Part of:
High Tea
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Butter (unsalted, cold)
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 cup Powder sugar
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 2 cups Flour
- 1 3/4 cups Milk
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 5 Egg yolks
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp Cornstarch
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- 1 tbsp Apricot jam
- 1/2 tsp Water {
Instructions:
- Start by making the tart dough. In a food processor, add the flour, powdered sugar, and salt, and mix until combined.
- Add the cold cubed butter, and blend until there are pea-sized pieces of butter. If you don't have a food processor, you can do it by hand, mixing the cold butter into the flour mixture. Make sure that your hands are cold.
- Then, add the egg, and the vanilla extract and mix until a dough forms. Try not to overmix the dough.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Transfer the dough onto a clean floured surface and roll it with a rolling pin into a rectangle.
- Use a cookie cutter or a round bowl (1 inch larger than the mini tart pans) and cut small rounds of the pastry.
- Place the pastry inside the mini tart pans and press it down using your clean hands.
- Cut off the extra edges. Make holes in the bottom of the pan with a fork and place them in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let it cool while making the filling.
- Place a saucepan over high heat and fill it with the milk and vanilla extract. Let it simmer, and remove it from the heat. Scoop ¼ cup of the milk and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the sugar and cornflour. Mix with a whisk until combined. Add the egg yolks and mix.
- Gradually add the ¼ cup of milk and mix constantly with a whisk. This step is used to temper the egg yolks and avoid them from cooking too fast.
- Move the saucepan with the milk to the stovetop over low heat and add the egg yolk mixture into the milk mixing constantly with a whisk.
- Mix over medium-low heat and mix constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens. Don't increase the heat, be patient it will be worth it!
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap tightly. Place the bowl in the fridge. Allow it to set and cool for a few hours.
- Now it's time to assemble the tarts! Transfer the pastry cream into a piping bag with a round tip. Pipe the custard inside the mini tart shells, and top the cream with washed and dried berries or fruit of your choice.
- Optional: Make a simple glaze by mixing 1 tbsp of apricot jam with 1/2 tsp of water and brush the fruit with the glaze.