Berries for christmas

Kiwi families love an alternative to Christmas pudding and this spectacular tart is the perfect celebration dessert to delight all ages.

strawberry tart

Makes one 28cm tart

filling

This festive tart is also delicious made with sliced mango in place of strawberries.

• 4 cups Crème Patissière (see below)
• 3 cups frozen raspberries
• 1½ cups Crème Diplomat (see below)
• 2 punnets strawberries, sliced icing sugar, for dusting

1. Line a 28cm tart tin with baking paper cut to fit.
2. On a lightly floured bench, roll out pastry to 3mm thick and line tart tin, making sure to press pastry into edges of tin. Rest pastry case in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C. Fill pastry case with Crème Pâtissière and scatter raspberries over. Place filled tart tin on a baking tray and bake for 50 minutes, or until pastry is golden. Allow to cool completely before removing from tin.
4. When ready to serve, cover tart with Crème Diplomat. Arrange layers of sliced strawberries over tart as pictured. Dust with sifted icing sugar.

When transferring pastry to line a tart tin, drape the pastry over a rolling pin. Then roll it back off the rolling pin and lay over the tin. Gently press into the tin to line the base and edges. You will need to make a double batch of Crème Pâtissière for this recipe

sweet pastry

• 2¾ cups flour
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 eff
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• 250g unsalted butter
• ½ tsp lemon zest
• Vanilla extract or paste, to taste

1. In a food processor, combine flour, icing sugar and salt and pulse in 2-second bursts to aerate and combine.
2. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add egg, lemon juice, zest and vanilla and pulse 10 times. The mixture should look dry and crumbly.
4. Turn out onto a clean work surface and gather mixture together with your hands. Gently shape mixture into a ball.
5. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours before using.

crème pâtissière

• Makes 2 ½ cups
• 500ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 ½ cup caster sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• ¼ cup cornflour

1. In a saucepan, combine milk, vanilla and ¼ cup caster sugar, and bring to the boil.
2. In a bowl, beat together remaining caster sugar, egg yolks and cornflour until mixture is pale and thick.
3. Whisking constantly at low speed, slowly pour half the milk mixture into the egg mixture.
4. Return remaining milk to the heat and quickly add egg yolk mixture to milk, beating constantly. It is a real workout, but if you don’t beat it vigorously enough the Crème Pâtissière will be lumpy. Keep beating the mixture over the heat until it comes back to the boil, then remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and cover with cling film. Cool before using.

crème diplomat

• Males 2 ½ cups
• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup Crème Patissiere (see above), chilled

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Beat chilled Crème Pâtissière until smooth. Using a metal spoon, fold Crème Pâtissière through whipped cream. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.

Crème Pâtissière may be kept refrigerated for up to three days. Before using, beat with a wooden spoon, or in an electric mixer, to bring it back to a smooth consistency.

Reproduced with permission from Little and Friday Celebrations
by Kim Evans. Published by Penguin Group NZ. RRP $45. Copyright © Kim Evans, 2013

Copyright © Photography Tamara West, 2013