Tarte aux Fruits

Mmmmmmm... this is a delicious desert and reminds me of popping into local Boulangeries when visiting idyllic French towns on holiday. The smell of freshly baked good is truly heavenly.

For this recipe, you could easily prepare the pastry before hand if you are short of time; or you can buy pre-made tart cases from the supermarket for a cute alternative, you could make little tartlets, rather than one big tart.

Delicious 

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:

• 150g/ 5oz Plain Flour
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• rind of half an orange
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 6tbsp cold butter, cut in pieces
• 3tbsp whipping cream

For the Custard Filling: 

• 4 egg yolks
• 65g/ 2 1/2oz granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 300ml milk
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• Fresh fruit for the topping
• 6 tbsp redcurrant jelly for the glaze (optional)

Serves 8

Prep Time: 40 mins

Baking time: 20 minute oven, 10 mins hob

Method:

1. For your pastry, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
2. Using your finger tips, rub in your butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
3. Stir through your sugar and orange peel.
4. Using a fork, stir in the egg yolk and just enough cream to bring the mixture together.
5. Gather into a ball and wrap in cling film. Leave in the fridge to chill for at least 20 mins.

6. For the custard filling, beat the egg yolk and sugar until thick. Next, gradually stir in your flour.
7. In a saucepan, bring the milk and salt just to the boil and then remove from the heat.
8. Whisk into the egg yolk mixture and then return to the saucepan. Continue whisking over a medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Cook for a further three minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken. 
9. Immediately transfer to a bowl and then stir in the vanilla.
10. Set to one-side and cover with cling film to stop a skin forming.

11. Pre-heat your oven to 200oC/ 400oF/ Gas mark 6 and on a lightly floured surface roll out your chilled pastry to around 3mm thick. 
12. Transfer to a greased flan tin or smaller tartlet sized tins if you'd prefer. 
13. Prick the bottom with a fork and line with greaseproof paper. Fill with baking beans and bake for 15-20 mins or till lightly golden.
14. Remove the beans and leave to cool.
15. Poor your delicious custard filling into your pastry case and spread evenly. 
16. Arrange your fruit on top of your custard. We used blackcurrants and raspberries, but you could add strawberries, kiwi; anything really.
17. For the finishing touch, melt the jelly in a pan over a low heat and brush over the top as a glaze.
18. Sit back and enjoy the feeling of you friends/ family thinking you are the bee's knees.