Mixed Berry Tart with Elderflower Pastry Cream Recipe

Ingredients

• 350g (12oz) sweet shortcrust pastry (we used and liked Sainsbury's)

for the pastry cream

• 300ml (½pt) whole or semi-skimmed milk
• 2 large free-range egg yolks
• 50g (2oz) caster sugar
• 25g (1oz) each: plain flour and cornflour
• 150ml (¼pt) double cream
• 5tbsp elderflower cordial
• 150g (5oz) raspberries
• 100g (4oz) blueberries
• icing sugar, to serve

you will need:

• 23cm (9in) fluted tart tin with a removable base

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200 C, 180 C fan, 400 F, gas 6. Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin and line the tart tin, leaving an overhang. Chill, line with foil and fill with baking beans, then blind bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil, turn the oven down to 180 C, 160 C fan, 350 F, gas 4 and bake for a further 10 minutes, until the pastry is a uniform sandy colour.

2. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then trim off the excess pastry with a serrated knife to form a blunt edge.

3. To make the pastry cream, heat the milk in a saucepan until steaming. Mix the yolks together with the sugar and a little of the milk, and when pale, stir in the flours. Pour on the rest of the milk, transfer to a clean saucepan and cook, stirring constantly until thick. The mixture will go very lumpy at first - keep stirring and it will become smooth.

4. When the mixture is thick and smooth, transfer to a bowl and cover with clingfilm touching the surface. Cool completely, then whizz in a food processor until completely smooth and creamy. Lightly whip the cream with the elderflower until it just forms soft peaks. Fold into the pastry cream until combined, and spoon into the tart case.

5. Place the raspberries upside down all over the cream, and scatter the blueberries in-between. Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve. This tart will only keep assembled for a few hours, but the separate components will keep for up to 2 days.