Start a dinner party with canapés. It gives guests time to mingle while they wait for everyone to arrive and the host has time to get ahead with the rest of the prep.
Have the tartare mix prepped ahead of time, then all you need to do is quickly assemble the tarts before passing them around.
TARTLET OF BEEF TARTARE, COMTE AND TRUFFLE PISTACHIO RECIPE
Makes 16 canapes
16 tart shells
300g beef sirloin, trimmed and finely diced
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
75g capers, finely chopped
75g pistachio nuts, roughly blitzed
1 small bunch of chives, finely chopped
2 Tbsp hot sauce
50ml truffle oil
200g Comte cheese (or use Parmesan)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tart shells
1 packet spring roll pastry
Olive oil, to brush pastry
- Preheat oven to 180C.
- Using a 4-5cm cookie cutter, cut the spring roll pastry into rounds. Using a small muffin tray, grease the back of the moulds with oil and place the pastry, folding the edges. Place another tray on top to form uniform tart shells.
- Bake for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Cool on a wire rack. Alternatively, you can buy the shells from a specialist grocery store.
- For the tartare, combine all ingredients except the Comte or Parmesan in a mixing bowl and combine well. Add some olive oil if the mixture is a bit dry.
- To assemble, fill the tart shells evenly with the tartare mix and then use a microplane to grate the Comte or Parmesan cheese on top of each shell.
- Serve immediately, otherwise the pastry shell will go soggy.
This recipe was originally published in volume eight of Viva Magazine.
