Isabella Ross

Food has always been at the heart of my household. Having an Executive Chef as a father, I have always loved to try new recipes. A great hobby to consider, baking and cooking is also a fun (yet often messy) activity to do with the kids. Cherish the last weeks of summer by celebrating the fruit of the season in this delicious dessert recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup crème fraiche
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 500g of fresh cherries
  • 1 punnet of fresh raspberries
  • Pastry shell

For the pastry shell, it is up to you whether you would like to purchase a pre-made shell or make the pastry dough yourself. If making from scratch, look to Sweet Shortcrust Pastry recipes from Jamie Oliver or Donna Hay.

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C, and line a tray with baking paper. Place your tart shell on the tray and leave on your benchtop.
  2. In a stand mixer or food processor using a low-speed setting, mix together the crème fraiche, vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon and eggs. Whip until the mixture has a custard consistency. Using a spatula, fold the raspberries into the custard, breaking up a few so that there is plenty of raspberry pods throughout the mixture. Be sure to leave 7 raspberries aside, as these will be used during decoration.
  3. Pour the custard into your tart carefully, making sure that it is almost full to the brim, without spilling over the edges. Put the tart into the oven and bake for 20 – 30 minutes, or until the custard is wobbly yet set, and the shell is golden brown.
  4. While waiting for the tart to bake, wash and de-pit the cherries. Using a serrated knife, carve the circumference of the cherry and twist the two sides apart, revealing the pit in the middle. These cherries will now be pitted and halved, soon to be used for decoration on the tart.
  5. Once the tart is out of the oven, let it cool on the bench before placing in the fridge for an hour. Once done, take out the tart and begin to layer the halved cherries across the top of the tart, making two layers in total. When finishing the second layer, leave room in the middle to place the additional 7 raspberries in the centre, finishing off the cherry custard tart.