Lightly press frangipane mix over blackcurrants until the berries are covered.
Decorate with tamarillo segments.
Bake for 45min at 180C or until golden on top.

Enjoy with a cold, sweet glass of wine while listening to the winter rain falling on the roof and thinking of those that you cherish but can't be with.

Sad Red Strawberry Tart

After spending a weekend with a lovely man in Sydney I was returning home to Wellington, feeling rather bewildered and sad. I started thinking of strawberries, so fresh and romantic - crushed with the sadness of being apart....

1 x Pie Shell
150g Dark Chocolate
100g Cream
2 Cups Fresh Strawberries, chopped
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs Fresh Mint, chopped
1 Tbs Icing Sugar
2 Tbs Kirsch Liquor

Bake the pie shell for 15min at 180 C
Crush strawberries, balsamic, mint, icing sugar, and kirsch together.
Leave to mingle for 30min.
Melt chocolate and cream together. Smooth into pie shell to cover base and sides, refrigerate until set.
Drain strawberry mix in a sieve, retain liquid.
Spread strawberries over the pie base.
Reduce liquid to a syrup. Drizzle over tart.
Grate dark chocolate and sprinkle fresh mint over top of tart.

Enjoy with friends and a nice glass of wine!