Name: Mattentaarten
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Belgium
Ingredients: 1 puff pastry, sheet or batch, for small tart shells; 300 g milk curds (matten) or fresh curd cheese, well drained; 2 eggs; 80 g sugar; 50 g ground almonds; almond extract, a few drops; 1 tsp lemon zest

Mattentaarten are a small, specific specialty of Geraardsbergen, puff pastry shells filled with a mixture of milk curds, egg, sugar and almonds and baked until just set.

They're tied closely to that one town's identity; the curd used, called matten, even carries a protected geographical status in Belgium.

Part of our 20 best Belgian recipes list.

method

Roll out the puff pastry, and cut rounds to line small tart tins or a muffin tray, pressing gently into each cavity.

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

In a bowl, mix the well-drained milk curds with the eggs, sugar, ground almonds, almond extract and lemon zest until smooth and well combined.

Spoon the filling into the pastry-lined tins, filling almost to the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is set and lightly browned on top.

Let cool in the tins for 10 minutes before carefully removing, and cool completely before serving.

chef's tips

Draining the curds thoroughly before mixing is essential; too much liquid in the filling will keep it from setting properly and can make the pastry soggy.
Mattentaarten are a protected specialty of Geraardsbergen specifically; the matten curd itself is traditionally made with a specific, local recipe, though a well-drained fresh curd cheese is a reasonable substitute at home.