A sweet finish

There is no satisfying way to end a meal than with a lovely dessert. It can turn around the whole dining experience or add that extra wow factor. This classic berry tart is one example. It's simple to make yet very elegant.

Last Wednesday was my first time having friends over and cooking dinner from start to finish. On the menu were pesto spaghetti, paprika chicken, garlic bread (with the help of a friend) and this triple-berry tart. I have to say, I do quite like entertaining after this experience :D I especially had fun making the tart and the pesto sauce from scratch.

The tart uses the sweet version of the shortcrust pastry I was talking about in my previous post. The recipe is a bit different from others I've come across as it doesn't use the egg white or ice water to mix the dough. I'm not 100% sure of what's the effect, but taking a wild guess, having no egg white or water probably makes the tart crispier and harder after it comes out of the oven. For a softer and more crumbly crust texture, bake it a day ahead and place it in the fridge overnight.

What I like about Dorie's berry tart recipe is that you can tweak and add your personal touch. For the crust, you can substitute 1/4 cup of the flour with your choice of ground nuts or put in spices to add more flavour. For the pastry cream, you can add 1-2 tbsp of liqueur or 2-3 tsp of cinnamon powder or ground ginger after beating in the vanilla extract. You can even get rid of the berries and use other fruits like peach or kiwi instead. Mix and match the flavour combination to get what you like or fit whatever is in season. Have fun baking~

Quick Classic Berry Tart

adapted from here

makes a 23cm tart

I. For the sweet tart dough

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups plain flour (I substituted 1/4 cup with almond meal)

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/4 tsp salt

135g very cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 large egg yolk

Method

1. Whisk the flour, ground nuts, sugar and salt together in a large bowl.

2. Put in the butter.

3. Working quickly, with a pastry cutter/dough scraper, cut the pieces of the butter and push it into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (it's the same method as the savoury crust. you can also use your hands and rub the butter into the flour.)

4. Mix in the egg yolk thoroughly and until the dough just comes together to form a ball.

5. Press the dough over the bottom and up the sides of a buttered 23cm tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture.

6. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes or until you want to bake it.

7. To bake the crust, preheat the oven to 190C.

8. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminium and fit the buttered side down, tightly against the crust.

9. Bake the crust for 25 minutes.

10. To fully bake, remove the aluminium foil and bake for another 8 minutes or until firm and golden brown. Keep an eye out as it can be done quicker.

11. Transfer tart pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature before filing.

II. For the pastry cream 

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

50g unsalted butter, cut into bits at room temperature 

Method

1. Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

2. In a medium saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar and cornstarch until thick and well-blended.

3. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the whole milk

4. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the milk.

5. Put the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously, constantly and thoroughly.

6. Bring the mixture to a boil.

7. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

8. Whisk in the vanilla extract.

9. Let sit for 5 minutes then whisk in bits of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the pastry cream is smooth and silky.

10. Scrape the cream into a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the cream and refrigerate until cold.

III. Bringing it all together 

Extra ingredients

chosen berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries or a combination)

raspberry/strawberry jam 

Method 

1. Spoon the pastry cream into the tart crust to come almost to the rim.

2. Even the surface with a rubber spatula.

3. Carefully lay your chosen berries in any pattern that pleases you.

4. Place the jam in a saucepan, add a little bit of water and bring to a boil.

5. Cool jam mixture for a while.

6. Using a pastry brush, dab the berries with the jam.

7. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

8. Cut and serve :)