Orange Vanilla Neenish Tarts

Neenish Tarts are notorious for being a scandalous taste overload of everything. The original version is sweet and completely over the top!

But even still, eat one, you'll just want more!

Neenish Tarts are a mini-size shortcake pastry base tart, with a sweetened condensed milk-based creamy filling. Topped with a two-tone half side of vanilla icing, the other with chocolate icing.

There are many adaptions. 

Some have a berry jam layer between the shortcake and filling. There's an addition of cinnamon instead of the standard lemon, and other recipes with creamy fillings, similar to French Passterie cream but far less sweet.

Icings morphed into berry and vanilla, or berry chocolate twosomes.

Some people add almond flavours to the pastry.

Neenish Tarts are famed in Australia where they originated and also popular in New Zealand, where nearly every bakery serves them.

The Neenish Tart is my mama's favourite sweet treat!

The tart was most unlikely to have been created by famed Australian Mrs Ruby Neenish in 1913, as it has revealed itself as folklore. 

Another theory is they were created by a commercial food company.

Or possibly by Australian outback cooks.

The earliest recipe recorded was in 1924 but called Neenish Cakes.

So all in all, the origin of Neenish Tarts is still a highly disputed topic.

Today we are creating my own adaption.

Orange Vanilla Neenish Tarts.

I have created this recipe, especially for Thanksgiving, but they are a divine sweet treat for any absolutely any occasion.

The tart shortcake envelops a luscious orange buttercream filling.

There is simple icing on top that is orange and vanilla two-tone.

If you don't have time to bake the shortcake tart bases, you can buy readymade ones. Then mix the orange buttercream filling, pop it in, and ice the tops.

Orange Vanilla Neenish Tarts

Pastry

1 cup plain white flour

1 Tablespoon fine white caster sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest

1/3 cup soft butter

1 egg yolk

Approximately 1/3 cup cold water

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Place the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor and pulse to the crumb stage.

Add the rind, egg yolk with half the water and pulse, adding more water if necessary to make a soft ball of dough.

Turn onto a floured board.

Roll out thinly.

Cut round to fit the greased muffin or patty tin holes.

Press to shape.

Prick all over with a fork.

Refrigerate for at least 1/2 an hour.

Bake at 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 10 minutes until lightly golden.

Remove cases from the pans and cool.

Filling:

In a bowl beat with electric beaters:

1/2 cup of soft butter

1/2 cup powdered icing sugar

When smooth and creamy add:

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

4 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh orange zest

Beat again until the buttercream is thick, pale and creamy.

Place in refrigerator while tart cases are baking and you prepare the icings.

Vanilla Icing:

In a small bowl make icing with:

1/3 cup powdered icing sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence

and milk to mix to consistency.

Orange Icing:

In a small bowl make icing with:

1/3 cup powdered icing sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange rind

and enough fresh orange juice to mix to consistency.  

Put Together:

Fill cold tart cases with orange buttercream.

Level tops with a knife.

Ice half the top with vanilla icing and the other half with orange icing.

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Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

Leave one day before eating to give the orange flavours time to infuse and make the sweetness more subtle.

Yield: 14 tarts.

Printable recipe HERE.

 

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DIY Thanksgiving Candle Holder

 

The Meaning of Candles in Thanksgiving Decor

Candles play a significant role in creating a warm and welcoming ambience for the holiday season. But beyond just adding a glow to the room, candles hold symbolic meaning that enhances the spirit of thankfulness and gratitude that Thanksgiving represents.

In many cultures, candles are a symbol of light and hope. They are often used in religious ceremonies to signify purity and spiritual illumination. In some traditions, lighting a candle symbolises a prayer or a moment of reflection.  

Thanksgiving decor and candles can symbolise the light of gratitude shining bright in our hearts. The flickering flame reminds us to be thankful for our blessings and to spread love and warmth to those around us.

Get Creative

You can get creative with candle holders and decorations to complement the theme of your decor. To evoke the flavours of the season, you can choose scented candles like cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or apple pie. 

So let's get creative with a simple candle holder decorated with fabric leaves and dried flowers.

This is a quick and pretty Thanksgiving DIY.

DIY Thanksgiving Candle Holder

You will need:

A 7.5 x 9cm (3 x 3 1/2 inch) heatproof candle jar

A candle to fit the jar

Three fabric leaves 8 x 6cm (3x 3 inch)

Dried flowers and greenery

A white paint pen

Hot glue gun

To Make:

Glue the fabric leaves onto the candle jar.

Then add the dried flowers and greenery at the bottom of the leaves on the jar.

Use the paint pen to write your chosen words at the top of the jar in the gaps between the leaves.

 I wrote Grateful, Blessed and Thankful.

Add the candle and place it in your Thanksgiving decor.

Don't forget to enjoy the moment as you create a homemade candle holder, to pause, reflect, and give thanks for all the good things in your life.

Find more Thanksgiving ideas HERE.

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DIY OLD Chair Upcycle

 This old dining chair has been in the family for over 70 years.

It has worn its natural varnished oak, and it's been dressed up in white and then grey chalk paint in a French Country style, with the seat fabrics changing from tapestry, to butterfly embossed linen, then to tropical palms.

But now it is time for yet another upcycle!

But this time we will be completely funking up the colour palette.

This chair is going to be painted bright banana yellow.

The reason is:

My kitchen where this chair will reside is black and white.

There is a lot of black and white artwork on the walls.

I have a lot of art in my kitchen.

Think 'Kitchen Art Gallery'.

It's contemporary.

But that works well with this room's size and electric mix of furniture.

But that is another blog post where I will be writing about the other furniture and why I styled the room this way.

There are pops of yellow here and there and a touch of green too.

So back to the chair.

Here's the before photo.

       

After a sand, and prime.

The yellow paint was applied.

Then it was a serious matter of 'careful what you wish for!'

The yellow was BRIGHT!

(It looked good on the paint swatch!)

I had my little OMG moment.

Then sanded and repainted it adding white paint to the original yellow.

Better?

Maybe?

The yellow now has a lime-green undertone. Eeek!

I thought, well it will grow on me!

But it didn't!

Don't you love it when plans go wrong?

A hint of sarcasm there!

So then I added orange to the said paint.

Sanded and repainted yet again.

It's a better yellow colour now.

The seat was recovered with a cushion cover I already had in my stash.

Removing the layers of fabric and staples took some work before the new fabric was stapled on.

To become a yellow tropical-themed funky kitchen chair.

The chair now has a new lease on life once more.

And it may well last another 70 years with all that paint holding those joints together!

Though it is very likely in time the colour on this chair may change yet again.

The potplant in the photograph is a Spider Plant, and you can find out all about them HERE.

I love how the chair colour picks up the yellow tones in some of the smaller artworks.

Like this memorial watercolour, I painted of my sweet Maltese Gracie, who has been over the Rainbow Bridge for many years.

You'll find this artwork as a print and on other giftware HERE.

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