Blackberry & Lime Custard Tart with Almond Pastry
Its blackberry season and this means that the lovely Mr G, an anyone else who enters my house, has to put up with food with at least one element of these small black berries.
This recipe is a tart that looks so pretty with the deep colour purple, has a really delicate almond pastry, with a smooth berry custard with the lime, not a prominent flavour, just there to enhance the freshness of the berries.
A twist on the traditional custard tart!
Who said that custard tarts had to be vanilla and pale?
Everything counts in this pretty tart.
The pastry is delicate and light, the custard is smooth, just set and full of the flavour of autumn.
Together the tart becomes a dish that is worth making more than once.
Read the instructions and the tip box before you start getting to grips with this recipe, not that its difficult, it’s just that it flows better if it’s made in a certain order.
There’s nothing difficult about making it, so have fun, and if you make it, let me know how it goes.
Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!
As pretty as a picture
What You Need
Pastry
160g Plain Flour
100g Butter – Cut into small cubes
40g Ground Almonds
25g Icing Sugar
3 – 5 Tbsp. Cold Water – See Tip Box
Once the pastry is ready, wrap and rest in fridge
Blackberry Puree
300g Blackberries – Plus extra to decorate
40ml Water
Blackberry & Lime Custard Filling
4 Large Eggs
150ml Blackberry Puree – See Recipe
130g Castor Sugar
80ml Double Cream
40ml Lime Juice
Look at the colour of that custard!
How It’s Done
Set the oven to 180c
Cut yourself a slice or two
Pastry
Place the flour, ground almonds, icing sugar and cubes of butter into a food processor.
Switch it on and let it run until the ingredients resembles fine breadcrumbs
With the food processor still running, slowly add the cold water a little at a time until it starts to comes together into a soft but not sticky dough – See Tip Box
Remove the pastry from the food processor and bring together into a ball.
Flatten the pastry a little and wrap the pastry in cling film - Don’t over handle the pastry or it will be tough to eat.
Place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to rest
Prepare a loose bottomed shallow tart tin, no larger than 23cm, by coating the inside with a fine film of butter and then dusting the inside with a layer of flour (shaking out the excess flour)– See Tip Box
Set the tin aside until needed
After the pastry has chilled and rested for around 30 minutes, take it out of the fridge and unwrap it
Dust the work-surface onto a clean work-surface
Using as little flour as possible, roll out the pastry into a circle big enough to fit the tin and with about 2 inches of pastry overhanging the tart tin. - (Again , try not to over handle the pastry)
Gently lay the pastry into the prepared tin and ease into any dips in the tin.
Prick all over the inside bottom of the pastry case with a fork
Place the covered tart tin back in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes
Prick and chill
Heat the oven to 180c
Time to blind bake the pastry.
After the pastry case has chilled for the second time, line with non-stick baking parchment and fill with baking beans or uncooked dry rice– See Tip Box
Sit the tin on a baking tray and place into the hot oven to bake for 15 minutes
Use baking beans of uncooked rise to bind bake the pastry
After the time is up, take out the paper and baking beans.
Return the partly cooked case back into the oven to bake for another 6-8 minutes – until the base of the case firm and a pale golden colour.
Remove it from the oven and set aside until cooled.
Once cooled, take a sharp knife and run it around the top edge of the tin to remove the excess pastry and tidy up the edges of the pastry case
While the pastry is cooling, make the puree and custard
A perfect slice
Blackberry Puree
Place the blackberries into a saucepan along with the 40ml of water
Bring the berries to a simmer and let it gently simmer for 5-7 minutes until the berries are soft – shaking the pan occasionally so the berries don’t burn
Pour the berry mixture into a fine sieve and push them through until what’s left is at least 150ml of puree.
Set the puree aside until needed
Push through a fine sieve until whats left is at least 150ml puree
Blackberry & Lime Custard Filling
Into a large bowl, crack the eggs.
Whisk them until they are frothy and a little lighter in colour.
Add the sugar and cream to the bowl and whisk again.
Add the lime juice and the berry puree and whisk again until everything comes together.
Transfer the custard mixture into a jug to make it easier to pour
Look a perfect colour
Place the empty pastry case onto an oven tray
Put the tray into the hot oven and holding the tray steady, pour the custard mixture into the pastry case
Gently push the tray into the oven and let the tart bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges of the custard are softly firm and the centre still has a very slight wobble.
Once baked, remove from the oven and let it cool completely before carefully removing from the tin.
Decorate with fresh berries
Store in the fridge but serve at room temperature
A tart for every time those berries are around
Tip Box
Pastry – 1) The pastry should be made first as it needs to rest and chill in the fridge before being rolled out.
2) It may not take all of the water to bring the pastry together. So, pour in half, let the food processor run and if more is needed, add it 1 teaspoon at a time until it starts to comes together into a soft but not sticky pastry
3) Blind Bake – Blind baking means to bake the pastry case before putting the filling into the prepared case.
Prepare Tin – To prepare a tin for baking, ensuring the tart can be easily removed, rub a layer of margarine or butter on the inside of the tin. Make sure to get into any crevasses or dips. Once there is a nice layer of fat, dust the inside with a layer of flour, again, making sure that every bit of the inside is covered, then tip out the excess flour.
No need for anything else in the plate when theres a slice of this on it.
