Ambassadress Tartlets

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29901, 15 August 1962, Page 3

Ambassadress Tartlets

A delicately-flavoured, . creamy almond filling in ' fine shortcake shells with chocolate topping aaake these Ambassadress Tartlets a most luxurious and sophisticated sweet. If you can bake the shells in boat-shaped patty tins and top them with a chocolate leaf, which are obtainable in some fortunate places, then you see Ambassadress Tartlets as they ought to be. But make them anyway for ordinary patty tins will serve, and grated chocolate and a blanched almond will substitute for the chocolate leaf Ingredients: The Bases: 4oz butter 4oz sugar Boz flour I teaspoon baking powder Pinch salt 1 large egg yolk or 2 if very small The Filling: 1 breakfast cup chilled evaporated milk 1 teaspoon gelatine 1 tablespoon cold water ’« cup boiling water to pint cream 3oz ground almonds 2 tablespoons icing sugar Topping: 1 flimsy chocolate leaf to every tartlet <1 packet Will do several batches) or grated dark chocolate and blanched almonds

Method: Make the bases ahead and store in a tin as long as is necessary. Cream butter and sugar and beat in egg yolk, then work in sifted flour, baking powder and sal. and combine to a smooth paste. Turn on to a floured board and roll very thin. Cut roughly into oblongs, lay inside boat-shaped moulds, pressing out to line neatly and thinly. With a knife, run round to cut off excess and neaten the edges. (If using ordinary patty tins, stamp out with fluted cutters and press thinly out into patty tins.) Bake ai 350 degrees until just pale gold. Leave about one minute when they come from the oven but not too long. Loosen edges with a knife and gently lift on to a wire tray to cool. Chill evaporated milk at least 24 hours. Soften gelatine in cold water, dissolve in boiling water and allow to become cold. Whisk milk and when stiff whisk in two tablespoons icing sugar, then the gelatine and beat until very stiff. Whisk cream separately. Fold cream and ground almonds gently through the milk and store in a bowl in the refrigerator until required. About an hour before using fill the shells with the almond cream and top with a chocolate leaf or the chipped chocolate and almond. If essential to fill further ahead, return to the refrigerator and store where they will keep without softening the shell too much.