Right you have your flan tins and baking beads at the ready and if you well oraganised you already have some pastry cases made and frozen ready. So lets look at a range of recipes to use these pastry cases them.

One very wicked dessert and a firm favourite with my clan is my Bitter Chocolate Mousse Tart.  This is a seriously, rich dessert so you will find a small piece is all you need to serve, unless you have a serious chocolate lover amoungst you, that is!

You will need: 1 pastry case baked blind, 300g bitter chocolate in pieces (dark works best), 200g butter cut into pieces, 2 eggs, 4 egg yolks, 75g caster sugar.

Place your chocolate and butter in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water and leave to melt, while this is melting whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar with a electric whisk for about 5  minutes until mixture is pale and thick and has doubled in size. Now gently pour in your melted chocolate and butter and fold in gently. Pour this mixture into your pastry case (which you have placed in a baking tin) and bake at 200c/400f/gas 6 for 8 to 10 minutes or until set (dont worry if not completely set this will as it cools). Remove the tart from your tin place on a serving plate dust with cocoa or icing sugar and serve with cool creme fraiche.

Now chrsitmas wouldn’t be christmas without mincemeat tart so heres our Crumbly Mincemeat Tart for you to try over the festive season.

You will need: 1 pastry case baked blind, 225g of mincemeat or your choice or homemade, 100g fresh cranberries (roughly chopped), 100g plain flour, 50g butter diced, 50g caster sugar, 50g flaked or chopped toasted hazelnuts, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and icing sugar to dust and serve.

Mix together your mincemeat and cranberries and spoon into your cooked pastry case. Then sift the flour into a bowl and using your finger tips rub in the butter to until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in your sugar (you can use demerara sugar if you wish), hazelnuts and cinnamon. Now Spinkle your crumble mix over the mincemeat and bake at 200c/400f/gas 6 for about 25 minutes until base crisp and the crumble topping is golden.  Dust with icing sugar and cut into wedges and serve hot or cold with brandy butter, custard or cream delicious all ways!

Homemade Quiche Lorraine a firm favourite. You will need: 1 pastry case baked blind, 100g bacon, 1 medium sized onion, 15g butter, 2 eggs, 125ml single cream, 5ml mixed herbs and 100g of strong mature cheddar.

Place your pastry case into a tin. Chop the bacon and finely slice the onion. Melt the butter in a pan and fry the bacon and onions for about 7 minutes until golden brown in colour. Beat the eggs and creme together and add seasoning. Place bacon, onion into the base of your pastry case. Grate the cheese and spinkle on top of the bacon and onion then pour the egg mixture into the pastry case. Bake at 180c/360f for about 30 minutes. You can try your own variety of Quiche with mushrooms, or brocolli and cheese for example.

I will blog about nibbles including small savoury tartlets so you can bake some small pastry cases too, all to help you through the busy festive season.