Blackberry tarts

When I was growing up an ugly little berry tart with a touch of whipped cream was a treat my brothers and sisters and I all loved. Baking doesn’t always have to be precise and perfect. Sometimes just throwing everything together in a rough little pastry can be good for the soul.

• makes

  12

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 punnets fresh blackberries
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1½ tbsp cornflour
• 300 ml thickened cream, to serve

Shortcrust pastry

• 250 g plain flour
• 65 g caster sugar
• 125 g very cold unsalted butter
• 1 egg yolk

Chilling time 20 minutes

Instructions

To make the pastry, combine the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Working quickly, grate the butter into the bowl and rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and, if necessary, a teaspoon or two of cold water to bring the dough together. Push a small amount of dough into each hole of a muffin pan and around the sides to line it evenly. Refrigerate for 20 minutes until firm.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Place the berries into a bowl and stir in the caster sugar. Lightly crush with the berries and stir through the cornflour. Spoon the mixture into the tart cases, then bake for 25-30 minutes or until pastry is golden. Allow to cool.

Pour the cream into a large jar of at least 450 ml capacity. When ready to serve shake the jar for about 5 minutes until the cream is aerated and “whipped”. Serve the picnic tarts with the cream.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.