For the last few months, while I was writing the book, I gave up ironing. It wasn’t much of a change, I was hopeless at it and if it were a paid job, I’m sure I would have been fired. Mr NQN being a modern man whose mother never owned an iron or an ironing board didn’t seem too bothered at first. After all he has two perfectly good arms that he could iron with. I felt like I had somehow managed to juggle things without losing any points and I scored myself a couple of hours time that I would have spent ironing and I used them to work on the book some more.
As the year goes on and things get busier coming up to Christmas (arrgh it’s coming like a steamtrain!) I am often finding sneaky ways to try and juggle housework with actual work. I have a real aversion to mess whereas Mr NQN can’t see it at all and will happily sit on top of piles of paper and have melted ice creams lying about in uncovered bowls overnight. I often say that he is in need of a butler or a maid-and that I’m neither. However when I announced that I was about to do the first lot of ironing in a while he actually looked delighted and asked if I would iron his shirts. *Le sigh*.
One thing I’m not quite willing to give up is making pastry. I do have a stash of the frozen stuff from the supermarket in the freezer but I prefer to make my own. The Forrest Gump saying “Life is like a box of chocolates” applies somewhat here. “Life is like a pastry buffet” it should say and I am forever trying to find the “perfect” pastry. This tart is from the Phaidon Recipes From An Italian Summer cookbook I was sent. It is a collection of recipes gathered by the Italian The Silver Spoon authors. As soon as I saw it I was taken by the photos of the berries on the tart.
In my haste to make it, I hadn’t read over the instruction simply asking Mr NQN to pick up some raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Once I stood in my kitchen and read through the recipe I was wary. The pastry didn’t seem to need to be rested and the consistency of it wasn’t quite rollable. And baking creme patissiere was new for me. Wouldn’t that make it hard and rubbery? I thought custard tarts used freshly cooked custard in a fully baked shell. The dimensions of the tart didn’t seem quite right either and they called for a 40cms tart tin which is absolutely huge. Mine was a mere 22cms and that produced a sizeable enough tart to feed at least 8-10 people.
I followed the instructions-somewhat. They were a tad vague which was a bit annoying although they are correct in that the dough doesn’t need resting as it is so buttery it is pretty much like a shortbread biscuit and barely shrinks. It is also absolutely delicious-bake any extra dough to eat as is! I did defer to sense and rolled the dough between two sheets of baking paper as it was just too soft and buttery-perhaps that was because it is so warm here but it just stuck to the rolling pin otherwise. And I baked the creme patissiere custard. I held very little hope for this. To me this was going to be a failure tart. The pastry job you can see was ugly and I just didn’t have much motivation to correct it given my struggles with it and the heat.
I topped it with berries and brought it to my parents’ place for dinner telling them that it was a “Fruit of the Forest Failure Tart”. I sliced into it-the pastry was nice and crisp which was a good sign but I still didn’t hold much hope for it. I served it up and took a bite. The pastry was buttery and gorgeous with a lovely light lemon flavour and the custard wasn’t hard at all, it still retained a smoothness and a good custardy texture. The fruit and icing sugar complemented the sweetness and buttery quality with a touch of tartness and I’m pleased to say that I was proved wrong and this tart was renamed the Fruit of The Forest Fabulous Tart. Now about that ironing…
So tell me Dear Reader, what is your most loathed household task?
Fruit Of The Forest Tart
Adapted from Recipes from an Italian Summer by Phaidon $59.95
For the creme patissiere
- 500ml/18 fl oz milk
- 100g/3.5 ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 80g/3oz cornflour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
for pastry dough
- 300g plain flour
- 150g butter plus extra for greasing tart pan
- 120g caster or superfine sugar
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 3 egg yolks
For the decoration
- 1 small punnet of blueberries
- 1 small punnet of raspberries (or whatever berries you like)
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
You will also need a buttered 22cms loose bottomed tart tin
1. To make the creme patissiere, pour the milk in a pan and stir in the sugar, egg yolks. lemon zest and cornflour. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly with a flat bottomed wooden spoon. As soon as it comes to the boil, beat the mixture vigorously, boil for a few more seconds, then pour into a bowl and add the rum. Cover the creme patissiere with cling wrap directly over the top to prevent a skin forming.
2. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/ Gas mark 3. To make the pastry dough, sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, lemon zest and egg yolks and knead together adding some water to bind it if necessary. Cut off one quarter of the dough, wrap it in cling film and set it aside. Shape the remaining 3/4 of the pastry into a ball and flatten the top. Take out two large sheets of greaseproof paper and roll out the pastry between them. Carefully lift off the top sheet and place the tart tin on top and flip it over. It may break, this is a delicate dough (but oh so yummy) but that’s ok. Patch up any bits. And let it be known that it is easier to transfer from the paper to the pie tin if you do refrigerate it for an hour. Mine fell apart at many places but the custard and fruit will hide most patch work. Dock the base with a fork and line with greaseproof paper and fill it with ceramic baking beads or uncooked rice or beans.
3. Bake the pastry for 30 minutes, then remove the paper and beads from the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Leave to cool.
4. Preheat the oven again to 160C/325F/ Gas mark when the tart is cool. Spread the creme patissiere evenly over the bottom of the pastry. Then roll out the remaining 1/4 of the pastry and cut into strips and lay them in a pattern-stripes of lattice or words, whatever tickles your fancy. Bake for 30 minutes until the strips of pastry are golden brown. Remove the tart and leave to cool. Once cool, decorate with berries and dust with icing sugar.
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72 Comments | Add your own
A pretty tart! It must taste divine.
Cheers,
Rosa
This looks so delicious. Love tarts, especially ones with berries!
Lorraine,
I haven’t ironed in years! *Wide grin*
The tart looks rustic and delicious. I am a sucker for rustic desserts. In Indonesia, we have a dessert with baked custard mixed with young coconut meat then topped with meringue (which in your case, the meringue could “hide” the bumpy custard surface).
Magnificent, and very festive!
This would be a perfect dessert for a summer BBQ! I can’t get enough berries at the moment
Gorgeous! I love tarts and pies.
What a gorgeous creation!!!
And it would have to be cleaning bathrooms…ugh I hate it so much!
Such a summery tart
You know how strong is looking that glorious tart and the berries on top are like a sweet flag
Cheers,
Gera
It has to be cleaning bathrooms!!! (I have boys – say no more!)
I would gladly write a book in order to give up cleaning bathrooms!
I’m with you on the ironing, actually. While I don’t mind the job, I find it an utter waste of time when it can simply be avoided – I just don’t buy a lot of clothes that require ironing!
As for the pastry, again, I agree with you. However, I make the exception for Careme chocolate pastry. But your tart looks gorgeous and wonderfully summery. I’m glad it was a total success afterall.
Oh, and P.S. I am absolutely in love with your tea set!
It’s quite Alice in Wonderland tea party! Gorgeous as ever
I LOVE it!!! Isn’t it so splendid when something you’re sure is doomed to fail actually ends up heavenly?! So pretty with the berries and the crust sounds marvelous. I hate, hate, hate and loathe dusting.
Oh, Lorraine, that is divine! Ironing does my head in!
I had a similar issue recently with a Greg Malouf recipe. The pastry was so mushy I ended up throwing it out as it just couldn’t be handled, even after refrigeration! I gave up and used a Stephanie pastry recipe instead.
wow – that looks awesome! that would go down so nicely right now with my coffee
Lorraine, the cake looks delicious and fresh. I love to work with pastry also – same bought stash in the freezer but always seem to make my own!!
Anyway my most loathsome chore is cleaning the venetian blinds – hate with a passion on the other hand I love to clean in general – I know kinda strange…
I don’t iron anything, and I’m proud of it!!
Lorraine, it looks awesome! very well presented; I had an apple for breakfast, but know I want some cake
Dario
I would pour the custard mixture in a pan , not in a pain as you suggested. I hate doing laundry.
Ironing? People still do that?? Imean, I’ve seen ppictures from the olden days…
Your tart is beautiful. I avoid making pastry, except at Christmas… mince pies… mmmmm… xxx
LOL – I think the tart looks fabulous, but I know what you mean about the heat and pastry – it is almost a hopeless task. I am making fruit mince tarts on the weekend – wish me luck! My most hated household task – hmm, ironing is up there, but vacuuming wins, I think. I hate having to get it all out and put it together, and inevitably the cord is too short to go very far or hooks on something, or the vacuum hits something and flips over, or it sucks up the edge of a curtain or bedspread and won’t let go … Need I say more?
