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1
First, make the sweet shortcrust pastry (or use 300g ready-made pastry).
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2
Place all the dry ingredients in the bowl of your food processor fitted with a blade and give them a quick pulse.
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3
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
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4
Tip the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the egg and water.
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5
Bring together with your hands and then gently knead the mixture a couple of times to make a smooth pastry.
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6
Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge until required.
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7
Make sure you take it out of the fridge 45 minutes before you want to use it to make it easier to roll (do the same for ready-made).
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8
Next line and blind bake the tart tin: grease the tin before lining it.
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9
Line the bottom of the tin with a round piece of non-stick baking parchment, drawing around the loose bottom as a guide.
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10
Leave a small tab of parchment sticking out of the side of the circle this will give you something to hold as you slide the tart from the parchment.
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11
Forget baking parchment and ceramic beans for blind baking; use a good-quality clingfilm and rice or mung beans instead.
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12
The clingfilm does not melt in the oven and filling it with rice or mung beans gets into every nook and cranny.
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13
The clingfilm is non-stick too; you can just lift it out after blind baking with the rice or beans.
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14
Preheat the oven to 190C fan/210C/375F/gas 6 1/2.
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15
Flour your work surface lightly but evenly with plain flour.
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16
Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 3mm/ 1/8 inch.
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17
Keep lifting and rotating the pastry to stop it sticking to your work surface.
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18
Use more flour as required.
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19
I sprinkle some on the pastry and rub it across the surface to keep it non-stick.
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20
Place your tin gently on the pastry and cut around it, about 6cm/2 1/2 inches larger than the tin.
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21
Sprinkle the surface of the pastry with a little flour and rub it in gently with your hand.
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22
Fold the pastry over on itself twice so you end up with a quarter wedge.
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23
Place the point of the wedge in the centre of the tin and simply unfold it.
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24
Keep an offcut of pastry on one side.
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25
Gently ease the pastry into the sides of the tin.
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26
Dip the offcut of pastry in flour and use it to gently press the pastry into the sides of the tin.
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27
Do not trim off the overhanging pastry.
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28
Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork.
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29
Place four sheets of clingfilm loosely over the tart tin, and press them down together into the pastry.
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30
Gather the excess clingfilm around the tin.
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31
Fill the tin with rice or mung beans and bake for 25 minutes.
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32
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
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33
Gently lift out the clingfilm with the rice or beans and put them into a large bowl to cool before you store them.
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34
Put the tart tin back in the oven and bake for a further 6-8 minutes until the pastry base looks dry and pale golden.
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35
Sometimes the base of the pastry will inflate during this phase of baking.
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36
If you see this happening, open the oven and prick the base in the centre with a toothpick to let the air escape.
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37
Plug that hole with a small ball of raw pastry as soon as the pastry comes out of the oven.
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38
Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 20 minutes.
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39
Trim off the excess pastry by running a sharp smooth knife around the top of the tin.
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40
Leave the case in the tin while you assemble the tart.
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41
Next brush the base of the pastry case with melted chocolate: take 60g of dark chocolate and melt it in a microwave or a bowl set over a pan of boiling water.
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42
Using a pastry brush apply a layer of the melted chocolate evenly over the base of the pastry case but not up the sides.
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43
Place in the fridge to set.
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44
Pour the milk into a large saucepan.
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45
Place the eggs and sugar in a large heatproof bowl and use an electric hand whisk until pale and fluffy.
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46
Then whisk in the cornflour and rose water.
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47
Heat the milk until just boiling.
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48
Pour slowly into the egg mixture while whisking all the time with a balloon whisk until well mixed and smooth.
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49
Return the mixture to the saucepan over a medium heat, whisk continuously for 3 minutes while the mixture bubbles.
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50
Pour back into the heatproof bowl and cover with clingfilm, making sure the clingfilm is touching the surface of the creme patissiere to prevent a skin forming.
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51
Leave on one side until cold.
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52
Finally assemble and top the tart using the sliced and peeled fruits and arrange them in the shape of a flower.
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53
Leave the pastry case in the tin to support it while you fill and decorate it.
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54
Take the cold creme patissiere and whisk it using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy or use your worktop mixer.
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55
Fill the pastry case evenly with it.
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56
Place in the fridge to set slightly while you prepare the fruits.
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57
Peel and slice the fruits and then arrange on top of the creme patissiere to look like a flower.
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58
Use some mint leaves too for a splash of extra colour.
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59
Add a tablespoon of water to the apricot jam and warm gently to make it runny.
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60
Brush an even layer gently over all the fruit.
