So here you have it, in all its glory – not strictly a Kitchen Garden recipe, but definitely one for the folder… Lisa asked on Sunday night if I fancied taking home a baggie of the cassia-infused mascarpone she uses at Sean’s for the persimmon & quince trifle… My first reaction was huh? What could I possibly do that would do it justice? Anyway she gave me a few hints – and this recipe was my humble answer:
Burnt cream tart with raspberries
Ingredients:
Italian shortcrust pastry
1 lemon
200g plain flour plus extra for rolling
100g cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon iced water
Filling
200g caster sugar
2 eggs
1kg mascarpone (we use Paesanella)
1 cassia stick (or cinnamon if you can’t get it)
To finish
1 cup caster sugar
A punnet raspberries or other yummy berries
What to do:
STAGE ONE
Carefully zest the lemon using a microplane grater.
For the pastry sift the flour and add to salt in a food processor. Chop the butter and add to flour mixture – whiz until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle in the zest and caster sugar and pulse to incorporate.
Using 2 small bowls separate the egg and add yolk to processor with the cold water and motor running. Reserve egg white.
As soon as the pastry resembles a ball, take out of processor. Flatten dough to form a disc and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
STAGE TWO
Roll out pastry onto floured surface to approximately 4mm thick. Rolling the pastry onto a rolling pin, lift it gently into a 26cm pie tin, and prick all over with a fork, cover again with cling film and place back in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180C.
Place foil in the pastry then baking beans and blind bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
STAGE THREE
Using the oven mitts, remove the pastry shell from the oven, remove the beans & foil and let the shell cool for 2 or 3 hours.
STAGE FOUR
Grind the cassia bark then sieve it into a bowl.
Split the vanilla bean in half, scrape out the seeds and reserve.
Whip the caster sugar and eggs together and then fold in the mascarpone with the cassia and vanilla seeds. Chill for 1 hour.
TO FINISH
Using a spatula, scrape the mascarpone out into the tart shell and even out. Then evenly sieve the cup of caster sugar over the mascarpone and either heat the sugar into a brittle layer with a handheld blowtorch or heat a non-flammable spoon or egg slice over a flame and caramelise the sugar that way. (NB. Your implement may not survive this intact!)
Garnish with some lovely fresh raspberries and try not to eat the whole thing yourself..! So good.
The Bondi Cook 