What started as a lockdown side hustle for the ex-head pastry chef of Dinner By Heston, Gareth Whitton, and his partner, Catherine Way, this year became a bricks-and-mortar dedicated tart shop in two prime Melbourne locations – Cremorne and Collingwood.

The duo are serving up tarts by the slice, both sweet and savoury, in a variety of flavours that rotate frequently. They say the goal for Tarts Anon has always been clear; do one thing and do it well.

Gareth and Catherine kindly answered a few questions and shared their Pumpkin and Spiced Caramel Tart with us just in time for Halloween.

Chef Director of Tarts Anon, Gareth Whitton, standing outside their flagship store in Cremorne.
Photo Credit: Anthony Hart

How did you start Tarts Anon and what inspired you? 

Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown was a game changer for most people, and for us, it meant Gareth was no longer working late nights and weekends at restaurants. While stacking shelves at Woolworths during the day, baking at home began as an evening/weekend activity, in part due to boredom as well as Gareth’s desire to be back in the kitchen. Gareth gravitated to baking tarts, and there was simply too much for us to eat ourselves.

Catherine, with a knack for entrepreneurialism and photography, started the Tarts Anon Instagram page and got the word out to our neighbours and locals in the Richmond area. Before long, we were selling out each week within moments via a pretty manic Instagram DM ordering system.

You now have locations in Cremorne and Collingwood, what does the store location mean to you?

When we first started selling tarts out of our apartment in Richmond, we had a 1x1 tart-wide microwave oven and we were selling about 20 tarts to neighbours and locals in our area (those who could travel within 5km!) After the lockdown ended, Tarts Anon still sold out every week in seconds, so we knew we needed a larger space to keep growing. We started working out of Worksmith in Collingwood, a shared kitchen space, which we hired on Sundays. This allowed us to increase production to approximately 70 tarts per week.

When the opportunity came up to have our own space, though, it was a difficult decision. Gareth needed to leave behind his job as a recipe developer at Lune Croissanterie and commit to the business full-time. In the end, we decided to take the plunge and have never looked back – our loyal customers and local community, have shaped the company into what it is today.

In your opinion, what is the most popular product and which is the favourite? 

There is no doubt that our Chocolate and Caramel Tart is our most popular item on the menu. People have always loved it, and everyone always requests it - it's been on our rotating menu since day one, and we don't see it changing anytime soon.

Our personal favourites, however, is the Pumpkin and Spiced Caramel Tart or the Cherry and Almond Tart.

Recipe: Pumpkin and Spiced Caramel Tart

This tart is one of those ones that is an instant hit. Gareth initially made the recipe for Halloween. People loved it and it has remained a stalwart on the menu ever since. It’s the perfect tart for this time of year due to the spices infused in the caramel but is nowhere near as sickly sweet as a more traditional ‘pumpkin pie’. It’s a tart that is unique and much-loved by anyone game enough to give it a go.

Tarts Anon's Pumpkin and Spiced Caramel Tart

Makes

1 whole tart
Serves: 8-10

Prep: Once the caramel is cooked (5 hours), prep time is 3 hours (including resting)

Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients 

For the caramel:

• 395ml can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground clove
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla powder/ paste.
  

For the pastry:

• 100g cold butter 200g flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp iced water

For the Pumpkin Custard:

• 1 cup pouring cream
• 500g grey pumpkin (or any preferred pumpkin)
• 3 whole large eggs
• 8 large egg yolks
• 1⁄2 cup white sugar
• 1 1⁄2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup butter
  

Method 

1. Put the tin of condensed milk in a pan of boiling water, and simmer for 5 hours. (Be sure to check the water levels throughout the process, nothing worse than when the water fully evaporates- trust us). Best do this ahead of time too, as you will also want the caramel to cool before you remove it from the can
   
2. In the meantime, dice the cold butter into small cubes, and using a kitchen stand mixer, food processor or by hand, work the flour, butter, and salt together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the iced water a little at a time until it forms a firm but malleable pastry, being sure not to overwork the dough. (You shouldn’t need any more than this amount of water- but it should be a nice and smooth mix so add more if necessary). Allow this pastry to rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
   
3. Using a rolling pin and 2 pieces of baking paper, roll out the pastry into a circle roughly 35cm wide, and around 2mm thick. Place this sheet into the fridge for another hour. Meanwhile, scoop the seeds out of the pumpkin and place the cut side down on a tray lined with baking paper into an oven pre-heated to 200o. Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife can easily pierce the flesh. Allow cooling before removing the skin and blending the flesh in a blender or food processor until smooth (this can be done in advance).
   
4. Once the pastry has rested, let it sit for a few minutes at room temperature before peeling off the paper and draping over a 25cmx 3.5cm fluted tart tin (This is the size that we use, however, any fluted tart tin will work).
   
5. Lift the edges of the pastry and press gently into the corners of the tin. Then using the flats of your fingers, press into the sides of the tin and then trim with a sharp knife.
   
6. Take a large sheet of aluminium foil or baking paper. (Restaurants will sometimes use sheets of clingfilm with 3 or 4 layers, but this will only work if you have commercial grade clingfilm). Press this into the corners of the pastry, ensuring that the sheet is big enough to go over the edges and completely line the tart. Fill to the bream with rice, lentils, or anything similar, then place it into a preheated oven set to 180°c. Bake for 30- 40 minutes, or until the edges of the pastry are a nice medium golden colour. Remove from the oven and leave the blind baking weights in this will allow the pastry to cook evenly from the residual heat. Turn the oven down to 125°c.
   
7. Remove the caramel from the tin, and using a spatula or wooden spoon, work in the salt and spices until smooth.
   
8. Once the tart has cooled enough to be worked with, use a palette knife to spread the caramel in an even layer on the bottom of the pastry. Then, prepare your custard.
   
9. Put the butter in a small saucepan and melt on the stove. Continue to cook until the sizzling sound has stopped, and it has gone a nice golden-brown colour. Pour 1⁄4 cup of this brown butter into a medium saucepan, then add the cream, sugar, salt, and pumpkin puree, then whisk to combine. Bring this to a simmer. Immediately remove and pour a small amount onto the whisked eggs, then using a stick blender, blend until the mixture until shiny and smooth- ensuring to not allow any air to be incorporated into the mix. This step is best done when you are ready to go into the oven, as it is best to cook the custard whilst the mix is still warm.
   
10. Then strain the mixture through a sieve into a jug and remove any bubbles with a spoon or ladle. Pour the custard into the prepared tart shell, then bake for 30 minutes or until the custard has a very slight jiggle in the centre. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature.
    
11. Wait at least 45 minutes before cutting and enjoy on the same day!

No time to bake? Pop into either store location, say hello and pick up a delicious tart – 29A Gwynne Street, Cremorne or 44 Sackville Street, Collingwood.

Keep an eye on the Tarts Anon Instagram to keep up-to-date with their newest offerings and hours.