raspberry and thyme tart

It's been a funny old week.  

I was out the office on Monday and Tuesday at a training event.  It was one of those courses which threw around a lot of platitudes about 'our journey' and encouraged sharing.  I'm not really a sharer.  For someone who's preferred working style is to sit curled up at their desk and get on with their work in peace and quiet, the idea of two days of role-playing and networking and, just to cap it off, signing 'Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner' on stage while doing the can-can is an anathema. 

That's not to say that I didn't get a lot out of the course and it's given me plenty to think about in terms of my career development but goodness, was it ever exhausting.  I came back on Tuesday evening absolutely drained.  

Since then I've had a couple of days in the office when I had to try and catch up on the all the work that had piled up while I'd been away.  Today is, thankfully, Friday. And, even better, I'm working from home so I get to stay in my pyjamas until lunchtime and there's actually a good chance that I'll get everything done that I need.  

I think my absolute favourite time of the week is Friday evening.  Don't get me wrong, I love my job but there's something so satisfying about the end of another week and the anticipation of the weekend stretching out in front of me.  I used to feel exactly the same when I was at school.  One of the worst things about university?  The weeks had no structure, Friday was just a day like any other.  Weekends had lost their magical quality.

But now?  Now, I have that familiar sense of excitement every Friday.  Today is no exception.  A weekend of friends, good food and precious time with my boyfriend all beckon.  

These little tarts were our treat last weekend.  We are trying to cut down on the number of sweet treats that we indulge in during the week but the diet relaxes at the weekend.  They are also so simple as to barely justify the name 'tart'.  There's no pastry shell here, just a base of crushed Oreos held together with a splash of melted butter.  Ten minutes of chilling and a spoonful of raspberry and thyme curd and you're good to go leaving you free to make the most of those precious days of freedom.  

Raspberry and thyme chocolate tarts

Yield: 4 tarts

Ingredients

• 16 Oreo biscuits
• 50g unsalted butter, belted
• 6-8 tbsp raspberry and thyme curd
• Fresh thyme (for decoration)

Cooking Directions

1. To make the tart shell, crush your Oreos in a blender (or in a freezer bag using a big stick). Mix with the melted butter and press into mini tart pans.
2. Chill for 10 minutes in the fridge before spooning 1 -2 tbsps of curd into each tart. Decorate with a sprinkle of fresh thyme.