Preparation Notes: plus chilling
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- 3 large eggs
- 225 g (8oz) plain flour
- 150 g (5oz) butter
- 50 g (2oz) icing sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Flour for dusting
- 275 g (10oz) white chocolate
- 284 ml (10fl oz) carton double cream
- 1 vanilla pod
- 30 ml (2tbsp) Kirsch
- 450 g (1lb) fresh fruit, eg raspberries, sliced mango, pear
- Icing sugar for dusting
- Fresh mint sprigs to decorate
- Step 1
Lightly beat one egg; reserve, setting aside 10ml (2tsp). Place the flour, cubed butter and icing sugar in a food processor; pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the reserved beaten egg and 2-3 drops vanilla extract. Pulse until the pastry comes together in a ball. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30min, then roll pastry out thinly.
- Step 2
Line eight 3cm (11⁄4in) deep, 9cm (31⁄2in) diameter, loose- bottomed tart tins (see tip). Prick; refrigerate for 30min. Line with greaseproof paper and baking beans. Cook at 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 for 10min. Remove paper and beans; cook for 5-10min. Brush with the 10ml (2tsp) reserved egg; cook for 1min. Cool slightly.
- Step 3
Chop the white chocolate. Pour the cream into a small, heavy-based saucepan with the split vanilla pod and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, lift out the vanilla pod and add the hot cream to the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Cool.
- Step 4
Separate the remaining two eggs. Mix the egg yolks and the Kirsch into the cooled chocolate and cream mixture. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold carefully into the chocolate mixture until well incorporated.
- Step 5
Pour the mixture into the pastry cases and cook at 190°C (170°F) mark 5 for 10-15min until just set (see tip). Leave to cool in the tins and refrigerate for 5hr or overnight. Don't worry if the filling seems very soft - it will become firmer as it chills.
- Step 6
Remove the tarts from the fridge 30min before serving. Unmould the tarts and arrange the fresh fruit on top. Dust heavily with icing sugar and decorate with fresh mint sprigs just before serving.
- Step 7
To freeze:
Prepare to the end of step 5, then cool, pack and freeze.
To serve:
Thaw overnight at cool room temperature and continue to the end of the recipe.
Experiment with further French tart recipes:
Strawberry tart
Nectarine and apricot tart
Custard tart
Pear and toffee tarte tatin
Lemon tart
Pastry cracking
Don't worry if the pastry cracks when you're lining the tins - it's easy to patch together.
If the filling starts to get too dark during cooking, cover it with tin foil.
Per Serving:
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
