You will need to plan ahead to prepare the creme fraiche ahead of time. Or use store bought – as it may be thicker start with four tablespoons, adding extra as needed until the pastry holds together. Just be sure not to over mix, less is best when handling pastry.
Servings 6-8
Prep Time 50 minutesmins
Cook Time 20 minutesmins
Ingredients
1 1/3cupswhite flour
¼teaspoonsalt
1tablespoonsugar
100gchilled buttercut into 1cm cubes
4– 5 tablespoons Crème Fraîchesee recipe below
4– 6 autumn fruit – blackboy peachespears, apples – stones/core removed and cut into wedges
Crème Fraîche Custard
150gsoured cream
1free-range egg
3tablespoonshoney or sugar
pinchof nutmeg
Instructions
Place the flour, salt and sugar into a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the cubed butter and pulse half a dozen times to cut into the flour. Add four tablespoons Crème Fraîche and pulse briefly until the dough begins to clump together. Test by squeezing a small amount, if crumbly add one tablespoon more Crème Fraîche and mix again.
Tip the pastry dough on to a sheet of baking paper and quickly bring together into a square – I use the paper to shape rather than my hot hands. Wrap in the paper and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes for the butter to solidify again.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking tray in the middle of the oven to heat.
Remove the pastry from the fridge. Lightly dust bench and a rolling pin with flour and roll the pastry out into a 30 x 30cm square, about 3mm thick. Lift on to the baking paper and shape the tart by pleating the four corners and folding the sides to create a border – this will contain the thin layer of custard while baking. Arrange the fruit snugly in a single layer on to the base.
In a jug, whisk together the custard ingredients until smooth. Slowly pour the custard around the fruit. Carefully slide tart into the oven – I use a flat cookie tray to transfer the tart on to the preheated stone/tray. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the tart and bake for a further five minutes until golden.