Once again I took an unintended break!
Ramadan got busier towards the end, then the Eid break where we spent at the beach house then of course adjusting to the regular schedule and back to taking Cravings orders. That took me quite a while.

Here are some interesting LaMèreCulinaire news I would like to share with you:

I  started blogging weekly for Anazahra in Arabic. You can check out my blog posts there on Mondays.

You can finally put a face to the name! C’est moi!

When my friend Hala AlGergawi tweeted about my blog post on anaZahra, HH Sheikh Abdulla Bin Zayed AlNahyan Replied to her tweet! That was just greatest thing that could happen!

I also started submitting exclusive recipes for Khaleejesque. These will be on posted on Fridays.
For this week I created: Feta, Sumac and Walnut Flat bread. Check it out at Khaleejesque!

The last of the good news is that I’ve updated the Cravings list of cookies! Make sure you check it out!

During Ramadan I posted a photograph on my Instagram timeline of a Date and Vinalla Custard Tart.
Many of my followers wanted the recipe of this extremely rich tart!

Once you have a bite, you long for more! It’s that delicious. Everyone at home loved it.

Khlaas dates were at their peak and since they are my favorite, I made sure to use them in that tart.
I chose the very ripe dates which were almost paste like. These were the secret to having a rich tart.
You can substitute with any dates you like and they don’t have to be fresh.

INGREDIENTS:

300ml thin cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
1 egg, lightly whisked
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup (55g) caster sugar
1/2 cup of fresh very ripe dates  (I used Khlas dates)

PASTRY:
125g Chilled Butter, Chopped
1 1/4 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Almond Meal
1/4 Cup Icing Sugar
1 Egg Yolk

Preheat oven to 200°C.
To make pastry: Place butter, flour, almond meal (You can use store bought or just grind your own almonds) and icing sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg yolk and process until mixture just comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until just smooth. Shape into a disc and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to rest.

Spray or grease a round tart tin with a removable base with baking spray or butter. Then Roll the pastry out to a relatively thin disc then place carefully into tin. Trim the edges and don’t panic if your pastry get’s ripped. You can patch it up with extra dough. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Line the pastry with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or uncooked chickpeas (Which I used).
Bake in oven for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Reduce oven to 150°C.

Combine cream and vanilla in a saucepan over low-heat. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
In a bowl, whisk egg, egg yolks and sugar until combined. Gradually add to cream mixture, whisking constantly until combined. Pour into pastry case. Arrange dates in custard. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until just set. Remove from oven. Serve at room temperature or cold (depending on what you like).

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