Fruit Tart
(Serves 6-8)
Annecy in south-eastern France was where I found the most beautiful market I visited on my trip. The place and the food were stunning – and I spotted a French version of my dog Ralph! Annecy also provided the inspiration for this elegant fruit tart.
Ingredients
1 x 320g ready-made puff pastry sheet
Flour, for dusting
Butter, for greasing
1 egg, beaten
85g dark chocolate, broken into pieces (optional)
300ml double cream
200ml ready-made custard, chilled
12 strawberries, hulled and halved
150g blueberries
150g raspberries
200g redcurrants
150g seedless black grapes, halved
Directions
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a large rectangle, then cut out a 36cm x 20cm rectangle and place on a lightly greased baking tray.
Using a sharp knife, score a 2cm border around the edge of the pastry, but don’t cut all the way through.
Brush the border with beaten egg, making sure it doesn’t dribble down the sides because this will prevent the pastry from rising evenly.
Prick the base of the tart (not the border) with a fork, then chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Bake the pastry for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
Slide on to a wire rack and leave to cool. Once cooled, gently press the centre of the pastry down to leave a border around the edge.
Melt the chocolate (if using) in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of just simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
Brush the chocolate over the pastry, keeping clear of the border. Leave to set.
In a bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks, then fold in the custard. Spoon this mixture over the pastry base and spread evenly.
Draw shallow lines in the cream mixture, parallel to the shorter sides of the tart, to create five sections.
Arrange the fruit on top so that each section is of a contrasting colour.
James Martin’s French Adventure: 80 Classic French Recipes is published by Quadrille an available on Loot.co.za for R305