The new cookbook by UK chef and restaurateur Ben Tish, Mediterra, explores the cuisine of the Mediterranean, with a breadth of recipes from around the region — everywhere from Spain and Croatia to Lebanon and Tunisia — including this marvellous tart.
My friend Maresh is a brilliant UK-based chef originally from the Palestinian city of Rafah, and he is responsible for the conception of this recipe. It is by no means traditional, but at its heart are the flavours and spirit of Palestine.
I love the striking, contrasting colours — the sticky red blackberries leaching into the vibrant yellow custard. (You can swap the blackberries for hulled strawberries in the high summer months.)
The ma’amoul pastry used for this tart is incredible and very easy to work with. It’s a kind of Middle Eastern-style sweet biscuit, rather like a shortcrust, but nuttier thanks to the semolina flour.
The pastry is traditionally flavoured with orange blossom water and ground cherry kernels (mahlab), both of which are available in Middle Eastern food shops and online. The custard I use here, however, is more traditional, similar to the classic Palestinian bread and custard pudding, aish el saraya.
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Advertise with NZME.- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6. Grease a 20cm fluted tart tin with a removable base and set aside.
- First make the pastry. Mix the flour, icing sugar and semolina flour together in a bowl. Melt the butter over a low heat, then pour over the flour mixture. Add the orange blossom water and ground cherry kernels and, using your fingers, mix well until you end up with a malleable pastry.
- Transfer the pastry to the tart tin and use your fingers to press it across the base and up the side, leaving a good edge to account for shrinkage. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to set.
- To make the sticky blackberries, place the pomegranate juice, sugar, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and orange zest in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to a boil, then continue boiling until the liquid reduces by half. Reduce the heat to low, add the blackberries and simmer for 4 minutes, or until they are tender and the syrup is rich and sticky. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
- Once it is cool, remove the blackberries from the syrup and set aside with the syrup separately.
- Line the pastry with baking parchment and cover with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake the pastry for 10 minutes, or until set and just baked — it should still be quite pale in colour.
- Meanwhile, make the custard. Place the cream and bay leaves in a pan and heat until bubbles appear around the edge. Turn off the heat and add the saffron threads. Whisk the 3 egg yolks and the whole egg with the caster sugar in a bowl until light and pale, then slowly whisk in the warm cream until fully incorporated — do this slowly to avoid curdling. Pour back into the pan and heat very gently, stirring, until it thickens.
- Remove the pan from the heat and pour the custard through a fine sieve into the pastry case, then add the bay leaves. Arrange the blackberries in the custard and finally brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash.
- Place the tin on a baking sheet and return the tart to the oven for 20 minutes, or until the custard is just set and the pastry has browned. The blackberries will have started to burst through.
- Place the tart on a wire rack and leave for 20 minutes before removing from the tin and leaving to cool completely. The blackberry syrup can be poured over the tart when serving.
Mediterra by Ben Tish, $59.99, published by Bloomsbury Publishing.
More sweet treats
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17 Brilliant Baking Recipes To Try This Weekend, From Bagels To Brioche. Make these delectable treats your next baking project.
Flourless Banana & Rhubarb Loaf. Enjoy this rhubarb banana loaf fresh from the oven or, if there is any left the day after, try it toasted.
Greek Love Cake. This is just the most delicious cake to serve after dinner with a small coffee and a good spoon of thick Greek yoghurt.
Strawberry Croissant Bread & Butter Pudding. No need to butter the croissants in this take on the traditional pudding as they are buttery enough to make this a delicate dessert.
