Celery and Walnut Tartlets

Ingredients Cheese Pastry

• 150g plain flour
• pinch cayenne
• 90g firm butter, diced
• 60g grated tasty cheddar
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tbsp cold water

Ingredients Filling

• 2 tender ribs celery, stringed and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped freshly cracked walnuts
• 1 4 cup cream seasoned with a dash of sugar, dry mustard, salt and vinegar
• finely sliced spring onions

Method Cheese Pastry

Put the flour, cayenne and butter into a processor and pulse briefly until the butter is finely chopped. Add the cheese and pulse again. Add the egg yolk and water and pulse again, stopping before the mixture starts to clump. Tip out into a bowl and press together into a ball. Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Roll out thinly on a generously floured bench. Use a cookie cutter to cut circles to line 18 to 20 lightly buttered tartlet pans. Put the pans lined with pastry into the fridge to rest and chill for at least 20 minutes. Don’t re-roll pastry scraps – cut them into "rags and tatters" and bake at the same time as the tartlets. Heat the oven to 190šC. Bake the tartlet cases for about 10 minutes until deep gold, but not brown. While still warm, remove the cases from the pans to avoid sticking.

Makes 18-20 tartlet cases.

Method Filling

Combine the celery and walnuts. Whip the cream and seasonings until firm. Fold into the celery and walnuts. Spoon into the cold cheese tartlet cases. Sprinkle with spring onions. Serve promptly.

Enough for 12 tartlets