Cleaning and mopping the bathrooms. Ugh! Worth it, though.
If only I had this tart to eat after every time I did the stupid bathroom… sounds so gorgeous!
I always have so many berries, I will have to try this tart, it looks delicious. it is funny how sometimes a recipe which looks completely incorrect turns out well. Yours looks delicious.
I never iron!! My husband does a much better job hehe! I offered to iron a shirt for him once, he had to re-iron it and I have never been asked again. I was just recently fired from putting the clothes on the line as well!! If this keeps up I will be fired from all household chores
Most loathed task: cleaning the shower. I have only done my own ironing for the last 7 years – if husband and daughter didn’t do their own, it didn’t get done.
I will be trying this tart – I love berries and pastry!
Oh yum! It reminds me of an American flag.
I’m with you on the ironing. I hate it! Closely followed by vacuuming.
The tart looks delicious. We are off to the Gold Coast next week for a holiday; as the unit will be air conditioned, I might give it a go when there!
I don’t iron anymore – we are 100% totally solar and ironing uses too much power – at least that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it!
Your tart looks wonderful. I hate most housework, but quite like ironing.
I am the same with ironing! I can’t stand it, my most hated task is ironing my husbands shirts!!!
My mother on the other hand is a freak who iron’s everything, she’s nuts!
Well done for keeping on going with this recipe even though you thought it might be a failure, sometimes you can be really surprised. This is the 2nd time I’ve had Recipes from an Italian Summer Cookbook recommended, so I’m now officially intrigued. Thanks.
this tart looks divine!
Ooh I love blueberries!
From anticipated failure to fabulous finale. I think you did a brilliant job with that. It looks so beautiful that I wish I could BUY one from you.
I just remembered in the neck of your woods, you guys are preparing for the warmer weathers! I miss tart and berries season!
I love the idea of tarts but get intimidated when it comes to baking them – glad this one turned out!
As for ironing, I would say just don’t do it – I haven’t owned an iron for 8 years and the only time I miss it is if we get candlewax on a tablecloth!
Your passion for food and your stunning photography on your blog has inspired us, to say thank you, we are passing along two blog awards. Please visit our blog – http://happyvalleycook.blogspot. com to accept your awards. We thank you for sharing with us your food journey. Cheers Jutta and Chocolate Cookie.
That is indeed a fabulous tart. Love the French stripes you’ve decorated it with, too.
PS: I don’t mind ironing at all – nothing like the smell of freshly ironed linen. Vacuuming, though – run away!!
This is such a pretty looking tart, Lorraine.
I’m a little afraid of pastry, myself. Pastry and I have history!
What a lovely and unexpected surprise! Pastry making is quite a rigmarole isn’t it, but when it all comes together it’s fantastic. I personaly hate washing up. We have a kitchen hand at work, and I have children at home. They have to earn their keep somehow!
So glad it was a fabulous tart after all. It sounds like a flavor combination I would love too.
Does cleaning up after the dog in the backyard count as a household chore I loathe? xoxo Mum
YUM, no failure clearly! On my list…ever growing…just like my waist line!
It looks so pretty! I hate ironing too, so I tend to buy shirts that don’t require ironing =P
I love it how even the things you’re not that happy with along the way still look fantastic. Three years ago I got a big whopping burn on my arm from the iron. Haven’t done it once since
I should not be reading this just after dinner (that did not include dessert) ;p
That’s a great looking tart! Glad it still turned out well, it’s not a great feeling when you spend ages and it doesn’t turn out well.
My biggest hate is cleaning toilets…everyone should just get their own and clean their own. :S I don’t mind ironing because my shirts somehow magically don’t crease so I don’t need to iron
Lovely summer tart, would have a slice right now if we were neighbours lol
but I hate dusting because ten minutes after you’ve done it the dust settles again, it’s a NO-WIN situation.
I iron everything! Can’t stand drawers that are not neat and everything not sitting flat
I hate ironing and long ago husband and I decided to invest in having someone come in and iron once a week,e ven if we didn’t have much to invest at the time. It was that worth it to us…
I love that the berries just sit on the custard, I really dislike cooked berries, in my opinion cooking ruins the delicate flavour unless you add heaps of sugar and turn them into jam! I love ironing, it’s when I get to catch up on my box sets of Glee, 30 Rock and the Big Bang Theory!
