It’s my final recipe and blog post for 2018. How did that sneak up on us so fast? I’m going to keep this short and sweet because I (and most likely you too) am a little consumed by the holiday season madness. Reading a lengthy blog post is probably not top of your priority list. What might be higher up is planning a Christmas menu – though I’m not huge on tinsel, perfectly laid tables and piles of presents, I do love the number of big group dinner parties and gatherings that Christmas brings. For us they are relaxed affairs: summer barbecues with a few big salads – think Ottolenghi’s Simple vegetable dishes, fresh tomatoes and peaches, broccoli tabouli, lots of hummus and fresh sourdough bread. There’s no pressure on timing with make-ahead, room-temperature salads, and we serve up whenever whatever’s on the barbecue is done. However, a centrepiece dessert is always a must for me – again, something that can be made ahead is best. Apart from this strawberry tart, I’d also recommend:
– Chocolate Cherry Tart with Pomegranate and Torched Meringue
– Rhubarb, Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding Cake with custard
– Roast peach & honeycomb slab pavlova (you could also swap the peaches out for roasted strawberries if it’s more seasonal)
– Flourless Chocolate & Hazelnut layer cake
– No churn passionfruit, raspberry & pavlova ice cream
– And if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere – this carrot, ginger and white chocolate tart with whisky ice cream, and these sticky fig & ginger puddings with caramel sauce.
See you in 2019 for lots more recipes: both tried and tested here on the blog, and quick inspiration over on instagram, and more travel guides and where to eat around the world (yes, more travel is in sight). Do let me knw if there is anything in particular you would like to see more (or less) of – I’d love to hear from you.
Onto the recipe: it’s a festive, summery strawberry, pomegranate and pistachio tart. I’ve taken the classic strawberries and cream combination and served it up less English summer and more Ottolenghi-fied 2018. It’s my go-to shortcrust butter pastry, whizzed up in a food processor, topped with a rich, nutty pistachio frangipane studded with raspberries and pomegranate arils. Leave that to cool, and then dollop on a tangy, fragrant mascarpone cream tinged with pomegranate molasses and sumac. Then comes the impressive (or perfectionist) factor: strawberries carefully sliced up (middle pieces only for the prettiest result) and lined up in concentric circles over the cream.
Cook’s Notes:
It’s definitely at it’s best right after you layer up the strawberries (do this right before serving, it only takes 5 minutes). However, you can definitely make the tart right up until the strawberries and cream step the day before for ease on the day – just store in an airtight container in a cool place overnight. Another option is to make the pastry the day before, and then bake the pistachio frangipane the morning of – whatever fits into your entertaining schedule best.
- 228 g flour just a smidge over 1 3/4 cups
- 2/3 cup icing sugar
- pinch of salt
- 165 g unsalted butter chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 large egg
- 115 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup 100g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 70 g almond meal / ground almonds
- 70 g pistachios ground to a similar texture to the almonds
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 pomegranate, deseeded, divided into 2 parts
- 200 g mascarpone
- 1 cup cream
- 1/4 cup icing sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 2-3 punnets fresh strawberries (600g), similarly sized for best results
- icing sugar to dust
- more pomegranate arils to top
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Blitz the flour, icing sugar and salt together in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until a bread-crumb like texture forms. Add the lemon zest, vanilla and egg and pulse 10 times. The mixture will still be pretty crumbly. Turn out onto a clean surface and gather and press together. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.
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Grease a 26-28cm tart tin. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured bench to about 3mm thick and line the tart tin, pressing firmly into the sides of the tin. The pastry will be hard to roll out at first but don’t worry, it will soften as you go. If it rips at all or you find that one edge is too thin, it is easy to use the leftover pastry scraps to patch it back together.
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Trim the pastry to form a neat edge - I usually just roll my rolling pin over the edge to cut through the pastry. It normally leaves enough extra pastry scraps to line another mini tart tin as well, but this is totally up to you.
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Rest the lined tart tin in the freezer for 30 minutes while you make the frangipane.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
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Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until fully combined. Mix in the vanilla and salt.
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Add the ground almonds and ground pistachios until just combined.
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Spoon the frangipane into the frozen tart shell and spread into an even layer.
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Scatter with the raspberries and half of the pomegranate arils (save the rest to top later) and gently press into the frangipane
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Bake for 30 minutes, or until the frangipane is set and the pastry is golden.
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Set aside to cool completely (in the fridge if you don’t have much time).
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In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a hand electric beater), combine the cream, mascarpone, vanilla paste, pomegranate molasses and sumac. Beat until thick and creamy - thick peaks, but don’t go too far or it becomes grainy and buttery.
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Spoon over the cooled tart and spread to the edges, with a thicker rim of cream around the edge.
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Slice the strawberries long-ways into 3mm pieces, setting aside the edge pieces (you can serve these on the side, but not for the actual tart).
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Starting from the outside and working inwards, arrange the strawberry slices in circles, stalk end down (see photos).
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Dust with icing sugar, sprinkle with the remaining pomegranate arils and serve straight away. Cut with a very sharp knife so you can slice through the strawberries rather than squashing them!
Thank you for this awesome looking and healthy recipe….