RASPBERRY & PISTACHIO TART

What’s great about this tart is that you can make everything  a day or two beforehand and assemble it when it’s needed.  The pistachio cream can be kept in the fridge for 3–4 days –  just whip it up for 2 minutes if it has set when you’re ready  to use it. And it’s also an easy recipe to swap in different fruits, so use the best of the season, or whatever you have to hand.

SERVES 4–6

220g thick-set raspberry jam

400g raspberries

25g chopped pistachio nuts

small bunch of mint

FOR THE PASTRY

240g soft unsalted butter

120g caster sugar

1 egg

350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1–2 tablespoons water

FOR THE PISTACHIO CREAM

190ml milk

seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod

3 large egg yolks (60g in total)

40g caster sugar

20g cornflour

20g plain flour

40g pistachio paste (available online)

60g cold unsalted butter, cubed

100g double cream, whipped

1. For the pastry, beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until fully creamed, then beat in the egg. Fold in the flour without overmixing.  Add the water as needed to bring the mixture together into a dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan, Gas Mark 6.
4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface, or between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper, and use to line a 22cm diameter 2cm deep fluted tart tin.
6. Line the pastry with nonstick baking paper and fill with uncooked rice or baking beans, then blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and rice, or beans, and bake for a further 6 minutes or until golden, then leave to cool.
7. For the pistachio cream, heat the milk with the vanilla seeds in a saucepan. 6 Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and flours together in a bowl. Pour the hot milk over the egg mixture while whisking continuously until very thick. Return to the pan and cook over a medium-low heat, whisking continuously, until thick and starting to boil.
9. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the pistachio paste, then the cold butter. Leave to cool in the refrigerator, then fold in the whipped cream.
11. Spread the jam in an even layer over the base of the cooked tart case. Pipe or spread the pistachio cream on top, then chill for a minimum of 2 hours.
13. Decorate with the raspberries, pistachios and mint leaves, and keep chilled before serving

This recipe is from At Home by Monica Galetti. For more delicious dessert options, check out this Treacle Tart from Home Cooked by Kate Humble.