MIXED BERRY TART RECIPE

I love this recipe as the tart base is super quick to make and pretty much a never fail.  It’s based on a Bill Granger recipe.  I find it easier to make one large tart, however you can make small individual ones like these.

Ingredients - Pastry:

125g unsalted butter, melted

90g caster sugar

175g plain flour

A pinch of salt

3 tablespoons almond meal

Ingredients - Filling:

170ml cream

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons plain flour

550g mixed frozen berries

Note: Filling to Pastry ratio will vary depending on your tart size and depth.  When I make one large tart, I require 1.8 pastry : 1 filling.

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease little tart tins with spray oil.  If you are coming to create one large tart, I would recommend using a loose-bottomed tart tin.

Pastry:

In a large bowl, stir together warm (not hot) melted butter and sugar.  

Add flour and salt, and then stir to combine into a soft dough. (Tip: Work as quickly as possible as the cooler the dough gets, the harder it is to work with and shape.)  

Press dough evenly into the tart tins including the base and sides of the tin.  

Place all the little tart tins onto a baking tray and blind bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or the pastry case just starts to go a light golden colour.  

Take the tart cases out of the oven and sprinkle each tart case with almond meal.  Note: The almond meal helps keep the tart case crispy as it helps absorb the custard filling prior to setting.

Filling:

Turn down oven to 160 degrees Celsius.  

Whisk cream, eggs, vanilla extract and sugar together.  

Add flour and whisk until well mixed. 

Transfer all the custard filling into an easy pouring container with a spout.

Place a variety of frozen mixed berries in each tart case, still allowing space for the custard filling.  

Open the oven door and pull out a wire tray.  Place the baking tray of tart cases on the wire oven shelf and while the oven door is open, carefully pour custard filling evenly over berries, try not to over fill each tart.  

Slowly and gently push the wire oven shelf back in and close the oven door.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes for smaller individual tarts or approximately 45 minutes for one larger tart.  Tarts are done when the custard filling is firm.  Leave to cool and then remove from metal tart tins.  

Dust with icing sugar prior to serving.