Berry Sour-Cream Tart

This berry sour-cream tart is rich, silky and luscious. It's filled with berries and a thick baked sour cream custard resting on a homemade tart shell. The sour cream custard is lighter than the air and melts right in your mouth. The berries are trenched in lemon juice to add zest and freshness. The soft tart shell takes under 5 minutes to prepare. This tart makes the best dessert to serve after a heavy luncheon or dinner on a summer day. It can be made ahead of time and requires just 30 minutes of your time in the kitchen.

Serves: 10

Ingredients

Tart Shell

1 ½ cup Flour

½ cup granulated Sugar

150g chilled Butter

1 tsp Salt

3-4 tsp Ice water

Custard

500g chilled Sour Cream

4 egg Yolks

2 tbsp Cornflour

⅓ cup granulated Sugar

2 tsp Lemon zest

1 tsp Vanilla

⅓ cup Heavy cream

Berries

1 cup sliced Strawberries

½ cup Raspberries

¾ cup Blueberries

¼ cup Blackberries

½ Lemon

Method

Step 1-Tart Shell

Sift flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add cubed chilled butter to the dry ingredients. Mix the butter and dry ingredients with a pastry cutter until the dough becomes crumby. Then add a tsp of ice water and fold the dough until it holds itself together. Then cling wrap the dough and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight.

Step 2- Berries

Add strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries to a bowl. Squeeze half a lemon on them. Gently coat the berries and keep them aside till ready to assemble.

Step 3- Custard

Add egg yolks to a mixing bowl and whisk till smooth. Then add in sugar and whisk till the sugar dissolves. Then add lemon zest, vanilla extract and cornflour and whisk till lump-free. Now add the wet ingredients, heavy cream and sour cream. Whisk the batter till all the ingredients are incorporated.

Step 4- Assembly

Preheat the oven to 160℃ and grease a 10-inch removable bottom pie dish with butter. Lightly flour the counter, and flatten the dough to ½ inch thickness with a rolling pin. Then transfer the dough to the pie dish. With your hands, fit the dough into the dish. Poke holes on the base with a fork.

Step 5

Add the berries and spread evenly. Then pour the sour cream custard into the dish and bang the dish against the counter 2-3 times. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 60-70 minutes or till the edges set in and the custard is jiggly in the centre.

Step 6

Let the tart rest in the tin for 30-40 minutes, then transfer it to a cooling rack for another 30-40 minutes. Then add fresh berries on top and serve warm.

Tips

1. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use a fork or your hands.

2. If your dough is sticky even after refrigerating, add 1-2 tbsp of flour and knead again.

3. Ensure the butter is chilled; otherwise, your dough will never stick together.

4. Using an electric beater to whisk the custard will add air bubbles. Just use a whisk or a wooden spoon.

5. Ensure that the sour cream is chill and not overbeaten; otherwise, it might curdle.

6. If you want a thin tart shell, roll the dough to ¼ inch thickness.

7. The custard will become puffy in the oven, but once it’s out, it will flatten back.

8. To check if the custard has set, shake the tin; the edges should be sturdy, and the centre should be jiggly.