Gooseberry Custard Tartlets Recipes

GOOSEBERRY & VANILLA CUSTARD TART

Steps:

• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until large enough to line a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Trim the excess pastry from around the edge, then line the pastry case with baking parchment, fill with baking beans and chill for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake the pastry case for 15 mins, then carefully lift out the parchment and beans, and bake for 5 mins more or until biscuity. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla together, then strain into a jug.
• Scatter the gooseberries into the pastry case, then pour in the vanilla custard mixture. Bake for 35-40 mins until the custard is set and the gooseberries are tender. Cool a little before serving, or cool completely and eat cold, dusted with icing sugar, if you like.

GOOSEBERRY CUSTARD TARTLETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to about 3/8 inch thick. Cut out eight 7-inch rounds, and transfer each round to a 4-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Fold edges under, and press dough into sides and corners of tart pans. Chill in freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Prick bottoms of shells all over with a fork. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Line each shell with parchment, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until pale golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove parchment and weights. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk eggs, yolk, and 1/3 cup sugar in a small bowl. Pour in cream, whisking until combined.
• Toss gooseberries with remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Pile sugar-covered gooseberries into tart shells (a scant 1 cup per tart), and slowly pour in custard (about 1/4 cup per tart). Dip a pastry brush into each custard filling, and lightly brush onto edges of shell. Sprinkle tops with sugar.
• Bake, rotating halfway through, until custard is just set and gooseberries are soft, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 15 minutes. Serve warm.

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 & CUSTARD PIES

Steps:

• First, make the compote. Put the sugar and vanilla pod with seeds in a saucepan with 3 tbsp water and bring to the boil. Try to gently swirl rather than stir. Drop in the gooseberries and simmer for 20 mins or until half the liquid has bubbled off. Divide between four small pie dishes and put in the fridge to cool while you make the custard.
• Put the cream, milk and vanilla pods with seeds in a saucepan and bring just to the boil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour together. Pour the hot milk mixture over the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Rinse out the saucepan, then pour the custard mixture into the pan. Cook on a low heat, whisking, for 5-6 mins until thick. Pour through a sieve over a large jug and discard the vanilla pods, then pour the custard over the compote in the pie dishes. Leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. To make the pie lids, lay one sheet of the filo on the work surface and brush with the melted butter, then put another sheet on top. Repeat with the rest of the sheets. On the final layer, scatter over the sugar, then cut the pastry into four rectangles. Lightly scrunch each rectangle and place loosely on top of each pie dish. Bake the pies in the oven for 20 mins or until the pastry is golden and caramelised. Remove from the oven and serve.

GOOSEBERRY TART

Steps:

• Filling: Prepare gooseberries: cut off stem and blossom and slice the big ones in half legnthwise. Put g'berries, water, sugar & lemon juice in pan and simmer til fruit is translucent, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, then separate pieces of fruit from liquid with a slotted spoon. Cool liquid in fridge. Reserve fruit. When liquid is cooled to lukewarm, add slowly to beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Put this mixture in double boiler at moderate heat, and whisk gently until mixture is quite thick and hot - but not boiling! Add in the reserved fruit and cool the whole filling while you make the dough. Dough: In food processor, put flour, salt and butter; then process with blade quickly. Through the top of the lid, with food processor running, add egg & water mixture and continue to mix until dough forms a ball around the blades. Remove and chill for rolling, or press immediately into a 9" tart pan. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork, then bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 12 minutes. Cool the shell for 15 minutes, then add filling. You can let the whole thing settle and firm up for an hour or two in the fridge before serving. Remove from pan before serving, cut into 6 or 8 slices.