This weeks pastry is soft short pastry which I used to make a berry & pistachio tart.

To make the pastry

Mix together 185g softened butter with 25ml of warm milk (warm milk helps to bind the pastry together) and one egg yolk.  Then add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar and beat the mixture until smooth.  Add 250g of plain four and mix together until you have a smooth dough.  Wrap the pastry in clim film and chill for at least two hours.

The Filling

In a bowl whisk together for about two minutes, three eggs, 25g ground almonds, 100g sugar, 150ml double cream 30g pistachios, 25g of melted butter, and ½ tablespoon of plain flour.

Heat oven to 180°C and grease a 24cm tart tin (with removable bottom).  Roll out the cooled pastry onto a floured surface (it should be 3mm thick) and place over the tart tin and trim the edges.  Prick the base of the pastry with a fork.  Sprinkle 200g of berries on the pastry and then pour over the filling.

Bake for 40minutes and sprinkle with icing sugar.  Leave to cool.

I like pistachios and I did eat a few of them when I was making the tart.  The pistachios in the tart gives it a nice little crunchy surprise.  The tart is enough on it’s own although if you want something to go with it a little scoop of plain ice-cream would work well.