A perfectly balanced filling-to-crust ratio.
A perfectly balanced filling-to-crust ratio.
This recipe is a particular favourite of Lex's, because it's so versatile. "There are three elements - the stewed fruit, the tart base and the honey clotted cream - and the great thing about each is that you can use them in lots of different recipes' she says. "The fruit, for example, is deliciously sharp and tangy; stir a few spoonfuls into whipped cream for a quick gooseberry fool, or spoon over yogurt for breakfast. And then you have the ultimate sweet pastry recipe, which is super-useful. Add orange or lemon zest, cocoa or spices to create different flavours, depending on your filling. Also, when you make the individual tartlet cases, roll them as thinly as possible. We've given this a lot of thought in the kitchen and have decided the filling-to-pastry ratio needs to be about 92 to 8 per cent. Roughly..?" The tartness of gooseberries varies, as do people's tastes, so the sugar measurement is just a guide.
Ingredients
Makes 6-8
For the sweet pastry
- 190g (6¾oz) soft butter, plus extra for greasing
- 170g (6oz) sugar
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
- 375g (15oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
For the gooseberry compote - 500g (1lb 2oz) gooseberries, topped and tailed
- 200g (7oz) caster sugar
- 50ml (2fl oz) elderflower syrup or cordial
For the honey clotted cream
- 250g (9oz) clotted cream
- 2 teaspoons local honey
To garnish
- Edible flowers (optional)
Method
For the pastry cases, combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a food mixer or processor with a paddle attachment. Keeping your mixer on the lowest setting, gradually add the beaten eggs.
Then start mixing in the flour.
Don't over-mix, as your pastry will crumble when you try to roll it out.
Tip onto a work surface and finish binding together by hand. Wrap in clingfilm and leave it to chill in the refrigerator until firm.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C fan (400°F), Gas Mark 6, and lightly butter 6-8 tartlet tins (about 10cm/4 inches in diameter).
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Lightly flour a work surface and roll the pastry out to a thickness of 2mm (16 inch).
Use to line the tartlet tins. Line the pastry cases with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven, uncovered, for a further 3 minutes. Leave to cool, then remove the pastry cases from the tins.
For the filling, put the gooseberries in a wide pan, add the sugar, enough water to cover and the elderflower syrup. Warm to gently dissolve the sugar.
Turn the heat down to low. Cook gently for 5 minutes, being careful not to break up the fruit. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
Whisk the clotted cream in a bowl and stir in the honey, for a hint of sweetness.
Spoon the cream into the pastry cases and add the gooseberries on top. Drizzle the syrup around the edge and garnish with edible flowers, if you have them.