I hate cleaning the bathroom. No matter how clean it is, I always mentally find it quite dirty and disgusting.
By the way, I saw the new Cornetto ad on tv today. You look great it in.
lorraine, you and the word “failure” do not belong in the same sentence – ever! this tart looks divine!
I’m with you on the stance against ironing – it’s just..unnecessary. I was known as the girl in high school with the un-ironed uniform..so my mom took the stance back then too!
Ironing is way up at the top of the list. Although the laundry does my shirts 1000 times better than I could, I still have to do napkins and tablecloths… having them done costs a mint!!!I know some people say ironing is relaxing… well, no way for this puppy. The tart looks great and it’s wonderful when a dud turns into a swan.
WOW! This is very beautiful with that berries on top.
I’m like you, Lorraine, I like a neat and tidy house (it bothers me immensely to know there’s a dirty dish in the sink!), but I actually have an ironing tip! (We superwives need a few tips up our sleeves, right darling?) If you fold or hang the clothes when they’re hot out of the dryer they’re virtually wrinkle-free. And on the off chance a few wrinkles do remain, next time you’re taking a steamy shower hang the article of clothing in the bathroom and the steam will get the wrinkles out! No ironing = more time for baking (or at least that’s how I look at it, lol!). Love this gorgeous tart, I so wish berries were in season here! Bookmarking for next summer though.
A beautiful tart, love the blueberries and raspberries! Makes me wish it was summer here too
I really got in the mood for summery foods now, definitely have to try this after Christmas! Thanks Lorraine!
Hi NQN,
I made this tart last night and the pastry was amaazing. I have never made a tart before, or cooked pastry or custard (yes, I’m a novice!).
My custard did appear to be quite lumpy after I cooled it in the fridge so it didn’t spread nicely in the tart (I had to cut it into blobs to spread it out). Does this mean I did something wrong??
It looks like a grogeous tart =) I’ve never thought of baking creme patissier either. For my last tart I made the creme patissier and fully baked the tart.
I ultimate pet hate – iron and clean. I prefer to make this tart. ;0
Lol! I’ve had this happen to me a lot! I think there’s no way that’s going to work, almost give up, but then dredge on, fully expecting failure, and it turns out awesome. Shows how much I know
Such a pretty tart! Ironing is so not necessary
I hate dusting – the next day there is just more dust!! It is never-ending!!
Heidi xo
Before I had the kids I used to love cleaning, I had a spotless house, now it is the complete opposite. At the moment I do not care for cleaning the many many windows which stay clean only until I move to the next window before becoming covered with little yogurty hands and kisses.
I like your striped decorating idea.
i get the willies just thinking about cleaning the bathroom, even though it’s my own filth. there’s something about disconnected hairs that sends shivers up my spine. ick. great, now i can’t even think about how delicious your tart would be.
Ahhh Lorraine,the beauty is all in the taste…and as always you deliver!I’m going to try this tart-I too have never baked the creme patissiere, its a good trick to know.
By the way.. drying dishes and cleaning stainless steel splash backs, feelings are beyond hate!
Beautiful tart! Looks amazing!
Delicious – the photo of the tart brought a smile to my face
We don’t iron in our house (I avoid any clothing that requires it!), but I absolutely loathe washing up pots and pans.
Wow, this tart looks delicious! I’ve been put in charge of the desserts for Christmas day, and this is perfect!
That looks divine.
I’ve been looking for summer fruit themed cakes/tarts for the festive season so this piece of inspiration has come at just the right time.
I have never made my own pastry before, cause I am too scared it won’t work out. I really should just bite the bullet though, cause it’s 10 times better than store bought. That tart looks wonderful and fresh!
That tart looks gorgeous and may be the perfect dessert for Christmas day!
My most hated tasks would have to be cleaning toilets & cleaning my cat’s litter tray. Yuuuuuuckkkk!
Oh! And like you I always make my own shortcrust pastry: I don’t think I’ve ever bought the store bought stuff! The idea of baking with store bought shortcrust makes me feel like a cheat to the dessert.
Puff pastry on the otherhand? As my mother says, “why bother when Pampas has already perfected it!”.
just made this tart today – perfecton!!
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