Easy Berry Tart
Recipe by: Fiona Hammond - February 2025
Make the most of the last days of summer’s heady aromatic fruits – raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, plums, and peaches. Think golden crisp puff pastry, topped with billowy whipped vanilla cream and a pile of the fresh ripe seasonal offerings. Add a few drops of rose water and what’s not to love?
- Summer, Autumn, Spring
- 25cm x 25cm ready-rolled puff pastry sheet (Careme brand used)
- 2 tablespoons castor sugar
- 300ml thickened cream
- 2 tablespoons icing sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
- ½ teaspoon rose water (optional)
- 150g blueberries
- 250g strawberries, hulled and quartered
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
Lay the pastry sheet on a baking paper lined flat baking tray. With a sharp knife, score a rim 2cm in from the edges, on all four sides, then prick the area inside the rim with fork tines (this helps deflate the pastry layers from rising during baking, while the outside edges form a high rim for the tart). Sprinkle the castor sugar over the 2cm wide rim, this caramelises into a dark golden crust around the edge during cooking. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Remove from oven and leave to cool. If the centre area has puffed up, gently push down to flatten. Alternatively make individual tarts by cutting the pastry sheet into six or eight, score the edges to create a rim and follow the method below. You could even create a heart shape pastry shell for Valentine’s day, as an idea!
Meanwhile, toss the strawberries with the caster sugar in a medium bowl and set aside for 15 minutes. Whisk the cream, icing sugar, vanilla and rose water, if using, with a balloon whisk or electric beaters, until soft gentle peaks form. Avoid over whipping.
If you’d like a swirl of strawberry puree through the cream, remove about a quarter of the berries to a jug and blitz with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth. Tip the puree into the whipped cream then gently stir once or twice with a spatula. Don’t be tempted to stir anymore.