Blackberry curd tarts
You will need 10 x 8-9cm fluted tart tins.
Prep 45 min
Chill 1 hr 15 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 10
For the pastry
200g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
40g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 pinch salt
125g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 large egg yolk
2 tbsp ice-cold water
2 tsp lemon juice
For the filling
350g blackberries, plus extra to serve
50g plus 2 tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp anise seeds
½ tbsp water
1 squeeze lemon juice
4 medium egg yolks
100ml creme fraiche, plus extra to serve
Combine the flour, icing sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and whizz briefly to combine.
Add the butter, and pulse until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Combine the egg yolk, water and lemon juice in a small bowl, then add these to the food processor. Pulse again just enough to bring the dough together, tip into a bowl, then use your hands to knead the dough gently into a ball (but don’t overwork it, or the pastry will be chewy). Flatten into a disc, cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for an hour.
Tip the blackberries into a medium pan with two tablespoons of caster sugar, the anise seeds and water. Cook gently for five minutes or so, until the fruit is very soft, then push through a nylon sieve into a bowl, and leave to cool.
Add the remaining 50g caster sugar and the lemon juice to the fruit, and mix; taste and add more lemon if the berries are particularly sweet. Add the egg yolks, whisk to combine, add the creme fraiche and mix until smooth. Strain again through a sieve into a jug.
On a floured surface, roll the pastry to no more than 2mm thick. Using a 12cm round cutter, stamp out discs from the pastry and, with these, line each tart tin, pressing the pastry into the edges. Prick the bases, then chill in the fridge again for 15 minutes.
Heat the oven to 170C (150C fan)/335F/gas 3. Line each tart with foil and baking beans, put on a baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes, until pale golden.
Take the cases out of the oven, remove the foil and baking beans/rice, then pour the filling into the tart cases. Return the tart to the oven for a further 10-12 minutes, until the filling has set. Leave to cool, then chill in the fridge until firm.
To serve, dab a teaspoon of creme fraiche on to each tart, garnish with a fresh blackberry and dust with icing sugar.
Raspberry genoise tart
You will need a 23cm fluted tart tin.
Prep 45 min
Chill 1 hr 30 min
Cook 40 min
Makes 8
For the pastry
200g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
40g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 pinch salt
125g unsalted butter, cold and diced
1 large egg yolk (reserve the white)
2 tbsp ice-cold water
2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg white, beaten
For the filling
100g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
50g unsalted butter, melted
50g plain flour
50g ground almonds
250g raspberries
Icing sugar, for dusting
Combine the flour, icing sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and whizz briefly to combine.
Add the butter, and pulse until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Combine the egg yolk, water and lemon juice in a small bowl, then add these to the food processor. Pulse again just enough to bring the dough together, tip into a bowl, then use your hands to knead the dough gently into a ball (but don’t overwork it, or the pastry will be chewy). Flatten into a disc, cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for an hour.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pastry out to 2mm. Use it to line a 23cm fluted tart tin, pushing the dough into the edges. Trim off the excess pastry, prick the base with a fork and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4.
Take the case out of the fridge, line the pastry with foil and baking beans, and blind bake on a flat baking sheet for 18 minutes, until pale golden. Remove the foil and beans and bake for a further two to three minutes, until the base is crisp and cooked through.
Brush the inside of the pastry case all over with a thin layer of the beaten egg white and put back in the oven for a minute or two to seal, to cook the egg and ensure any tiny cracks in the pastry are sealed.
Prepare the filling: tip the caster sugar and eggs into a mixing bowl, add the vanilla and a pinch of salt, and whisk with an electric handheld mixer (or use a free-standing mixer) until thick, pale and trebled in volume.
Fold in the melted butter using a large metal spoon, then sift in the flour and ground almonds, and fold again. Carefully scoop the filling into the baked tart shell, scatter over the raspberries, dust with icing sugar and return to the oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown, risen and set. Leave to cool to room temperature before serving, then dust with icing sugar.
Tahini, labneh and fig tart
Prep the labneh 24 hours before. You’ll need a 20cm fluted tart tin.
