We're well into our summer hols now and I have both boys with me for the next six weeks. We spent last week driving around Scotland, visiting the sites and camping in thermals and possum hats (that was my sister-in-law who was rather impartial to the Scottish summer which welcomed daily rain!) This week, I'm back home and in the kitchen again!
It's the perfect time of year for most of our delicious fruit right now and I wanted to make something with these amazing nectarines. I adapted this Nectarine Rose and Custard Tart from a recipe in this month's Delicious Magazine. I love the nectarine rose detail on top of the tart which takes a little time to achieve but is so beautiful, it makes the time completely satisfying.
The sweet pastry is tasty and has a fabulous crunch. Once I'd baked the pastry case, I painted the inside base and sides with melted white chocolate to seal it before adding the custard. The custard uses whole eggs and is quite delicious.
The nectarines take a little while to prepare and adorn the top of this tart. First I cut the nectarines into quarters but as the nectarines don't come away from the stone, we need to carefully cut around the stone to remove the flesh from it. As the flesh around the stone is going to be hidden in the tart, if some of it isn't as neat as you'd like, it doesn't matter too much. But you do need to ensure that the skin side is intact and undamaged to retain the rose effect.
This dessert does take a little while to prepare, particularly the pastry (which needs resting time) and the nectarines (a fiddly job but one which totally makes the dessert visually stunning). Our family loves anything with custard in it so it's a winner with everyone and I've always been partial to a custard tart since I was little. The nectarines make it beautifully seasonal.
If you're looking for a crowd pleaser and have a little time to invest in it, this is the dessert for you :)
Nectarine Rose and Custard Tart
adapted from Delicious Magazine's Nectarine Rose Tart
Sweet Pastry Ingredients
- 130G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED
- 50G CASTER SUGAR
- 1 LARGE EGG
- 1 LEMON, FINELY GRATED ZEST ONLY
- 1 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT
- 200G PLAIN FLOUR (plus extra to dust)
- 1/4 TSP SALT
- 100G MELTED WHITE CHOCOLATE
- 7 RIPE NECTARINES
Vanilla Custard Ingredients
- 720ML SEMI-SKIMMED MILK
- 170G CASTER SUGAR
- 110G UNSALTED BUTTER
- 1 TSP VANILLA PASTE OR EXTRACT
- 30G PLAIN FLOUR
- 60G CORNFLOUR
- 4 EGGS
You will also need a 23cm fluted tart tin -- you can use a smaller or larger one but will have to adjust the ingredient quantities accordingly
Method
- First we make the pastry and start by creaming the butter and sugar in a standalone mixer with the paddle attachment (if you don't have a mixer, you can use a wooden spoon and bowl)
- Beat in the egg, lemon zest and vanilla
- Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined
- Tip this out onto a piece of clingfilm, flatten the pastry into a disc and then wrap it up tightly
- Place it in the fridge for an hour to firm up
- Once it's chilled, remove it from the clingfilm and roll it out gently on a lightly floured surface until it's the thickness of a £1 coin
- Line your pastry tin pressing the pastry gently into the sides
- Then take a rolling pin and roll it across the top of the tin to remove the excess
- Press the pastry all around the inside of the tin so it stands a little above the top rim (the pastry will shrink a little during baking)
- Then place it back in the fridge for 30 minutes
- Once it's been chilled again, prick the bottom the tart with a fork, line it with baking foil and fill it with baking beans right to the top of the tin
- Bake it for 20 mins with the foil and then remove the foil and bake it for another 5-10 minutes until the pastry case is a lovely golden brown colour
- Once it's cooled a little, brush the melted white chocolate over the base and sides of the pastry and place it in the fridge to set
- Then we make the custard
- Whisk together the eggs and vanilla in a bowl
- Then add the flour and cornflour a little at a time - the mixture may go lumpy with the addition of the flour so you want to add it slowly and mix thoroughly so you can ensure than it's lump-free
- Add 240ml of the milk and whisk until smooth
- Place the remaining milk (480ml), sugar and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil
- Once this is boiling, pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and whisk well until the custard thickens and starts to boil (around 90 seconds) - but be careful to ensure that you're scraping the bottom of the boil when whisking as it can burn very easily
- Once the custard is ready, tip it into the chilled pastry case and place it in the fridge to cool
- Prepare the nectarines by first slicing them into quarters and then easing each one away from the stone
- Then you need to slice the nectarine very finely - I used a mandolin to make this easier but you can use a knife if you prefer
- Starting on the outside of the tart, overlap the nectarine pieces vertically, building the rose inwards
- When you get to the centre, roll a nectarine piece into a circle and place it in the middle
- Finally, place a couple of tablespoons of apricot jam in a saucepan with a few drops of water until smooth and a little runny
- Brush this all over the top of the rose and refrigerate it
- When you're ready to eat it, remove it from the fridge an hour before eating
- Enjoy the fruits of your labour with friends over a long, lazy lunch :)