Show Stopping Custard and Fruit Tart
This beautiful fruit tart recipe couldn't be easier to make. Beautifully crisp and golden pastry combined with light, creamy custard and glossy fruits on top. Do vary the fruit topping if you want to – most summer fruits work beautifully. Tala's Performance Crisper 23cm Tart Tin allows the heat to travel right to the surface of the pastry, making beautifully light, golden and crisp tart cases and banishing soggy bottoms forever. We used a food processor to make short work of the rubbing-in process, but you can certainly do it by hand if you want to.
Equipment:
Food processor (optional)
Measuring spoons
Rolling pin
Tala Performance 23cm Crisper Tart Tin
Kitchen fork
Tala Ceramic Baking Beans
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Saucepan, medium size
Pastry brush
Measuring spoons
Rolling pin
Tala Performance 23cm Crisper Tart Tin
Kitchen fork
Tala Ceramic Baking Beans
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Saucepan, medium size
Pastry brush
Ingredients:
For the pastry and custard:
200g plain flour (plus extra for dusting the work surface)
100g salted butter, cubed
3 tbs golden caster sugar
1 egg yolk
For the custard:
200ml double cream
350ml milk
3 rounded tbs custard powder
1 tsp vanilla paste
For the fruit topping (all fruits washed and dried):
A selection of strawberries, raspberries & blueberries
Seedless raspberry jam or apricot jam
Method
1. Place the flour, butter and sugar in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles sand.
2. Pour the egg yolk in and pulse again followed by 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. The mixture should come together when ready – if this only takes one tablespoon of water don't add any more.
3. Turn out, push into a ball, and allow to rest for a few minutes
4. Sprinkle some flour onto the work surface and roll the pastry into a large circle about 3-5mm thick. The circle should be bigger than the diameter of the base of the tin and the height of the walls all the way around
5. Use the rolling pin to lift the pastry and carefully lay it down over the tin. Push the pastry into position so that it snuggly lines the tin and trim any excess from the top of the tin walls.
6. Prick the base all over with a kitchen fork and refrigerate for an hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (338 degrees Fahrenheit) and line the chilled tart tin with kitchen foil and fill with ceramic baking beans.
8. Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the baking beans and foil and bake again for approximately 10 minutes, until the pastry looks biscuit brown and crisp.
9. Allow the pastry case to cool in the tin while you make the custard filling. Measure the cream and milk into the same measuring jug and stir.
10. In a mixing bowl, mix the custard powder with three tablespoons of the milk and cream mixture and the vanilla paste.
11. Bring the rest of the milk and cream mixture to the boil in a saucepan, then pour directly onto the custard mixture, whisking all the while until thickened and smooth (this just takes couple of minutes).
12. Pour into the tart case (still in its tin) and allow to cool completely, transferring to the fridge once at room temperature.
13. Prepare the fruit in any style that you like and arrange the fruit on top of the chilled custard and brush with heated raspberry or apricot to make a lovely shiny glaze.
14. Store in the fridge until needed, then cut into slices and serve.