ENGLISH STRAWBERRY TART

OH the joys of summer – the English fruits are starting to come through and what’s not to like about a classic strawberry tart?

Makes six tarts

For the sweet pastry

●250g plain flour

●90g icing sugar

●120g butter

●1 egg

●Pinch lemon zest

●For the crème patisserie

●250ml milk

●50ml Grand Marnier

●Pinch of orange zest

●1 vanilla pod – split into half lengthways

●2 egg yolks

●55g caster sugar

●30g plain flour – sifted

●Dusting icing sugar To finish

●2 punnets fresh strawberries, or whichever fruits are in season

●3 tbs apricot jam

1. For the sweet pastry, in a food processor blend together the flour, sugar and butter until it forms a fine crumb. Add the egg and lemon and knead to a smooth dough, place in the fridge to firm slightly. 2. Lightly dust a work surface with some plain flour and roll out the pastry thinly to about 2mm thick. Use to line 6 tart cases or alternatively make one large one. 3. Bake in a hot oven 180°c for about 5 minutes until lightly coloured and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 4. For the French patisserie (sounds posh, but in fact it’s just classic custard) heat the milk and vanilla together to a gentle simmer then remove from the heat and leave for 20 minutes to infuse. Add the Grand Marnier. 5. Mix together the egg yolks and sugar then add the flour and mix well. Pour half the milk into the egg mix, then pour this into the remaining milk in the pan, place on a medium heat and bring to the boil and then cook out for 1 minute, stirring well. Pour into a bowl and dust with a touch of icing sugar to prevent a skin forming. Leave to cool. 6. When ready to assemble, spoon some of the custard into each tart, if making ahead of time brush the case with chocolate, this prevents the tarts from going soggy. Slice the fruits and arrange on top. 7. Heat the apricot jam in a small pan adding a touch of water to loosen it. Brush carefully over the fruits to give a sheen and hold them together.