Gooseberry Crème Brûlée Tart Recipes

GOOSEBERRY CREME FRAICHE TART

Steps:

• Firstly, sift the flour into a bowl, then add the fat, cut into smallish lumps, then take a knife and begin to cut the fat into the flour. Go on doing this until it looks fairly evenly blended, then begin to rub the fat into the flour using your fingertips only and being as light as possible. Being light with your fingers is not a special gift, it's just what's needed here, so don't go on rubbing all day, just long enough to make the mixture crumbly with a few odd lumps here and there. Sprinkle 1½ tablespoons of cold water over the mixture, then, with a knife, start bringing the dough together, using the knife to make it cling. Then discard the knife and finally bring it together with your fingertips. When enough liquid is added, the pastry should leave the bowl completely clean. If this hasn't happened, keep adding a spot more water (sometimes it really only needs your fingers dipped into water to bring it together). All pastry must be rested before rolling out. If you're in a hurry, this can seem like an awful bore, but I promise you it will, in fact, save you more time in the end. So place it in a polythene bag and leave it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5, 375°F (190°C). Place a solid baking sheet in the oven to pre-heat as well. Then roll the pastry out to a circle, line the pastry tin and prick the base with a fork. Use some of the egg yolk for the filling to paint all over the sides and base of the pastry. Now place the pastry-lined tin on the hot baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until the pastry is just beginning to turn golden. Remove it from the oven and turn the heat down to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C). Next whisk the crème fraîche, egg yolks, sugar and balsamic vinegar together. Arrange the gooseberries in the flan case, pour the crème fraîche mixture all over and then return the flan to the oven and bake until the custard is set, which will be about 40-45 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and allow it to settle for about 20 minutes before serving. It also tastes extremely good served cold.

GOOSEBERRY CRèME BRûLéE TART

Steps:

• Tip the gooseberries into a saucepan with 100g of the sugar and 100ml water. Simmer for 8-10 mins until the fruit is soft and the juices are syrupy. Tip the fruit into a sieve set over a jug and leave to strain - you will need about 150ml of the syrupy juices. Tip the pulp into a bowl and leave to cool.
• In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with 50g of the sugar, then beat in the cream and gooseberry syrup. Strain through a sieve into another jug and set aside.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin, then lift into a 23cm tart tin. Press down gently on the bottom and sides, leaving a slight overhang. Line the tart with foil and fill with baking beans. Bake for 10 mins, then discard the foil and beans, and bake for another 20 mins. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
• Reduce oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Spread the pulp evenly over the base of the tart, then carefully pour the cream mixture over it to create 2 layers. Bake for 35-40 mins until the cream layer has the slightest wobble to it. Remove from the oven and trim the pastry edges. Leave to cool completely, then scatter over the remaining sugar, caramelise with a blowtorch, if you like, and serve straight away.

GOOSEBERRY TART

Steps:

• Pate Sucree:Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolks and drizzle 2 tablespoons cream evenly over mixture; pulse just until dough begins to come together, no more than 30 seconds. If dough is too dry, add remaining cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse. Divide dough in half, pat each half into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 2 days, or freeze up to 3 months (thaw in refrigerator overnight before using).
• Tart:Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on bottom rack. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick (reserve remaining disk for another use). Fit into a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim edges flush with rim. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Cut 1/2 cup gooseberries in half and squeeze to release a little liquid. Toss all gooseberries with sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Spread evenly into chilled crust.
• Bake until bubbling in center and some of the fruit is blackened on top, 1 hour, 15 minutes to 1 hour, 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool 2 hours. In a small saucepan, heat jelly until melted. Brush over gooseberries; let set, about 15 minutes.

GOOSEBERRY TART

Steps:

• Place the gooseberries, sugar and elderflower heads in a saucepan with a little water and simmer until the gooseberries are very soft. Remove the elderflower heads, sieve the gooseberries or puree in a processor or blender, allow to cool and then stir in the eggs.
• Fold the cream and honey together and stir into the gooseberry mixture.
• Set the oven to 400ºF, or Mark 6.
• roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a lightly greased 8 inch flan dish or pie plate, trimming the edges neatly.
• Pour the gooseberry mixture into the case and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the filling is golden.
• Place on a wire rack and allow to cool before serving, either on it's own or with pouring cream as an accompaniement.

