Mulberry tart

Tarts are my favourite. Especially when they have a nice pastry and are full of fruit like this one. Picking mulberry stems however is not my favourite. So this tart is perfect because it uses the mulberry juice - all you need to do is put your mulberries (fresh or frozen) through a mouli and you are ready to go. No hours spent picking off mulberry stalks here!

Even better, the only added sweetness comes from a couple of tablespoons of honey and a little vanilla. Scrumptious.

I am of the opinion that a good tart needs a good pastry shell. I don’t think they are that difficult to make, and the taste is a lot better. You can use this short crust recipe for sweet or savoury tarts (omit the sugar for a savoury tart of course). If you are short on time, use a food processor, just be careful not to over work it.

Short crust tart shell

Makes 1 23cm tart case or 4 smaller cases as pictured

Ingredients

240g plain flour

120g cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 tbs sugar (optional for sweet pastry)

1 egg yolk

2 1/2 tbs cold water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Butter a 23cm flan or tart tin

2. Rub the flour, sugar, and butter until it forms a fine breadcrumb consistency. You can use a food processor for this step but be careful just to pulse it and don’t over mix.

3. Combine the egg yolk and 2 1/2 tbs water and mix through the flour mix.

4. Gently bring together with a light knead. Do not over work it - If I have used a food processor, I prefer to pour into a bowl and use my hands for this step.

5. Wrap in a wax wrap or clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes (you can make this ahead of time and leave for longer in the fridge - it will just need to came out a little earlier so it softens before rolling).

6. When you are ready to bake your tart case, unwrap the dough and place between two pieces of waxed paper. Roll to approx 3-4mm thickness. Remove the top piece of wax paper and, using the bottom layer of paper, gently flip your dough into the tin. Gently push into tin ensuring there are no cracks. Trim the edge. See the photos below for a guide. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

7. Place the baking paper in the tart and fill with baking beans or weights.

8. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the weights, and bake for another 8 minutes until golden. Set aside. If you are baking these ahead of time, store them in an airtight container.

1. Roll pastry between 2 sheets of waxed paper

2. Peel off one piece of paper and flip onto your tin using the other piece

3. Gently tuck into tin

4. Trim the edge with a sharp knife

5. Ready to put back in the fridge prior to baking

Mulberry tart

Ingredients

1 short crust tart shell

6 green apples, peeled, cored and diced into 1cm cubes

500mL mulberry juice

2 tbs honey

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

3 tbs corn flour

Instructions

1. Place diced apple, and 300ml of mulberry juice in a large pan. Cover and bring to simmer, cooking until apple becomes transparent (about 30 minutes on a low heat).

2. Combine the remaining 200ml mulberry juice with the vanilla bean paste, honey, and corn flour.

3. Add corn flour paste to the apples, stirring until thickens. It doesn’t take long.

4. Pour into the cooked tart case and place in the fridge to set.

5. Serve with cream or ice cream.