Prep 45 min
Chill 24 hr+
Cook 20 min
Serves 6-8
For the tahini pastry
110g unsalted butter, at room temperature
50g tahini
50g icing sugar
2 medium egg yolks
200g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
1½ tbsp ice-cold water
1 tsp lemon juice
For the labneh
1 pinch salt
Salt
500g full-fat yoghurt
1-2 tbsp clear honey, to taste, plus extra to serve
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
½ tsp rose water
8 figs, quartered or sliced
40g slivered or nibbed pistachios
25g flaked almonds, toasted
Edible flowers, to garnish
For the labneh: stir a pinch of salt into the yoghurt, then scoop into a sieve lined with a clean J-cloth or muslin. Set the sieve over a bowl, cover with clingfilm or similar and refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the whey to drain from the yoghurt.
For the pastry, beat the butter, tahini, icing sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl until soft and light. Mix in the egg yolks, fold in the flour, water and lemon juice, then beat until just combined (try not to overwork it). Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for two hours.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface into a neat round that is 3-4cm wider than the tart tin. Carefully line the tin with the pastry, pressing it into the ridges and corners. Trim off the excess pastry, crimp the edges and chill for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4.
Prick the base of the pastry case with a fork, line with foil and baking beans and bake on a baking sheet for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, and bake for five minutes more to dry the base.
Tip the strained labneh into a bowl, and mix in one to two tablespoons of the honey, the lemon zest and rose water. Spoon into the tart case and spread level. Arrange the figs on top, scatter with the nuts, drizzle with more honey and decorate with edible flowers, if you like.
Peaches and cream tart
Prep a 23cm wide, 4cm-deep, springform tart tin.
Prep/chill 2 hr 45 min
Cook 1 hr 30 min
Serves 6-8
For the pastry
200g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
40g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 pinch salt
125g unsalted butter, cold and diced
1 large egg yolk (reserve the white)
2 tbsp ice-cold water
2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg white, beaten
For the filling
500ml double cream
100ml milk
1 vanilla pod, split in half and seeds scraped out
Pared rind ½ unwaxed lemon
3 medium eggs, plus 2 medium egg yolks
150g caster sugar
4 ripe peaches, stoned and quartered
3 tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Icing sugar, for dusting
Combine the flour, icing sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and whizz briefly to combine.
Add the butter, and pulse until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Combine the egg yolk, water and lemon juice in a small bowl, then add these to the food processor. Pulse again just enough to bring the dough together, tip into a bowl, then use your hands to knead the dough gently into a ball (but don’t overwork it, or the pastry will be chewy). Flatten into a disc, cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for an hour.
While the pastry is chilling, prepare the filling. Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan, add the vanilla pod and seeds, and the lemon zest. Slowly bring to a boil, then take off the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes to an hour.
Roll the pastry to a thickness of 2mm on a lightly floured surface then with this, line the tart tin. Trim off the excess pastry, prick the base of the case and line with foil and baking beans and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4.
Bake the pastry case on a flat baking sheet for 18 minutes, until pale golden. Remove the foil and baking beans and cook for a further three to four minutes, to crisp the base. Brush the inside of the pastry case all over with a thin layer of beaten egg white and bake for one to two minutes, to cook the egg and ensure that any cracks in the pastry are sealed.
Turn the oven down to 120C (100C fan)/250F/gas ½. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until smooth, add the infused cream, and whisk again until thoroughly combined. Pass through a fine mesh sieve into the tart case, filling it right to the top.
Carefully slide the tart back into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until just set. The custard should still have a slight wobble in the middle – it will continue to cook as it cools. Leave to cool to room temperature then chill in the fridge to ensure it sets completely.
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5.
Put the peaches, cut side up, on a baking tray. Mix the caster sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over the peaches. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes, until the peaches are tender and caramelised.
Take out of the oven, dust the top of the tart with a generous layer of icing sugar, then caramelise (using a blow-torch or pass under the grill). Slice and serve with the baked peaches.
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