Summer Fruit Brulee Tartlets Recipe
Ingredients
| Egg yolks | 4 | |
| Cornstarch | 15 Milliliter | |
| Superfine sugar | 50 Gram | |
| A few drops of vanilla essence (extract) | ||
| 300 ml/1/2 pint/1/4 cups creamy milk | ||
| 225 g/8 oz/2 cups mixed summer fruits | ||
| Confectioner’s sugar | 50 Gram | |
| All purpose flour | 250 Gram (For the pastry) | |
| Salt | 1 Pinch (For the pastry) | |
| 25 g/1 oz/1/4 cup ground almonds | ||
| Confectioner’s sugar | 15 Milliliter (For the pastry) | |
| 150 g/5 oz/2/3 cup chilled butter, diced | ||
| Egg yolk | 1 (For the pastry) | |
| About 45 ml/3 tbsp chilled water | ||
Directions
1. To make the pastry, mix the flour, salt, ground almonds and icing sugar in a bowl. Cut or rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and enough chilled water to form a soft dough. Knead the dough gently, then cut it in half. Wrap half in cling film (plastic wrap) and freeze for use later.
2. Cut the remaining half of the pastry into four equal pieces and roll them out on a lightly floured surface. Stamp out pastry rounds large enough to line four tartlet tins (mini quiche pans).
3. Line the tins, using your fingers to mould the pastry into the tin. Let the excess pastry hang over the edges. Chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
4. Line the pastry cases with baking parchment and baking beans. Bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, and return to the oven for 5 minutes until golden. Allow to cool, then trim carefully.
5. To make the custard filling, beat the egg yolks, cornflour, caster sugar and vanilla essence together in a bowl.
6. Warm the milk in a small pan, pour it on to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, then return the mixture to the cleaned pan. Heat the custard until it thickens, stirring all the time, but do not let it boil. Remove from the heat, press a circle of baking parchment directly on the custard's surface and leave to cool.
7. Sprinkle the fruits in the tartlet cases and spoon over the custard. Chill the tartlets for 2 hours.
8. Preheat the grill (broiler) to the highest setting. Sift the icing sugar over the tops of the tartlets. Place the tartlets under the hot grill until the sugar melts and caramelizes. Allow the topping to cool and harden for about 10 minutes before serving the tartlets on individual dessert plates.
2. Cut the remaining half of the pastry into four equal pieces and roll them out on a lightly floured surface. Stamp out pastry rounds large enough to line four tartlet tins (mini quiche pans).
3. Line the tins, using your fingers to mould the pastry into the tin. Let the excess pastry hang over the edges. Chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
4. Line the pastry cases with baking parchment and baking beans. Bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, and return to the oven for 5 minutes until golden. Allow to cool, then trim carefully.
5. To make the custard filling, beat the egg yolks, cornflour, caster sugar and vanilla essence together in a bowl.
6. Warm the milk in a small pan, pour it on to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, then return the mixture to the cleaned pan. Heat the custard until it thickens, stirring all the time, but do not let it boil. Remove from the heat, press a circle of baking parchment directly on the custard's surface and leave to cool.
7. Sprinkle the fruits in the tartlet cases and spoon over the custard. Chill the tartlets for 2 hours.
8. Preheat the grill (broiler) to the highest setting. Sift the icing sugar over the tops of the tartlets. Place the tartlets under the hot grill until the sugar melts and caramelizes. Allow the topping to cool and harden for about 10 minutes before serving the tartlets on individual dessert plates.
Chef
