Monday, June 3, 2013

Tropical Tart Nouveau



One of the best things about being an expat in Bangkok is the amazing circle of friends you make from all over the world. One of the worst things is that just as you feel like you are becoming really great friends, they take up a new posting thousands of miles away. I have had my heart broken several times in this way since moving here and console myself with the knowledge that I will be warmly welcomed if I am ever in Istanbul, New York, Nairobi or Dhaka.  The latest heartbreaker is my friend Marcus, who is about trade in his charmed life in this city for a gritty humanitarian experience in Afghanistan where he will be helping get food to people who need it. By way of send-off, I hosted a Sunday lunch called ‘Come Swine With Me’ – three pork-based courses before he moves to a land where pork is strictly off the menu.

I wanted to end the meal with a flourish and serve a dessert that would reflect Thailand’s bright colours and sweetness. And then I remembered that I suck at baking and I have a shameful history of tarts with soggy bottoms. But nothing says “I will miss you loads and wish you a safe passage to Kabul” like a home-made, from scratch tropical fruit tart. So I avoided the temptation to buy a ready-made dessert, did my research, cherry picked the most doable bits from some of my favourite chefs’ tart recipes (many thanks Delia, Pascal and Michel), added my own tropical twist and this is the result. It really worked. There were moments in the process when I thought it wouldn’t – my crème patissiere went lumpy in the fridge but I whisked it out, my pastry fell apart as I transferred it to the dish but I patched it up. It came good in the end and the whole thing vanished as soon as it was served. I will definitely be making this again – not least to welcome back absent friends who come to visit.

Ingredients

For the pastry:
120g unsalted butter
60g icing sugar
140g plain flour
70g ground almonds
2g baking powder
1 egg yolk
1 pinch salt

For the crème patissiere:
200ml full fat milk
40g caster sugar
2 egg yolks
14g cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the fruit:
8 large strawberries
2 kiwis
1mango
30ml sweet white or rose wine
1.5 tbsp clear honey

Method
1.       First make the pastry. Take the butter out of the fridge and cut into small cubes. Place in a metal mixing bowl and leave to soften. Add the icing sugar and whisk together until pale and smooth. Sift in the flour and then add the almonds, baking powder and salt. Mix together with your finger tips. It should be a sandy texture. If it feels too buttery, add a little more flour. Then add the egg yolk and combine until you have a dough (it will still feel a bit buttery). Don’t over-work the pastry – once it is done, wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge for 2 hours.
2.       Meanwhile make your crème patissiere. Bring the milk to the boil. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until you have a silky, thick paste. Add the cornflour and continue whisking vigorously.
3.       Pour half of the boiled milk into the bowl and whisk until combined. Then pour the mixture from the bowl into the saucepan with the remaining milk and whisk. Bring it back to the boil and then reduce to a low temperature. Keep whisking the mixture over the low heat for 3-4 minutes and add the vanilla extract. Don’t take your eye of the mixture and keep stirring otherwise you will over-cook it and ruin the texture.
4.       After 4 minutes of cooking you should have a thick, silky cream. Transfer it to a shallow dish, cover with cling film and put in the fridge. After half an hour or so, when it has cooled down, take it out and whisk it up again. Don’t worry if it’s a bit lumpy, keep whisking and the lumps will go away. Cover once again with cling film and leave in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
5.       Next prepare your fruit. Cut it into slices however you like – either lots of thin slivers or big thick chunks.  I went somewhere in between. Then combine the wine and honey and pour over the fruit. Cover and leave to marinate until you are ready to serve.
6.       When two hours have gone by, take your pastry from the fridge and pre-heat the oven to 160°C. Dust with flour and roll out to about half a centimeter in thickness. You then need to transfer it to a tart dish. I did not manage to do this in one clean movement – my pastry was too delicate so I ended up transferring it in pieces and reconstructing it in the tart dish. I’m sure this isn’t how the professionals do it but it worked for me. Pat the pastry snugly and evenly into the dish, making sure you build a generous crust around the edge of the dish.
7.       Bake in the oven for 16 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. I wasn’t brave enough to remove the tart from the glass dish, but if you have a springform dish you can do this once the pastry has completely cooled.
8.       When you are ready to serve, remove the crème patissiere from the fridge and whisk up again. Pour it into the pastry and spread evenly. Place the fruit on top of the crème patissiere once piece at a time, arranging it however you like. Serve and enjoy!

108 comments:

  1. That is a gorgeous looking tart, can't wait to try this!

    Happy Blogging!
    Happy Valley Chow

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're my hero! And what a gorgeous, gorgeous photo.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your dazzling work has won my heart. I’ll come soon to your site with new hope.
    mango exporter pakistan

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for the valuable information insights you have so provided here...
    Mango exporter in Pakistan

    ReplyDelete
  5. Durrani Farm is masking Asia and Korea as the primary exporter of grasses position Alfalfa and Rhodes grasses. they are referred to as the most productive makers in Sindh, Pakistan. The maker in addition to the most productive exporter in Asia and Korea as smartly.
    Mango exporters in asia

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hii
    This is priyanka thakre i like your page that tart is looking amazing please visit our page tooBeauty Blog  

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for sharing above information with us. Visit our blog too  Beauty Blog

    ReplyDelete
  8. hi this is palash thanks for sharing article visit our blog too
    Beauty Blog

    ReplyDelete
  9. kindly Visit https://tworings.pk
    Shadi online

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nice Article Google [url=https://google.com]Google[/url]

    ReplyDelete
  11. This blog found to be the best informational and increase the audience attraction. Agrithing brings an idea of online selling of Agriculture Machinery. Where you can sell your silage machine easily. Moreover, if you are a buyer you can easily check silage machine price in Pakistan at agrithing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Tech world’s school management system is a powerful management software that enables the owner to effectively manage all day to day tasks of an academia.
    Best School management software In Pakistan

    ReplyDelete
  13. His estimated net worth is around a whopping $7 billion, as of March 2021 according to our news reports.
    Israel Englander Family and job Details

    ReplyDelete
  14. He is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Kevin Owens and is a former Universal Champion
    Kevin Owens Personal Information

    ReplyDelete
  15. He is the monarch and head of state of Liechtenstein.[1] The princely family of Liechtenstein, after which the sovereign principality was named in 1719
    Prince of Liechtenstein Information

    ReplyDelete
  16. Mango is the best crop produced by the Pakistani farmers with better taste and high quality as similar to the mandarin orange for export to the Russia. gr-exporter international is found to be the best in export.

    ReplyDelete
  17. aldi survey will help to improve aldi products as well as another set of services.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Look like a delicious recipe.
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  19. That is a gorgeous looking tart.
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thanks for the valuable information insights you have so provided here.
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  21. The PIP pip maxi flex Cut Resistant Glove is a micro-foam nitrile coated glove made with an incredibly comfortable lightweight knit at the wristband.

    ReplyDelete