SUMMER BAKES
The sweetest of treats for alfresco entertaining
Yes, summer time and baking do go together with the right flavour combinations – and we have fabulous ones here, perfect for a teatime treat on a sunny afternoon
Crisp, buttery pastry, filled with silky crème pâtissière and topped with your favourite soft fruit: this showstopping tart is an entertaining must-have.
Hands-on time 45min, plus chilling and cooling. Cooking time about 35min. Serves 10
FOR THE PASTRY
175g plain flour, plus extra to dust
75g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
40g icing sugar, plus extra to dust
1 medium egg, beaten
FOR THE FILLING
4 medium egg yolks 25g caster sugar
25g cornflour
25g plain flour 350ml whole milk
1tsp vanilla bean paste 75g white chocolate, chopped, plus curls to decorate, optional 150ml double cream Summer fruits, about 500g
1 To make the pastry, in a food processor, pulse flour and butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Pulse in icing sugar, followed by the egg, until pastry clumps together. Tip on to a work surface, shape into a disc, wrap and chill for 30min.
2 Lightly flour a work surface and roll out pastry. Use to line a 23cm round, straight-sided, loose-bottomed tart tin that’s 3.5cm deep, leaving excess pastry hanging over the sides. Prick base all over with a fork; chill for 30min.
3 Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Line pastry with a large sheet of baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 20min. Carefully remove parchment and baking beans, then return pastry to
oven for 15min, until golden and base feels sandy. Cool in tin for 5min, then trim pastry overhang with a large serrated knife and leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the filling. In a heatproof bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar and both flours until combined. Heat milk in a medium pan until just steaming. Gradually whisk hot milk into yolk mixture, until smooth. Return mixture to pan and cook, whisking constantly, until very thick (it will need to boil). Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and chocolate until melted (don’t worry if mixture is a little lumpy). Scrape into a bowl, lay baking parchment or clingfilm directly on the surface, cool and chill.
5 To serve, whizz white chocolate filling briefly in a food processor until smooth. In a large bowl, whip cream until it holds firm peaks. Scrape in white chocolate mixture and fold together. 6 Transfer pastry case to a cake stand or serving plate, scrape in filling and smooth to level. Top with fruit and white chocolate curls (see GH Tip), if you like. Lightly dust with icing sugar and serve.
PER SERVING (without curls) 349cals, 7g protein, 21g fat (12g saturates), 32g carbs (15g total sugars), 3g fibre
GET AHEAD
Prepare to end of step 4 up to a day ahead. Once cool, store pastry case in an airtight container at room temperature. Keep filling covered and chilled. Complete recipe to serve.