At last, a bit of rain to cool things down and send a blush of green across the Colne Valley.
Much as the endless hot days have been welcome, the moors and meadows had started to look more than a little sad, with their scorched brown shades and almost audible dryness.
Even some of the bigger trees have decided to give up the ghost and start dropping their wizened leaves.
So it’s been lovely to see my garden spring back with a burst of colour after a day or so’s rain.
Hopefully this will continue occasionally, but still allow us, especially now the schools are out, many days of warm, sunny weather.
Food-wise, we’re in luck. We’re pretty much into full fruity season in the UK right now. From our own bushes, trees and hedgerows sprout forth all manner of berries, fruits and currants, ready to be transformed into dish after brilliant dish.
Now’s definitely the time to make that summer pudding you’ve been hankering after making, as the bushes hang low with their payload of deep, dark fruit.
Some of us prefer to defer the pleasure and make a pot or two of jam, to remind us of the past summer as we munch our toast and gaze out at a winter scene.
This week, then, an unusual pairing for me, given my ongoing vendetta against the combination of fruit and chocolate.
Regular readers of this column will know that I can be terribly fussy about fruit and chocolate in combination – I generally feel the two do absolutely nothing for each other, with a couple of notable exceptions.
Bananas, for instance, are terrific with all three shades of chocolate, and oranges, too, can adapt to most chocolate recipes with terrific results.
But I will still never be convinced about dark chocolate and any kind of berry or currant.
Offer me a chocolate-dipped strawberry and I’m afraid I will wrinkle my nose and politely decline.
However, with white chocolate, it’s a different game. The creamier, more monochrome flavour of white chocolate is a great foil for plenty of fruits, from pineapple to peach, blueberry to rhubarb, and can be used in dozens of different recipes from ice-creams and parfaits to tarts, cakes and puddings.
I’d seen a dark chocolate version of this recipe somewhere on my travels and before dismissing the idea out of hand immediately, I thought of switching the chocolate to make it more my style.
And it’s a hit – the smooth, elegant white chocolate custard works really well with the beautifully tart ripe cherries, along with the crunch of crisp, buttery pastry.
You could make individual tartlets for a fancy dinner party, but the effect of the large tart is really quite spectacular. So, hurry now, because those of us with cherry trees know that at this time of the year it’s always a race for the fruit with the local bird population.
Get picking, and make the most of the wonderful British cherry while it’s with us. Don’t let the birds win.
White Chocolate Tart With Cherries
For the pastry:
250g plain flour
125g unsalted butter
90g caster sugar
One large egg
Chilled water
Pinch of Maldon salt
For the white chocolate custard:
300ml double cream
A little vanilla extract
200g white chocolate
Two free-range eggs
Three tbsps unrefined golden caster sugar
Extras:
One large punnet ripe British cherries
A little fresh lemon juice
Mint leaves, fresh thyme or lemon verbena for garnish
One 20cm tart tin with removable base
First, let’s make the pastry: in a food processor, whizz the flour, sugar and butter together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the power still on, add the egg and then a trickle of chilled water, until it just brings the pastry together into a medium-soft dough
Shape into a rough thick disc by hand, wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least an hour.
Heat the oven to 200ºC/Gas 6.
On a wide, well-floured work surface, roll out the pastry in a rough circle, about the thickness of a pound coin.
Line the tin with the pastry, pushing it into the corners, trimming away the excess, but leaving plenty of overlap, then cut out a similar-sized disc of baking parchment.
Screw it into a tight ball, then carefully unfold it and push it gently into the pastry case, making sure it gets to every corner. Fill the case with baking beans and chill the tart for another hour.
Bake the tart for about 15-20 minutes, or until it is set and pale golden in colour, then remove the parchment carefully and bake for a further five minutes to fully cook the base. If any holes have appeared, brush them immediately with a little egg white to seal. Leave the tart case to cool on a wire rack.
Turn the oven down to 140ºC / Gas mark 1 and make the white chocolate filling; gently warm the cream with the vanilla extract and when just about to boil, remove from the heat and add the chocolate, whisking until smooth.
Whisk the eggs with the sugar until smooth, then whisk in the warm chocolate cream.
Set the pastry case on a sturdy baking tray and pour in the chocolate mixture as deep as you dare. I tend to pour mine in when it’s resting on the shelf in the oven, but it’s up to you.
Bake the tart for 30 minutes, or until the custard has set with just a hint of a wobble.
Remove carefully from the oven and allow to cool completely.
To assemble the tart, pit the cherries and cut them in half. Toss them in a little lemon juice as you go, to hold the colour.
Carefully arrange the cherries, cut-side-up, on top of the tart in a neat overlapping pattern.
Garnish with mint, thyme or your preferred herb, and serve generous wedges to your guests.
