Berry Tart

To prepare the berry tart, start with the Shortcrust pastry by making the sandblasting: in a mixer, place the sifted flour and the butter just taken out of the fridge, cut into pieces 1. Blend everything until you get a sandy, floury mixture, then pour it onto a work surface (or in a bowl) and add the sifted powdered sugar 2; create a well and place the grated lemon zest in the center 3.

Add the egg yolk as well 4, then briefly work the dough, just enough to compact it so the pastry doesn't heat up too much with the warmth of your hands and remains crumbly 5. Form a dough ball and flatten it well; wrap it in plastic wrap 6 and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

In the meantime, prepare the Pastry cream. Place a large pot on the stove with the milk 7 and the cream 8; then take the vanilla pod, cut it open with a knife, and scrape out the seeds. Add both the seeds and the vanilla pod to the milk and cream mixture 9 and turn on the heat to low. When the mixture is about to boil, turn off the heat and let the vanilla infuse for at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the egg yolks in a large bowl and add the sugar 10. Mix everything with an electric mixer (or a hand whisk) to get a smooth cream and then add the sifted cornstarch 11, continuing to mix well to incorporate it into the rest of the mixture. After 5 minutes, remove the vanilla pod that you had left to infuse in the milk and cream 12.

At this point, add the mixture of eggs beaten with sugar and cornstarch, mixing well with the whisks 13. Turn the heat back on to a low setting and continuously stir to thicken the mixture for a maximum of 4 minutes. When the custard has thickened well 14, turn off the heat and pour it into a shallow and wide bowl, covering it immediately with plastic wrap to prevent the annoying crust from forming 15; let it cool first at room temperature, then in the fridge for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, butter and flour the 14x4.5 inch tart mold (alternatively, you can use a round mold about 8 inches in diameter) 16; after 30 minutes, remove the shortcrust pastry from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Transfer the dough ball to a lightly floured work surface 17, then use a rolling pin to roll out the shortcrust pastry to a thickness of about 0.4 inch and measuring about 14x4.5 inches 18.

Wrap the base you obtained around the rolling pin and unroll it onto the rectangular mold 19; once well spread, use the rolling pin to press against the edges of the mold to cut off the excess 20, and finally, use a fork to prick the surface lightly without piercing through the dough 21.

Now proceed with the How to do blind baking: cover the base with parchment paper and fill the inside of the mold with baking beans (or dry legumes) 22 and bake in a preheated static oven at 356°F for about 20 minutes (or in a convection oven at 320°F for 15 minutes): the pastry should cook without becoming overly colored. Once cooked, remove the mold from the oven, take out the baking beans (or dry legumes), and let the tart base cool. Once cool, remove the parchment paper from the shortcrust pastry 23. After the necessary cooling time, use a pastry bag with a star tip to fill the tart base with the now-cold custard 24.

Rinse the berries under fresh running water, then gently distribute them evenly over the entire surface of the tart 25. Finally, decorate the berry tart by adding the mint leaves 26 and serve 27.