Mascarpone Cream Fruit Tart
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8-10 pieces
 
A cookie pastry crust scented with star anise and filled with a luscious orange blossom water mascarpone cream and topped with fresh, seasonal fruit.
Ingredients
Mascarpone Cream
  • 8 oz/225g container mascarpone
  • 1 cup/235ml heavy or double cream
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
Cookie Pastry Crust
  • 1½ cups/220g all-purpose/plain flour
  • 4 oz/1 stick/113g unsalted butter, cold, cut into medium cubes
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground star anise or anise seed
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3-5 tablespoons ice cold water
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • Fresh Fruit
  • 1 heaping cup strawberries, cut in half if big, keep tops on some
  • ½ cup blueberries
  • ½ cup pomegranate arils
  • ¼ cup pomegranate or other fruit jelly, warmed up till runny.
Instructions
Mascarpone Cream
  1. In a bowl, add the mascarpone cream and beat with a mixer until softened.
  2. Add the cream and whip to a frosting consistency.
  3. You can always whip the cream separately and combine the two.
  4. Add the sugar and the orange blossom water.
  5. Chill in the fridge until needed.
Cookie Pastry Crust
  1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine, the flour, salt, sugar and ground star anise.
  2. Whiz to blend.
  3. Add the butter cubes and pulse to break up.
  4. To the beaten egg, add the vinegar and a tablespoon of water.
  5. Add the mixture to the flour and butter.
  6. Whiz again and check to see if flour holds.
  7. You may need up to 5 tablespoons of water.
  8. I usually need 4 tablespoons but this will depend on the humidity level where you live.
  9. You may only need 3.
  10. Process lightly till the flour butter mixture looks like it's coming together.
  11. Take out the mixture onto a clean counter and knead slightly to bring together into a ball.
  12. Flatten to a disc and wrap in plastic wrap.
  13. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
  14. Roll out on a floured counter top into a 14"/36 cm circle for an 11"/28cm tart.
  15. I used a removable bottom tart tin.
  16. Gently lay the pastry into the tin and press down all around.
  17. I usually fold over the edges onto themselves to double crust the edges.
  18. Trim where necessary and prick all over with a fork.
  19. Chill the rolled out pastry for a few hours or preferably overnight.
  20. When ready to bake the tart shell, preheat the oven to 425F/220C.
  21. Line the tart shell with parchment and fill with rice or beans or pie weights and blind bake.
  22. Bake the tart shell for about 10-15 minutes.
  23. The tart will start to brown and if he parchment comes off easily, then it is ready to finish baking without the pie weights.
  24. Remove the parchment with the pie weights carefully and return the tart shell to the oven.
  25. Bake the shell further until golden brown all over, another 10-15 minutes.
  26. Check often to see and if golden brown, remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.
  27. Once the tart is cooled completely, it can be filled.
Assembly
  1. Take the chilled mascarpone cream out of the fridge.
  2. Spread the cream onto the cooled tart shell.
  3. If you are going to remove the tart shell from the tin, do it now.
  4. Carefully remove the outer tart ring and then carefully run a thin spatula or knife under the tart bottom.
  5. Carefully loosen the tart all around and slowly slip onto a serving platter.
  6. Once the tart is on the serving platter, decorate with the fresh fruit.
  7. Drizzle the warm jelly over the top of the fruit.
  8. Chill the tart until serving time.
Recipe by Coffee and Crumpets at http://www.coffeeandcrumpets.com/mascarpone-cream-fruit-tart/