White Chocolate Fruit Tart
We all know fruit tarts, but how many of you are aware of our White Chocolate Fruit Tart? Well, let us tell you: it’s heavenly tasty! Completely adaptable to any time of the year, you can decorate the tart with any seasonal fruits you prefer. And if you are hosting a dinner party, you can use the same recipe to create individual mini tarts for a more ‘selfish’ indulgence. Karen Wright‘s magic trick is balancing beautifully the great dark chocolate hit from Food Thoughts Luxury Dark Chocolate Chips with the light sweetness and vanilla flavour of Food Thoughts Luxury White Chocolate Chips.
Trust us, this White Chocolate Fruit Tart recipe will become an occasional favourite in your household.
You will need
- For the chocolate pate sucre (sweet chocolate pastry):
- 115g unsalted butter
- 170g plain flour
- 30g Food Thoughts Organic Cocoa Powder
- 50g caster sugar
- 2 medium free-range egg yolks
- 2 tbs cold water
- For the white chocolate creme patisserie (white chocolate custard):
- 4 medium free-range egg yolks
- 30g caster sugar (or more to taste for a sweeter custard)
- 20g cornflour
- 350ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g Food Thoughts Luxury White Chocolate Chips
- For the chantilly cream (optional):
- 360g pot double cream
- 1 tbs icing sugar
- Selection of fruits:
- 150g mixed fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
- 1 tbs apricot jam
- For the chocolate decoration:
- 100g Food Thoughts Luxury Dark Chocolate Chips (melted)
Method
Start by making the pastry: Using a food processor (or the rub in method by hand), dice the cold butter and place in a food processor with the flour, cocoa and sugar. Blend for half a minute or until the ingredients resemble breadcrumbs.
Add the egg yolks and cold water. Blend for a minute or just until the mixture starts to clump together.
Tip the pastry out onto a lightly floured worktop and gently squeeze together with cold hands to form a ball. Wrap the pastry in cling film and pop into the fridge for at least half an hour.
Grease one large loose bottomed tart case or 6 individual tartlet cases, depending on how you decide to make this. If you make the individual tartlets, then take the pastry from the fridge and divide by cutting with a knife into six portions. Using a small rolling pin roll out each piece until large enough to sit in a tartlet case with half a centimetre overhang. Fill all the cases, prick the bases all over with a fork and put in the fridge to chill for half an hour or longer. If you're making a large one, just follow the steps but don't divide the pastry.
Heat an oven to 190-degree fan. Using cup cake wrapper and baking beans blind bake the tart case for 10-12 minutes, then remove the wrapper and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes. Set aside to cool and carefully remove from the tin.
To make the creme patisserie, place the milk in a saucepan and put on the hob to bring to just before a boil. While the milk is heating up place the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and cornflour into a heatproof bowl. Mix with a balloon whisk. As the milk starts to rise up the pan carefully pour it onto the egg mixtures whisking all the time. Return the mixture to the pan and over a gentle heat, stirring all the time bring it to a boil to thicken.
Pour the custard back into the bowl and add the white chocolate chips. The heats from the custard will melt the chocolate. Stir it well and leave to cool, covered with a sheet of clingfilm touching the custard, this will prevent a skin forming.
To make the chantilly cream (optional), place the cream in a cold glass bowl and using a hand-held mixture whisk until the soft peak stage. Sift in the icing sugar and mix for a few seconds to incorporate into the cream. Using a large star nozzle fill a large piping bag with the cream. Keep cold.
To assemble, fill the tart case with custard. Then pipe the cream on top of the custard. Place a selection of fruit on top of the cream. Brush the fruit with warmed apricot jam dissolved with a tablespoon of water, this give the fruit an attractive sheen. Top with either a few crushed white or dark chocolate chips.