STRAWBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE TART

Make the tart the day before to ensure that it sets thoroughly in the fridge before decorating.

Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus chilling

Cooking time: 25 minutes

225g plain flour

100g cold, unsalted butter, diced 2tbsp caster sugar

1 large egg, beaten

For the filling:

250g mascarpone

200g white chocolate, broken into pieces

150ml double cream

To decorate

400g small fresh strawberries Icing sugar 1 Sift the flour into a food processor with a pinch of salt. Add the butter and blitz until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Tip the mixture into a large bowl.

2 Stir in the sugar and enough egg until the mixture forms clumps.

Bring the mixture together with your hands and knead on a lightly floured worktop – don’t overwork or the pastry will become tough. Flatten into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill for 30min.

3 Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured worktop to a thickness of 3mm, then press into the base and sides of a deep 20cm tart tin. Prick the base with a fork. Chill well (or freeze for 10min if you like) until ready to bake.

4 Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/mark 5. Cover the base and sides of the pastry with a circle of crumpled baking parchment and baking beans. Bake for 12-15min until the pastry has set. Remove the beans and parchment and continue baking for 5-10min until the pastry is dry and sandy to the touch. Cool in the tin on a wire rack.

5 Melt the mascarpone and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Don’t stir until it’s all melted or the mixture will ‘clump’. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

6 Lightly whip the cream until it matches the consistency of the mascarpone. Gently fold the cream into the mascarpone a few spoonfuls at a time. Pour into the pastry case and chill until firm (overnight). To serve, decorate with strawberries and dust with icing sugar.