Spiced Chai Tarts

Methods and Directions

The Tart Shells

1. In a small saucepan, melt ¼ cup of butter and add the tea. Cook on low heat for five minutes, remove from heat and steep for five minutes.
2. Pour the mixture through a muslin cloth, squeeze the tea leaves to extract flavor and color, and discard.
3. Dry roast the fennel, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves. Cool and make a fine powder in a spice grinder.
4. Pass the spice mixture and flour through a sieve and set aside.
5. Add the remaining butter at room temperature into a stand mixer and beat till light and fluffy.
6. Add salt, lemon oil, ginger and lemon zest. Pulse till mixed well.
7. Sift the sugar and add to the butter mixture. Beat till creamy.
8. Add in the egg and beat well. Scrape the sides down to ensure that the mixture is homogenous.
9. Add the flour and mix till combined.
10. Gather the dough, flour a surface and form 2 discs. Wrap them in cling film and chill till firm.
11. Remove the dough from the chiller and roll on a slightly floured surface. Line the tart pans with it and neatly trim the top edges.
12. Freeze the dough in the tart pans till hard.
13. Preheat the oven to 230C. Dock the tart shell, fill with pie weights and blind bake till the crust is golden.
14. Cool at room temperature before brushing the white chocolate inside. This will prevent the crust from being soggy and helps increase the shelf life.
15. Fill in the custard right before service.

The Custard Filling

1. 2 tsp Dilmah’s Lemon Flavored Ceylon Black Tea
2. 2 cups Milk
3. 1 1/2 cups Water, chilled
4. 2g Fennel
5. 2g Cinnamon
6. 1g Cardamom
7. 0.5g Allspice
8. 0.5 g Nutmeg
9. 0.5 g Clove
10. 1 pinch Black Pepper
11. 3g (freshly grated) Ginger
12. 1 pinch (fresh) Lemon Zest
13. 1 1/8 cup Sugar
14. 1/2 tbsp Vanilla bean paste
15. 1/2 cup Cornstarch
16. 3/4 cup Sugar
17. 1 pinch Salt
18. 4 Egg Yolks
19. 1 Egg 1
20. 1/2 cup Butter, cut into small cubes
21. 4 tbsp Cream

The Topping

1. Slice the strawberries and arrange on top of the custard.
2. Add mint leaves to finalize the look.

The Glaze

1. Place a tea bag of Dilmah’s lemon tea in a mason jar and add water. Shake well and keep it in the sun for a couple of hours. Drain, to use the sun tea.
2. Add the sun tea, strawberries, jaggery and lemon juice to a saucepan and simmer on low heat till all the strawberries have softened.
3. Transfer to a blender and blend till smooth.
4. Strain and discard all the solids.
5. Add xanthan gum and blend again till a smooth coulis is ready.
6. Drizzle on top of the strawberries and on the serving plate.