Kiwi Strawberry Banana Tart

        

         

Today everything seemed like hard work. It's Sunday and I got stuck in a house-work rut. One chore led to another. And before I knew it I'd spent my whole morning and afternoon doing house-work. Even just going to the next room to use my computer is feeling like an effort for me, as I lay on my bed writing this post from my iPhone.

Maybe it's just 'lazy-itis' today.
However I did make the time to photograph today's creation. The final product tasted delightful, the fruit was sweet and the custard was light. My friends put in a 'special request' for this one to be made again.

This creation was more of a lesson for me. I made my own pastry here. And I can't deny I did find it a wee bit of an effort today. I've always made my own, but whilst battling with the evil dough, a small voice popped in to my head: "maybe using shop-bought pastry instead of making my own isn't so bad?" Gasp! Oh gosh, who said that?! Now, such an idea is a bit controversial coming from some one who is meant to be "baking" in every sense of the word! I know, I know. Seriously, after the way I feel today, if you try this recipe and decide to forgo the pastry-making part and use shop-bought stuff instead, I completely understand!

Kiwi Strawberry Banana Tart  
Sweet shortcrust pastry
200 g/7 oz plain flour
85 g/3 oz icing sugar, sifted
115 g/4 oz butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp milk

Custard cream
2 egg yolks
70 g/2.5 oz caster sugar
25 g/1 oz plain flour
250 ml milk
zest of 1 lemon

Topping
1 banana and 1 kiwi fruit, thinly sliced
10 small strawberries, hulled and halved
1 ½ tbsp honey

Equipment
36cm rectangular tart tin (loose-bottomed)

Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl. Add the butter, rubbing in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and milk and work in until the dough binds together. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 180°C. On a floured surface, roll out your dough from the centre outwards and try to roll in the shape of your tin. Ease dough into your tart tin and lightly press it into the sides of the tin. Allow some excess to overlap over the edges. Prick dough base all over with a fork. Once done, use a rolling pin to roll over the top of the tin (to cut off the excess pastry).

Blind bake the pastry shell with weight (baking beans/uncooked rice on greaseproof paper) on its base for 10 minutes. Remove the weight and greaseproof paper and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the pastry is dry with no greasy patches. Allow pastry to cool.

To make the custard cream filling, beat the egg yolks with the sugar, then slowly add flour and milk gradually. It is very important, to stir continuously to avoid creating lumps in the cream. Mix in lemon zest and transfer to a small saucepan.

Heat the custard cream on a low flame, stirring continuously until it becomes thick – don’t stop stirring. Remove cream from the heat when it starts to boil. Once cooled, spread the cream over the pastry with the back of a metal spoon, then lay over the fruit slices in a decorative pattern. Heat the honey in a saucepan until runny. Immediately glaze honey over the fruit with a pastry brush. Chill before serving.