Recipe: Janet’s French-inspired Custard Tart
A quick and easy dessert to?showcase Liebich Drunken Fruit or any seasonal fruit such as apricots or peaches in summer.
Degree of difficulty: easy
Preparation time: 60?minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 140g butter
- 100g caster sugar
- 250g plain flour
- 25g ground almonds
- 1 egg, beaten
For the filling
- 1 jar Liebich Drunken Fruits (or dried apricots pre-soaked in Semillon at least 24 hours)
- 175mL (1 small glass) Liebich Fortified Semillon (or any sweet fortified wine)
- 100g caster sugar, plus 4 tablespoons extra for toffee topping
- 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
- 300mL cream
- 4 eggs
Method
- For the pastry, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, mix in flour and almonds then stir in the egg until the pastry just comes together. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes. While the pastry is chilling, drain 1 jar Liebich Drunken Fruits.
- In a saucepan bring the vanilla and cream to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave the cream to infuse.
- Heat oven to 220?C/fan 200?C/gas 7. Roll the pastry to fit a 23cm fluted tart tin and leave it to chill in the freezer for 10 mins. Line the tart case with foil or greaseproof paper and fill the tart with blind baking beans. Bake the tart for 20 minutes until the edges become biscuity, then remove the beans and foil or greaseproof paper and cook for a few more minutes until the base starts to brown. Remove the tart from the oven and lower the heat to 160?C/fan 140?C/gas 3.
- While the tart case is cooking, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Strain the vanilla cream over the eggs and whisk again, then mix the drained liquid from the fruit jar in with the vanilla cream and the eggs to make custard. Pull the fruit apart and press them sticky side down into the tart case. Pour the custard over the apricots and bake for about 20-30 minutes until the filling is just set. Remove the tart from the oven and leave to cool.
- Just before serving, scatter the remaining sugar over the tart and blast with a blowtorch to caramelise it, leave it to harden for a minute and cut into slices and serve.
As there are so many lovely flavours in the tart already it needs no accompaniment except a glass of Liebich fortified of course!
