Summer Berry Mint Cream Tart Food

SUMMER BERRY TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.

SUMMER BERRY MINT CREAM TART

Steps:

• Make the shell:
• In a bowl with an electric mixer cream the butter with the sugar, the salt, and the vanilla, add the flour, and blend the mixture until it forms crumbs that become a dough when pressed together. Turn the crumbs into a buttered 10-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim, press them firmly onto the bottom and up the side of the pan, and chill the shell for 30 minutes. Prick the shell all over with a form, line it with foil, and fill the foil with the rice. Bake the shell in the lower third of a preheated 375°F. oven for 15 minutes, remove the rice and the foil carefully, and bake the shell for 10 minutes more, or until it is golden. Let the shell cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, remove the side of the pan, and let the shell cool completely. (The shell will be very crisp and cookie-like.)
• Make the mint cream:
• In a small saucepan bring the milk to a boil with the mint, remove the pan from the heat, and let the mixture stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Strain the milk through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the mint. In the pan, cleaned, whisk together the egg yolks, the sugar, the cornstarch, and the vanilla, whisk in the milk, and bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Simmer the pastry cream, whisking, for 3 minutes (it will be very thick), transfer it to a bowl, and chill it, its surface covered with plastic wrap, for 4 hours, or until it is firm. The pastry cream may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. In a chilled bowl with an electric mixer beat the heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks. Whisk the pastry cream until it is smooth, whisk in half the whipped cream, and fold in the remaining whipped cream gently but thoroughly.
• Arrange the shell on a large plate and fill it with the mint cream. Stand the strawberries, hulled ends down, in the mint cream, scatter the blueberries and the raspberries over and between the strawberries, and chill the tart for 1 hour. The tart may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered loosely and chilled.

LEMON TART WITH SUMMER BERRIES

Steps:

• Finely grate the zest of 3 of the lemons into a bowl. Halve all the lemons, then use a fork to squeeze out all the juice and pulp into the bowl with the zest - don't worry about the seeds. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, then whisk in the caster sugar until completely combined. Whisk in the cream and lemon juice mix, then set aside.
• Place a 23cm tart ring or loose-bottom flan tin on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. On a surface dusted with icing sugar, roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Lift onto a rolling pin, then drape over the tart ring or flan tin, leaving the excess hanging over the edge. Carefully press the pastry into the sides with a small ball of pastry. Put in fridge or freezer for 20 mins to allow pastry to chill.
• While the pastry is chilling, heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Prick the base of the pastry case, line with greaseproof paper and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the paper and beans, then bake the case for 5-10 mins more until it is biscuity brown and crisp. Lower oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
• Use a ladle to push the lemon custard through a sieve into a bowl, pressing down on the pulp to extract as much juice as possible. Skim the bubbles from the surface of the custard, then pour the custard into a jug. Pull the tart out of the oven slightly, then pour in the custard so it comes to the top. You may have some left over. Push tart back in, then bake for 35-40 mins until the top forms a light crust and the custard is just set. Leave to cool, then chill.
• While the tart is cooling, make the berry salad. Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and scatter the icing sugar over the base. Heat until the sugar dissolves and caramelises. Throw in the berries, toss with the sugar, then splash in the sherry vinegar. Bubble for a min until everything is just starting to soften, then tip onto a plate and leave to cool slightly.
• Use a serrated knife to trim away the pastry and make a neat edge. Dust the tart lightly with icing sugar, then use a blowtorch to caramelise the top. Leave the top to set, then repeat the process so that you get an extra-thick layer of caramel. Stir the mint through the berries. Serve the tart in slices with a bowl of the berry salad on the side.

CARAMELIZED SUMMER FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Put a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Demerara sugar in an approximate 10-by-13-inch rectangle in the center of the liner or paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch and salt. Add fruit, lemon juice, honey and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or large spoon, mix well, making sure fruit is coated with the cornstarch mixture. Set aside to macerate while rolling out dough.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the cold puff pastry out to form a 10-by-13-inch rectangle. Work quickly, as the pastry becomes sticky as it warms up. Transfer the dough to prepared baking sheet, laying it on top of the Demerara sugar. With a sharp knife, lightly score a 3/4-inch border around the edges of the puff pastry, making sure not to cut the pastry all the way through. Using a fork, prick the pastry all over inside the border at 1-inch intervals.
• Give the fruit another toss to dissolve any honey that may have clumped. Arrange fruit mixture in an even layer on pastry within the border, pouring the juices from the bowl over the top. Sprinkle the top of the tart, including the fruit and pastry borders, with more Demerara sugar.
• Bake until the pastry is puffed and deeply golden and the fruit is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire tack to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving (or up to 4 hours). If the fruit looks dry when the tart comes out of the oven, you can brush it with a little more honey while it's still warm. Serve with whipped cream, crème fraîche or ice cream.

SUMMER BERRIES WITH LEMON CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• Place creme fraiche in a medium-size non-reactive bowl. Add sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, 1 hour or longer. (Lemon Creme Fraiche can be prepared 2 days ahead; keep covered and refrigerated.).
• Rinse berries and gently pat dry. If using strawberries, rinse first then hull and halve (or quarter, if large) lengthwise. Place berries in a large bowl and gently toss to combine.
• Divide berries among four wide-mouthed wine glasses, martini glasses or dessert bowls. Drizzle each serving with about 1/4 cup of Lemon Creme.