Recipe | Fresh fruit tart

Tonka beans are a black legume from South America, about the size of a large dried bean. They taste and smell of a heavenly combination of vanilla, cherry and cinnamon.

The quick way to make this tart is to buy the sweet short pastry (I like Paneton’s) and make a vanilla custard to use in place of the creme pâtissiere (1 cup custard – I like Farro’s – mixed with 4 tablespoons cream cheese).

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Serves 8

Ingredients

For the crème pâtissière or pastry cream

3 egg yolks

1 tbsp castor sugar

4 tbsp sifted flour

250ml (1 cup) milk

100g (1/2 cup) castor sugar

2 tonka beans or half a vanilla pod, seeds removed

1 tbsp butter

For the pate sucrée or short pastry

200g (1 cup) flour

1 egg yolk

1/4 tsp salt

100g room-temperature butter, cubed

50g (1/4 cup) castor sugar

1 tbsp cold water

1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp milk beaten together

sugar, to sprinkle

To finish

250g (1 cup) fresh fruit or berries

1 tbsp cherry molasses (or any other kind)

slivered almonds and edible flowers (optional)

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Method

1. To make the creme pâtissiere, put the egg yolks, first measure of of sugar and flour in a medium-sized bowl and beat together till pale and creamy (about 3 minutes).

2. Heat the milk, second measure of sugar and tonka beans or vanilla pod and seeds in a medium-sized saucepan. When just on the point of boiling, pour into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.

3. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, put on a low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. It will thicken in about 3 minutes. If you think it might have a few little lumps, pour it through a sieve.

4. Pour back into the mixing bowl, dot with butter to prevent a skin forming and allow to completely cool. When cool, refrigerate covered in plastic wrap.

5. To make the pate sucrée, pile the flour on the bench or a marble slab and make a well in the centre.

6. Into this place the egg yolk, salt, butter, sugar and cold water.

7. Using your fingertips gradually work the flour into the centre. Work quickly and methodically till all the flour is incorporated. Add more water if necessary and form into a soft ball.

8. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

9. Grease and flour a 23cm tart tin with removable base. Roll out the pastry and ease gently into the tin, making sure you don’t pull it or stretch it. Make a few little holes in the pastry with a fork.

10. Cover the pastry with foil or baking paper and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes.

11. Remove the baking beans, brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle with a little sugar. Put back in the oven to bake for another 15 minutes, till golden.

12. Place on a cake rack and cool completely.

13. Once it has cooled, fill the pastry shell with the cold pastry cream or custard (discard the tonka beans), smoothing it over evenly.

14. Arrange the fruit over the top in the most artistic fashion you can manage. Drizzle with molasses and scatter with almonds, and edible flowers, if using.

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