Apple, Plum and Juniper Tart Tatin with Stem Ginger and Cardamom Custard
A delicious, in-season dessert which is guaranteed to impress at any dinner party.
Serves 6-8
4 apples
4 plums
100g caster sugar
100g butter
1 star anise
5 juniper berries
1 large cinnamon stick
500g block all-butter puff pastry
Peel the apples and cut into quarters. Chop the plums into quarters too.
Tip the sugar, butter, star anise and cinnamon into an ovenproof frying pan, roughly 20cm wide, and place over a high heat until bubbling.
Shake the pan and stir the buttery sauce until it separates and the sugar caramelises to a toffee colour.
Very carefully place the apples and plums in the pan, then cook in the sauce for 10-12 mins, turning them occasionally, until completely caramelised. They won’t burn if you keep an eye on them but you want to caramelise them as much as possible.
Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a plate slightly larger than the top of the pan, cut out a circle.
When the fruit has cooled slightly, arrange them in the pan, cut side up, in a pretty pattern if you can. Rest the cinnamon stick and star anise on the top in the centre. Carefully lift the pastry and drape it over the fruit, then tuck the edges down the pan sides and under the fruit. Pierce the pastry a few times, then bake for 15 mins. (If a lot of juice bubbles up the side of the pan, pour it off at this stage very, very carefully or this will make the pastry soggy.
Reduce oven to 180C/fan 160C and bake for 15 mins more until the pastry is golden.
Leave the tart to stand for 10 mins, then invert it carefully onto a serving dish.
Serve with the cardamom and stem ginger custard.
For the custard, scald 250ml whole milk with 650ml of double cream, 4 lightly crushed cardamom pods and one scraped vanilla pod in a saucepan. Combine 4 egg yolks with 150g golden caster sugar and 2 tsps cornflour in a separate bowl. Pour the hot milk mixture slowly onto the eggs and return to the rinsed out pan, stirring until thickened. Add some chopped stem ginger as cools - and that’s it!