Divine smoked salmon tartlets

Makes 24

For the shortcrust pastry, you will need:

• 200g plain flour, sifted •100g chilled butter, cubed, plus 10g extra butter for greasing the tins Pinch of salt • 1 egg, beaten

For the filling, you will need:

• 25g butter • 1 small onion, finely chopped • 250g smoked salmon • 2 eggs • 1 egg yolk • 300ml cream • 3 ripe firm tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped, (see Rachel Recommends) • 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped • ½ tablespoon chopped fresh parsley • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 You will also need two shallow 12-hole mince pie trays. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4. First, make the shortcrust pastry. If you’re making it in a food processor, add the sifted plain flour, the chilled cubes of butter and the pinch of salt to the food processor, and whizz briefly. Add half of the beaten egg and continue to whizz. You might need to add a little more beaten egg, but make sure you don’t add too much, as the mixture should be just moist enough to come together. If you’re making the pastry by hand, rub the chilled cubes of butter into the sifted plain flour and the pinch of salt, until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Then, using your hands, add just enough beaten egg to bring the mixture together. 2 Use your hands to flatten out the ball of dough until it is just 1cm-2cm thick, then wrap it in cling film, or put it in a plastic bag, and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 3 Next, make the filling. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, and add the finely chopped onion. Turn the heat down to low, and cook the onions for for 8-10 minutes until they are soft but not coloured, then remove the saucepan from the heat. Cut the smoked salmon into small 1cm pieces. 4 In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, the egg yolk, the cream, the chopped tomatoes, the chopped fresh chives and the chopped fresh parsley. Mix it with the smoked salmon pieces and the cooked onions, and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 5 Grease the moulds of the mince-pie trays with the 10g of butter. Take the pastry out of the fridge, dust it and your work surface with flour, and roll the pastry out until it is quite thin — roll it between 2 sheets of cling film if you find this easier). Cut the pastry into 24cm x 7.5cm rounds, and line the tart moulds with the pastry by gently pushing the rounds into the greased moulds. 6 Fill each tart shell with a tablespoon of the filling. Put the trays of tartlets in the preheated oven, and bake them for 10-15 minutes, or until they are just set in the centre. These salmon tartlets can be baked in advance and then frozen.