Summer Berry Flan

I'm not normally one to be too into making desserts with fruit. I like chocolate, cream, cake and other desserts, but normally I don't like to "pollute" them with fruit! However, this dessert is the exception - not only does it look beautiful and impressive to your guests, it tastes fantastic with the perfect balance of flavours and the berries don't "pollute" the dessert at all. They complement the rest of the dessert so perfectly. It was the aha moment where I determined that fruit has its place in dessert and that dessert can be just as decadent and delicious as non-fruit desserts. I'm hooked on this one! You should give it a try too. Its a bit involved, but the sense of satisfaction you get from making all components from scratch and the oooo's and ahhhh's you'll get from your friends and family will be well worth the effort. :)

 The beautiful thing about this dessert is that you can do so many variations to change it up - you could make a chocolate pastry cream and serve it with strawberries or cherries on top. Or you could do a tropical fruit tart with pineapple, papaya and toasted coconut... the options are endless!! What would be your go to flavour combination for this one?

Classic Fruit Flan
Minimally Adapted from Back to Baking by Anna Olson

Ingredients:

Tart Shell:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 oz white chocolate

Pastry Cream:

• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Fruits:

• 4 cups assorted fresh, tender fruits - I used raspberries, blueberries and strawberries
• 1/4 cup apple jelly

Method:

Tart:

1. Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Stir in egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt until dough comes together. Shape dough into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours until firm.
2. Preheat oven to 350F. Knead pastry dough on lightly floured surface to soften it a little bit. Dust the pastry with a little flour, and roll out just larger than your tart pan (make sure it has a removable bottom). Line pan with dough, trim edges. Chill pastry for 10 minutes in the freezer.
3. Place the chilled tart pan on baking tray. Dock the bottom of the pastry shell with a fork, then bake in preheated oven for 16-20 minutes, until just the edges are golden brown and center of shell looks dry. Cool completely.
4. Melt 3 oz white chocolate. Brush to coat bottom and sides of cooled tart shell. Chill the shell while preparing pastry cream.

Pastry Cream:

1. Heat the milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until just below a simmer. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and cornstarch. Whisk half of the hot milk into the egg mixture, then pour entire mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk. Whisk the custard constantly over medium heat until it thickens and just begins to bubble, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Strain custard into a bowl, stir in vanilla and butter until melted, then cover bowl with plastic wrap so the plastic directly covers the surface of the custard. Cool custard to room temperature, then chil1 in the pan for at least 2 hours.

Assemble the Tart:

1. Spoon the custard into the tart shell and spread it evenly. Top the custard with the fresh fruit, creaming an appealing design. Melt apple jelly in the microwave, then brush it over the fruit. Chill the tart in the pan until you are ready to serve. The tart can be stored in the fridge for up to one day.

So I told you it was a bit of work and I wasn't kidding, but its well worth the time and effort. Remember when selecing your fruits that some fruits turn brown (oxidize) upon contact with air. Those may not be best suited to this type of tart. Some examples of fruits that oxidize are - apples, bananas, peaches, and pears.

I hope you enjoy this one! Happy Baking my Friends!

On the Seventh Day of Christmas... Eggnog Pudding!

*Update: This post now contains my own photos! This was a delicious recipe that was so well received by my family and friends. Plus, you can make cute individual desserts that would be so perfect for a dinner party.

Despite the lack of photos, this recipe is a real winner and I would encourage you to try it out. I tested it out on my family and a couple of friends and it received very good feedback, do so give it a shot. It is festive and looks so pretty layered in nice glass dishes.

Eggnog Pudding
Minimally Adapted from Country Living Magazine, December 2009

Ingredients:

• 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 tbsp molasses
• 1/3 cup captain morgan's spiced rum
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
• 25 small gingersnap cookies (about 1 1/2 inch diameter)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tsp confectioners' sugar

Method:

1. Fill large bowl with ice water and set aside. Combine the sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup of the half-and-half, nutmeg, molasses, rum, and salt in a medium saucepan. Stirring occasionally to prevent burning, bring to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from stove.
2. Whisk the egg yolks, 1/4 cup half and half in medium saucepan until combined. Slowly add in 1/4 cup of the hot mixture to the eggs while continuing to whisk. Set aside.
3. Whisk the cornstarch and remaining half and half together in medium bowl. Quickly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the hot milk mixture. Place the pan back on the heat, increase to medium-high, and whisk constantly until it just boils. Remove from the heat and add the egg mixture to the hot milk mixture stirring vigorously.
4. Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid just begins to simmer. Immediately remove from the heat and strain into a medium bowl.
5. Cover wth plastic wrap, placing the film directly on the hot pudding, and set in the ice bath to cool. Refrigerate.
6. Crush one gingersnap and set aside. Combine the heavy cream and icing sugar in large bowl and beat to soft peaks. Alternate layers of cooled pudding, gingersnaps, and cream in six 6-oz individual custard cups. Chill for at least one hour. Top with crushed gingersnap and serve.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and can get past the serious lack of photos... I have one more place I can possibly look tomorrow while I'm at work, but my hopes are not high. Will keep you posted.

*UPDATE: I found my pictures! I've updated the post with my own photos. Hope you enjoy!!!

Only a few days til Christmas - hope you've just about finished your preparations. :) Happy Baking my Friends!