FRUIT TART CUSTARD RECIPES

Steps:

• To make the pastry, put the flour, salt and butter into a food processor and pulse until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the sugar and then fold in the egg. Add enough of the water to bring everything together and knead into a smooth, non-sticky dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a circle measuring about 28cm/11in in diameter. Line a 25cm/10in loose-bottomed tart tin with the pastry and prick the base all over with a fork. Place in the fridge for 20–30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Line the pastry case with crumpled greaseproof paper and add some baking beans. Bake for about 10 minutes, remove the paper and beans and put the pastry back in the oven for another 3–4 minutes. Turn the oven down to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
• To make the filling, sprinkle the pastry case with the ground almonds and then the blueberries and bake for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make a custard by mixing the double cream, icing sugar, eggs and vanilla in a bowl. Pour this mixture over the berries and bake for another 20–30 minutes, or until the tart filling is fairly firm and golden.
• Leave the tart to cool in the tin on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with cream or crème fraîche.

Steps:

• Mix the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Press the dough into a 10-inch-round or 9-inch-square false-bottom tart pan, making sure that the finished edge is flat. Chill until firm.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter 1 side of a square of aluminum foil to fit inside the chilled tart and place it, buttered side down, on the pastry. Fill with beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, prick the tart all over with the tines of a fork, and bake again for 20 to 25 minutes more, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Remove the zest of the lemons with a vegetable peeler or zester, being careful to avoid the white pith. Squeeze the lemons to make 1/2 cup of juice and set the juice aside. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the sugar and process for 2 to 3 minutes, until the zest is very finely minced. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
• Pour the mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. The lemon curd will thicken at about 175 degrees F, or just below a simmer. Remove from the heat.
• Fill the tart shell with warm lemon curd and allow to set at room temperature.