Fruit Tartlettes
Ingredients
Pastry – pâte sablé
·
250 grams plain flour
·
½ teaspoon salt
·
180 grams butter, diced
·
and chilled
·
1 egg
·
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
·
60 grams icing sugar
Crème patissière
·
1½ cups milk
·
1 vanilla bean or
·
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
·
5 egg yolks
·
90 grams caster sugar
·
35 grams cornflour
·
2 tablespoons brandy – optional
·
¼ cup cream, whipped
·
to soft peaks
To finish
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Selection of fresh fruit, (I used blueberries,
kiwifruit and tamarillos)
·
½ cup apricot jam
·
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
·
Mint sprigs for garnish
·
15 brioche tins or other small tart tins
Recipe
Pastry:
1. Put the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and blend to
coarse crumbs. Stir the egg, vanilla extract and icing sugar together and pour
over the flour. Pulse until the dough just starts to come together.
Put
the milk into a saucepan
2. Tip onto the bench and gently form into a disc. Cover in plastic
wrap and refrigerate until firm. Roll out on a lightly floured bench and line
the tart tins. Place in the freezer for at least 15 minutes prior to baking.
3. Preheat the oven to 200˚C.
4. Bake blind for 15 minutes then remove the baking paper and beans.
Reduce the oven to 170˚C and bake until the pastry is golden and cooked
through. A lower temperature is required due to the high butter content in the
pastry, which can burn easily.
Crème patissière:
1. Put the milk into a saucepan. Halve the vanilla bean and scrape the
seeds out with the point of a knife. Add the seeds and pod to the milk and
slowly bring to just below boiling point.
2. Whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour together. Remove the
vanilla bean and slowly whisk in the hot milk then pour the whole mixture back
into the saucepan. Place over a medium heat and stirring constantly, bring to
the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 2 minutes, stirring
constantly, to cook out the cornflour. Stir in the brandy.
3. Tip into a bowl and cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap.
Cool and refrigerate until ready to use. Whisk the custard to loosen and fold
in the cream. Heat the jam and press through a sieve to remove any bits of
skin. Stir in 1-2 teaspoons of boiling water to thin down if necessary.
Fruit
Tartlettes
To assemble: Fill the tart cases with crème patissière and top with sliced fruit.
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the fruit with the apricot glaze and
scatter with the almonds and a sprig of mint. Glazing the fruit gives a glossy
shine and prevents the fruit from discolouring.
