Autumn is almost upon us, August brings a softer golden light and a slight chill to the evening air. I seized every opportunity I could this last week to forage for blackberries as they are so incredibly sweet this year.
This dessert was inspired by my love of lemon tart. I adore the citrusy, creamy, custardy filling with an almond crust. With an abundance of berries to hand it was only fitting to combine the two!
I’m so excited to share this recipe with you to celebrate natures bounty!
Berry & Lemon Custard Tart
Servings: 8 people
Equipment
- 23cm Pastry tin
Ingredients
Pastry
- 160 g plain flour
- 40 g ground almonds
- 100 g butter cold and diced
- 25 g icing sugar
- 3 ½ Tbls cold water
Berry puree
- 200 g blackberries and blueberries, equal quantities (200g is the total weight)
- 30 ml water
Filling
- 4 eggs medium
- 1 large lemon, zest of you should have 60ml juice
- 130 g caster sugar
- 80 ml double cream
- 150 g berry puree
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180Cfan/gas 5.
- Begin by rinsing the berries in a colander and placing them into a medium saucepan with the water. Gently bring to a simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes. Blitz in a food processor to a puree then pass through a fine sieve. You don’t have to use a food processor it's just a little harder work pushing it through the sieve. You should end up with 150g puree. set to one side.
- In a food processor place the flour, ground almond, icing sugar and butter. Pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the cold water and pulse until the dough just comes together. Turn out onto the work surface and form a ball. Wrap in greaseproof paper and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Dust a little flour onto your work surface and roll the pastry out to a large round or until its approximately 5cm bigger than the tin. Grease the base of the tin with a little butter. Tease into place and leave the excess edge to trim after baking. Prick the base with a fork and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Fill the pastry case lined with greaseproof paper with baking beans and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and bake for a further 6-8 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 150Cfan/gas2. Once the pastry case has cooled, shave the excess from the top edge of the tin with a microplane.
- In the mean time make the filling. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk with a balloon whisk, add the sugar and cream and whisk again. Finally add the zest of the lemon, juice and the cooled berry puree. Whisk thoroughly to incorporate the ingredients. If possible place the baked pastry case onto a baking sheet in the oven then pour the custard into the pastry case in the oven. Shut the door gently. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the custard has a slight wobble. Remove from the oven a cool. Decorate with more berries and a few mint leaves.
Pickled Blackberries
Custard did not set like in the picture, the top burnt and the inside was porous like a sponge – I feel it could be due to it not being made the proper way IE heating the custard over a stove first. Followed everything in the recipe, the only difference was the use of frozen rather than fresh berries. Sadly, it’s going into the bin. 🙁
Hi,
I’m sorry you’ve had issues.
Did you reduce the oven temperature to 150C fan once the tart case was baked blind?
This tart was delicious, I will definitely be making it again and again.
I’m so pleased you liked it Emily :-))
I tried the recipe. It is simply amazing!
I have done it 3 times. This time I replaced the almonds with pistachios. Let’s wait and see..
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
Reine, thank you so much for commenting and I’m so delighted you live this recipe :-))