Recipe - Summer Berry Tartlets (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Recipe - Summer Berry Tartlets

11:49am Wednesday 16th August 2006 in Recipes

The charming, relaxed ritual of afternoon tea is back in fashion. Susannah Blake, author of Afternoon Tea Ryland (Peters & Small, £8.99) believes there is something unique about celebrating that mid-afternoon meal.

"What I love most about afternoon tea is the ritual and the journey back to a time more elegant and refined than the rushed mug of tea with a biscuit of today," she says.

"Also, baking is easy, but the adoration you receive always seems to far outweigh the praise you get for throwing a stupendous dinner party or show-stopping lunch."

With the author's help you can let your imagination take flight and offer guests an array of treats from mini rarebits and tiny blinis to baby eclairs and delicate tuiles.

Here's one of her recipes.

SUMMER BERRY TARTLETS

(Makes 12)

You will need: a 6.5cm biscuit cutter

12 hole tartlet tin, greased

3tbsp ground almonds

100g plain flour

1tbsp caster sugar

50g butter, chilled and diced

2tbsp water

80ml creme fraiche

1 1/2-2tbsp good-quality lemon curd

200g summer berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and redcurrants

icing sugar, to dust (optional)

Put the almonds, flour and caster sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, gradually add the water until the mixture comes together into a dough. If necessary, add a drizzle more water. Press into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface and cut out rounds with the biscuit cutter, pressing the trimmings together to make more rounds. Press the rounds into the prepared tartlet tin and prick the bases with a fork.

Bake in a preheated oven at 190C (375F) Gas 5 for about 12 minutes until crisp and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To serve, fold together the creme fraiche and lemon curd in a small bowl. Put spoonfuls of the mixture in the bottom of each pastry case, top with berries and dust with icing sugar, if liked.