Gooseberry Tart

Overview

• PREP: 50 MINS
• COOK: 45 – 50 MINS
• DIFFICULTY: EASY
• SERVES: 6

Background

This year we harvested our first crop of homegrown gooseberries at Barleyfield and so, we decided to make a delicious gooseberry pie with them. We have also made a little compote. Mix this with some elderflower cordial, and either sparkling water or some real bubbles as some refreshing options to enjoy in the sunshine.

Gooseberry Tart

1. Pastry Dough

• 250g Plain Flour
• 155g Cold Unsalted Butter
• 8g Caster Sugar
• 5g Salt
• 15g Cold Milk
• 1 Medium Egg

First dice your butter. Place it in your mixing bowl with the flour, salt and sugar. Mix on speed one with the paddle attachment until you have fine bread crumbs. While that is mixing organise your milk and egg together. When the flour and butter mix is ready, (looks like fine breadcrumbs), begin to add the milk and egg together. Mix until it is just beginning to come together and there are no dry bits at the bottom of the mixing bowl. Remove the dough from the bowl, and bring it together by hand. Flatten it down into a nice neat patty and clingfilm it tightly. Place it in the fridge to rest until hard, over-night is best.

The following day remove the pastry from the fridge and allow it 5 minutes to come around before rolling. This is so it does not break when you begin to roll it. However, if it becomes soft it will become difficult to work with and will not yield the perfect tart shell you are looking for. Butter and flour the inside of your tart case. Place a disc of parchment paper in the base of you tart case. Divide your dough in half. Roll one half of the pastry down so that it is nice and thin, approx. 2.5mm – 3mm. This is a nice thickness to eat, and to work with. Gently roll the pastry around your rolling pin and unroll it over the top of your tart case. Now with your fingers, working methodically around the shell; gently encourage the pastry down into the base of the tart case without stretching the dough. Place your fingers behind the pastry and encourage it forward into the case, with small movements. This way it should fall in as a result of its own weight.

When the dough is inside the tart case, take a small ball of the extra dough, about the size of a bull’s eye, and wrap it in clingfilm. Dip this in flour and use it to press gently into the corners all the way around the case. This will help you achieve sharp corners all the way around you tart when you demould it later. Leave the little bit of extra pastry still attached for the moment. Next roll the second half of your dough down to a similar thickness of 2.5mm – 3mm. This needs only to be slightly larger than the size of the top of the tart case. Place your pie case and lid into the fridge to rest for a few minutes.

2. Prepping your Gooseberries

• 600g Fresh Gooseberries
• 160g Caster Sugar

Top and tail the gooseberries and then take care to wash them well under running water. Set them aside until the pastry is ready.

3. Building your Tart

Preheat the oven to 180 C fan. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of ground almonds into the base of your now rested pie case. Mix the caster sugar through the gooseberries and add them to your pie base. Brush the edges of your tart base with a little cold water, and then gently place the lid on top. Now, using your fingers press the top and bottom of the pie case together leaving a little overhang – 4 or 5 mm is plenty. Next crimp the edges of the pastry. Hold the edge of the pastry down with two fingers that are slightly apart and use a finger from your second hand to draw the pastry inwards between the two fingers to form the crimped design. Continue this all the way around the pie until you have crimped the whole way around the edge of the pie. Make a small hole in the centre of your pie to allow the steam from the gooseberries to escape. Brush the pie with egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar if you would like a little added crunch! Bake at 180 C for approx. 20 minutes, and then reduce the temperature down to 165C for a further 25 – 30 minutes, until golden brown and all of the fruit is completely soft inside.

 This is delicious served warm with clotted cream or some vanilla ice -cream.

Gooseberry Tart