Erick Badenhorst

Nastergal & Berry Curd Tart

Makes 1 Large Tart / 2 Smaller Tarts


Ingredients:
Shortcrust Pastry

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 230g butter, cold and chopped
  • 1 tsp castor sugar
  • 1/4 cup ice cold water

Nastergal & Berry Curd

  • 1 cup Heerlijk Nastergal 
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup lime or lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • 85g butter, cubed

Method:
  1. Place the cold butter, flour, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you have the consistency of bread crumbs.
  2. Slowly add the water and continue pulsing until the dough comes together.
  3. Remove the dough and place on a lightly floured surface, bring it together with your hands forming a disk.
  4. Wrap the disk in wax paper and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour or so. 
  5. Grease and lightly flour the tart tin with a removable bottom, set aside.
  6. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured surface, roll out until you have a
  7. circle, about 35 cm in diameter.
  8. Lay the rolled out dough into the tart tin, gently pressing the dough into the pan, pinching off any extra that comes up over the sides.
  9. Place in the fridge to chill again before blind baking.
  10. Blind bake at 200ºC until the pastry case is golden, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before filling with the Nastergal & Berry Curd.
  11. To make the curd, heat the Nastergal, berries and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until softened and beginning to release their juice, stirring frequently. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool slightly before pressing the mixture through a sieve to extract the juice. Discard the pulp, reserving the juice.
  12. Whisk together the berry juice, lemon juice, water, balsamic vinegar, egg, egg yolks, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl on top of a double boiler over medium heat, Continue whisking while the mixture thickens very slightly, about 5 minutes.
  13. Whisk in the cornflour and then the butter, one cube a time. Continue whisking until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take about 10-15 minutes. 
  14. Remove from heat and continue whisking until the curd cools to room temperature before filling the cooled pastry case.
  15. Place the tart in the fridge to set overnight before serving.


Recipe development & photography by Nicky Barber