CRèME BRûLéE TART

Steps:

• Make tart shell:
• Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl (or pulse in a food processor). Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse) until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size lumps of butter. Add 3 tablespoons water and stir into flour (or pulse) until incorporated.
• Gently squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) after each addition. Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Fit dough into tart pan and fold overhang inward to reinforce side. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork, then line with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until edge is pale golden and side is set, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Carefully remove weights and parchment and bake shell until golden, 10 to 15 minutes more.
• Remove tart shell from oven and reduce temperature to 300°F.
• Make filling:
• While shell bakes, split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into a heavy medium saucepan with tip of a paring knife. Add pod to saucepan with cream and milk. Heat over medium heat until hot, then let steep off heat 30 minutes.
• Whisk together yolks, whole egg, 6 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a quart measuring cup, then whisk into cream mixture until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve back into measuring cup.
• Put tart shell (in pan) in a 4-sided sheet pan. Put in oven, then pour custard into shell. Bake until just set but still slightly wobbly in center, 30 to 35 minutes (custard will continue to set as it cools). Remove tart from sheet pan and cool on a rack 30 minutes. Remove side of pan and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour more.
• Just before serving, sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar evenly over top of tart. Move blowtorch flame evenly back and forth just above top of tart, avoiding crust, until sugar is caramelized and slightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

LEMON CRèME BRûLéE TART

Steps:

• Pulse flour, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and salt for crust in a food processor to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Mix egg yolks and lemon juice together in a small bowl; pour in through the chute and process until dough forms into a ball.
• Use floured hands to remove crust mixture and press into two 9-inch tart or pie pans, covering the bottoms and up the sides. Chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Remove crusts from the oven and line with foil and pie weights.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and loosely cover the crust edges with foil. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake for 15 more minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
• While the crusts are cooling, prepare filling: Remove lemon zest in strips with from both lemons with a vegetable peeler. Set lemons aside for another use. Place zest in a medium saucepan with cream, milk, and vanilla paste; bring to a simmer, then turn off heat and cover.
• Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a 5-quart pot. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice together in a heat-proof bowl over the water until sugar has dissolved; make sure the bowl is not touching the water. Stir with a heat-resistant spatula until mixture is thick and pale yellow, with a consistency of heavy cream, about 8 minutes.
• Slowly stir in heavy cream-lemon zest mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until custard thickly coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should read between 195 and 200 degrees F (91 to 93 degrees C).
• Dissolve gelatin in water in a small bowl. Stir gelatin mixture into the custard and cook for 3 to 5 more minutes. Strain custard through a fine sieve into a 2-quart measure. Pour into the cooled crusts and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle 1/2 of the sugar over each tart to within 1 inch of the outer edges. Brûlée with a torch until sugar bubbles and is caramelized. Refrigerate, uncovered, until topping hardens, about 10 minutes, before serving.

CRèME BRûLéE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch tart pan with 1-inch rim and removable bottom with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat softened butter and 1/2 cup sugar with spoon until blended. Beat in 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until well blended. Pat and press dough very firmly with floured fingers in bottom and up side of tart pan. Place tart pan on rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until crust is set in center but still pale. Cool 10 minutes. Using a flat-bottom measuring cup, carefully press to flatten partially baked dough in center and up sides.
• Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat egg yolks, 1 egg and 3 tablespoons sugar with whisk. Beat in whipping cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Place tart pan on rimmed baking sheet. Pour egg mixture into partially baked crust. Carefully transfer to oven on baking sheet.
• Bake 30 to 34 minutes or until custard layer is just set. Cool on cooling rack 30 minutes. Refrigerate uncovered at least 2 hours.
• Before serving, set oven control to broil. Cover crust edge with 2- to 3-inch wide strip of foil to prevent excessive browning. Sprinkle top of tart with 2 tablespoons sugar. Place tart pan on rimmed baking sheet with top about 5 inches from heat. Broil 1 to 2 minutes or until top is brown and sugar is melted. Remove from oven. Remove tart from pan. This recipe is best made the same day it is served.