Ok, so we all know we never really had a summer at all this year so all those summer dishes we were planning on producing never really happened. Or at least not as much as we would have liked! Never the less, do not disregard this recipe as it really is so good. Throw caution to the wind and try to get hold of some nice blackberries and raspberries whilst you still can or else adapt the recipe and just see what looks nice at the fruit counter. You could even try chopping up some fresh apricots and nuts and sprinkling these on instead for a bit more texture.

I can’t claim this as my own recipe, I spotted it in Olive magazine, but I have made a couple of slight adjustments so feel free to do this yourself too.

Don’t be put off about making your own pastry, it’s so easy and people are always so impressed if you have actually bothered to!

Summer Berry Shortcake Tart 

Serves 8-10

Pastry:

125g plain flour
4 tbs caster sugar
100g semolina
125g unsalted butter, cold and diced
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:

284ml pot double cream
250g mascarpone
1 vanilla pod
75g caster sugar
3 tbs lemon curd
1 pack of strawberries
1 pack of blueberries
Icing sugar to dust over

Preheat oven to 180c/gas mark 4

For the pastry, whizz in a food processor the flour, sugar, semolina, butter and a pinch of salt. Add egg yolks and vanilla extract and whizz again for about 15 seconds. Transfer the mix to a large bowl or surface and knead lightly to combine the mixture. Roll out and line a 23cm fluted (preferably with a loose base) tart tin. If you have any cracks smooth these out with the back of your thumb. Bake for approx 20 minutes until golden (time it for 15 and check, it all depends on your oven). Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

For the filling, whisk together the cream, mascarpone and the inner scrapings of the vanilla pod. Mix in the lemon curd and caster sugar (you may want to add it little by little and taste to see how sweet you want it).

Transfer the pastry case to a serving dish and spoon over the cream mixture then arrange the berries on top. Dust with icing sugar.