Fresh Blackberry Tart with Spiked Creme Anglaise

 

Today I baked a Fresh Blackberry Tart with Spiked Creme Anglaise recipe from a cookery book I have had for a while by Kelly Jaggers, called Not so Humble Pies.  This is blackberry season here in the UK at the moment and they are something that I have a lot of and that I love to use in the autumn.




It's one of my favourite cookbooks.  If you are like me and you like to bake and eat pies, you can't go wrong!  I highly recommend.  This is not the first time I have baked this pie and it won't be the last.

 

The crust for this rustic tart is quite forgiving . . . and not all that different from a short bread cookie.  Nom! Nom! 



The filling is also very easy to throw together, although I did find that the cornflour didn't dissolve in the alloted standing time when I made it the first time around,  so I added a touch of lemon juice this time around.  It helped  to preserve the colour, but also added a nice little hint of sharpness that I think will go very well with both the berries, the sweet crust and that scrummy Creme Anglaise.

 

*Fresh Blackberry Tart with Spiked Creme Anglaise*
makes 8 servings
Printable Recipe

Creme Anglaise is a slightly thickened custard sauce that is used as a garnish on all sorts of desserts.  Here the sauce is spiked with a touch of bourbon and drizzled over slices of warm blackberry tart.  If you don't care for bourbon, you can use rum or creme de cassis, or omit altogether.

2 cups fresh blackberries (2 small punnets)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 TBS cornstarch (corn flour)
2 TBS sugar
1 short crust for tarts, rolled into a 12 inch circle (see below)
1 TBS butter
1/2 cup heavy cream (113ml)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 TBS bourbon
2 egg yolks
3 TBS sugar

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the berries, cornstarch and sugar until well combined.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

Place the pastry onto the prepared baking sheet.  Spread with the blackberry mixture, leaving a 1/2 inch border.  Fold the pastry just over the edge of the berries, then dot the top with butter.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add the cream and vanilla.  Bring just to a simmer.  In a large bowl, whisk together the bourbon, egg yolks, and sugar until smooth.  Whisking constantly, gradually add 1/2 cup of the cream into the egg yolks.  Immediately add the egg yolk mixture back into the pot and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes. 

Serve the tart slightly warm with the creme anglaise drizzled over the top.

 

*Short Crust for Tarts*

Makes one 9-inch single crust

Printable Recipe  

A sturdy dough that is very easy to work with.  Nice with fresh fruit pies or custard pies. 

1/4 cup of sugar (50g)

1/2 cup butter (125g)

1 large free range egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour (186g plain flour) 

Cream the butter and sugar together jus tto combine.   Stir in the egg yolk and vanilla.   Add the flour and mix it in until the dough is smooth.   Shape into a disc and wrap in plastic cling film.   Chill for one hour or up to 3 days.

When ready to use, remove the dough from the refrigerator for 10 minutes to warm up.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickeness, 12 inch circle, turning the dough often so make sure it doesn't stick, dusting the surface with additional flour as needed.