St George's Superstars

Ruby Mahoney, Year 11 

The level of talent our students have in the kitchen knows no bounds. It is a revelation our staff enjoyed when St George's first-ever Great Bake Off saw the staff room filled with cakes to taste-test. More than 30 students brought in delicious and elaborate sweets baked at home in the hope of earning House points through blind tastings. Congratulations to all the finalists whose cakes are pictured here:

After much tallying of scores and a second round taste-test MasterChef style, it was agreed that the winner surely had made the delicate Sweet Tart Crust with Lemon Curd from scratch. Great , Ruby!

“I had trouble binding the tart case together, and instead of a mixer I used my hands and just basically kneaded it,’’ Ruby said.

“For the decoration I just sliced a strawberry in half then sliced it up three times and spread it out like a fan,  and placed three raspberries and mint on top.’’

Ruby's Recipe

Sweet Tart Crust

• 180g all-purpose flour
• 55g sugar
• Pinch salt
• 115g) cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 egg
• Splash of vanilla extract , optional
• Uncooked rice to use as a pie weight

1. Process flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor for a few seconds until combined. 
2. Add egg and vanilla extract and keep pulsing until the dough is no longer dry and starts to clump together, about 10-15 seconds. The dough should stick without feeling dry or crumbly.
3. Turn dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and layer on tart pans. With a sharp knife, trim the edges of the pastry to fit the tart pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm, about 30 minutes. Frozen dough is less prone to shrinking while baking.
5. Preheat oven to 190℃ and place rack in the centre. 
6. Press baking paper or foil tightly against the crust, covering the edges to prevent them from burning. Fill with ‘pie weight’ such as uncooked rice so it keeps its shape. 
7. Bake crust for 30 minutes or until golden brown and dry. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Lemon Curd

• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar
• 1/3 cup (80g) chilled unsalted butter
• Zest and juice of 2 lemon
• Jar for storage

Whisk eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a saucepan until smooth, then place pan over a low heat. Add the butter and lemon juice and zest and and whisk continuously until thickened. Strain through a sieve into a sterilised jar. Chill. Fill the pastries with curd and decorate to your heart’s content!