Lemon and Vanilla Fruit Tarts

Delicious shortcrust pastry crowns, filled with a layer of zesty lemon curd, vanilla creme patissiere, and topped with fruit! Fit for any King or Queen!

Makes 4-5 tarts

Ingredients:
 

Pastry Crowns:

• 125g plain flour

• 35g icing sugar

• 60g cold unsalted butter

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 tbspwater

Lemon Curd:

• 1 Lemon zest and juice

• 50g caster sugar

• 30g butter

• 1 large egg

• 1 egg yolk

(I usually double this recipe as I love to use the leftovers on toast and other cakes. Double all ingredients apart from the extra egg yolk).

Vanilla Crème Patisserie:

• 2 egg yolks

• 30g caster sugar

• 10g plain flour

• 1 tsp cornflour

• 150ml milk

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

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 Method:

1. In a food processor, blitz together the flour ,icing sugar and butter until it forms a breadcrumb consistency. You can do this by hand, it will just take longer, and you want to avoid the butter melting into the flour!
   

2. Add the egg yolk and water and blitz again until it starts to clump and you can form it into a ball with your hands.
   

3. Wrap in cling film and rest the pastry in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, meanwhile preheat
   the oven to 180 C (fan).
   

4. Roll the pastry out onto a lightly floured surface to around half a cm thick.
   

5. To create the crown shapes, you will need an upside down cupcake tin that has sloped sides to the wells which will support the thin pastry as it bakes in the oven. Cut long strips of pastry around 4cm thick (or around the height of the inverted cupcake wells)
   

6. Use the wide end of a pastry nozzle to cut out circles inthe pastry half way into the width of the strips so these will form the prongs of the crown once wrapped around.
   

7. Carefully wrap the pastry around the inverted well of the cupcake tin, cutting off the excess and making sure the ends are well sealed together with your fingers so it doesn’t break apart when baked. Leave spaces in between the crowns to avoid the risk of the pastry touching each other. Trim the prongs if they are much higher than the top of the cupcake tin, to avoid them dropping down in the oven.
   

8. For the bases of the tarts, cut out discs of pastry just wider than the widest part of the cupcake well and place on a lined baking tray.
   

9. Chill the pastry crowns and discs in the fridge for around half an hour, then bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are starting to brown.
   

10. Leave to cool then remove the crowns from the tin, they should just slip off once they have cooled and hardened.
    

11. For the curd, mix all the ingredients in a heat proof bowl andplace over a pan of simmering water, mixing until all the butter has melted and sugar dissolved.
    

12. Beat the eggs together then add them into the mixture and stir continuously until it has thickened. Transfer to a cool bowl and leave to cool fully before using.
    

13. For the crème patissiere, whisk the eggs and sugar for a few minutes until paler and slightly thicker, then whisk in the flour and cornflour until smooth.
    

14. Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan, then pour into the egg mixture while whisking. Transfer everything back to the saucepan and add the vanilla. Keep whisking on a medium heat until the custard thickens – do not let the bottom get stuck to the pan!
    

15. Leave to cool in a bowl, covering the top with cling film to prevent it developing a skin.
    

16. Once all components are cool it’s time to assemble! Use some melted white chocolate to ‘glue’ the crowns to their base discs, and pop them in the fridge to set quickly.
    

17. Once set, pipe or spoon a layer of lemon curd half way upthe tart, then pipe or spoon the crème patissiere on top.
    

18. Finish with blueberries or raspberries, and for extra glam,a spritz of edible glitter and gold paint for details!

    Enjoy!

This recipe was created as part of a paid partnership with Clarence Court eggs on Instagram. To watch the video on how these were made, please head to @alice.fevronia

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