Rob Palmer: A Flan for all Seasons – Supper Berry Tart with Chantilly Cream

This summer Rob introduced a strawberry tart with lovage to the Peel’s menu (the lovage coming from the herb beds at the back door of the kitchen): “The tart is something we have been working on for a while as something that is constantly on but changes through the seasons, so after strawberry it could be blackcurrant then raspberry etc.”

Here he shares his home recipe for a sweet baked tart that can metamorphose with the seasons – Supper Berry Tart with Chantilly Cream 

TIP – work quickly and make sure everything is nice and cold when you’re mixing (even your bowl and attachments for your mixer and the tart tin your lining) as this helps to keep the pastry cold and stops the butter from softening to quickly.

For the filling:

berries from the garden
chantilly cream – whip some double cream with a touch of vanilla extract or seeds from a pod and whilst you’re whisking add some icing sugar to taste and then finish with some lemon zest

For the base:

310g plain flour
100g icing sugar
150g diced butter (fridge cold)
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
Zest of 1 lemon
½ of vanilla pod
Pinch of salt

If using a mixing machine use the paddle attachment.

Mix together the flour, sugar, the pinch of salt and the diced butter and mix either with your fingers or on a low speed with the paddle attachment on the mixer, mix until breadcrumb like texture.

When it is at this stage add the vanilla, lemon zest and eggs. Keep mixing on a low speed until the dough comes together. Once it has come together stop mixing and roll into a ball, wrap and put in the fridge to go cold (also at this stage you could wrap it well and freeze for up to 1 month if you didn’t need all of it). Lightly grease your flan ring with butter, dust with flour and put that in the fridge as well.

When the pastry has firmed up roll it out to about 2mm thick (use a mixture of flour and icing sugar to help roll it out but try not to use to much as this will dry the pastry out) line the flan ring trim the excess pastry but leave a little over hanging to cover for shrinkage (you can shave this off after baking). Place it back in the fridge to firm up again. Whilst in the fridge pre heat the oven to 180oc. line the inside of the pastry with cling film and fill with baking beans or rice to weigh the pastry down and blind bake until lightly coloured (about 20-25 minutes), remove the cling filled with the weight and glaze with egg yolk and place back in the oven for 5 minutes you can repeat the glazing process 2 or 3 times to get a good golden colour, when golden remove from the oven and allow to cool in the ring then shave of the excess with a sharp serrated knife or a fine grater.