These crisp and luxurious filo tarts from 2003 can be made in advance to allow you time with your guests until you’re ready to serve.
Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°fan/Gas 5. Lightly grease six 10cm (4in) tart tins.
Unroll the pastry, brush one of the sheets with a little of the butter then cut into 8 squares, each about 11cm (4½in). Add one of the squares of filo to one of the tins, then add 3 more squares, each at a slight angle to the first rather like the spokes of a wheel. Repeat to fill a second tin then brush a second sheet of pastry with butter, cut into squares and so on until you have 6 lined tins.
Bake the tarts for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Carefully remove from the tins and leave to cool on a wire rack.
To make the filling, add the crème fraîche, dill, smoked salmon and cucumber to a bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper and mix together. Cover and chill until needed.
When ready to serve, transfer the tarts to serving plates, spoon in the filling and garnish with the remaining dill sprigs.
Cook’s tips. Filo pastry is easy to use but does dry out quickly, so unwrap and unfold the pastry sheets only when you are ready to use. Wrap up the remaining filo in clingfilm, slide back into the box and freeze for another time.