GLUTEN-FREE FRESH DATE AND VANILLA TART
This ambrosial Fresh Date and Vanilla Tart is the genius of Sydney pâtissiere, Lorraine Godsmark, and she is deservedly famous for it. I have basked in her glory for the many years I have been making her wonderfully rich, sweet and aromatic concoction.
We’ve varied the recipe here to include our gluten-free shortcrust pastry which when topped with fresh dates and covered in a mixture of egg yolks, sugar, cream and vanilla becomes very much greater than the sum of its parts.
It’s extremely hard to stop at one slice but as it’s decadently rich, you must try.
Rosie
FRESH DATE AND VANILLA TART
1 recipe Revenge Rich Shortcrust Pastry
15 fresh dates, (Medjool type) halved and seeded
7 egg yolks
80 gm caster sugar
600 ml pure cream
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped, pod saved for another use
Preheat oven to 160°C. Have a 28cm diameter x 3cm deep flan tin at the ready.
Roll pastry in between two pieces of baking paper, sprinkling with extra gluten-free flour if the pastry sticks to the paper. Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick and line the flan tin with pastry. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm. (Any leftover pastry can be rolled out and used to line a smaller flan tin or cut into smaller shapes for biscuits. The raw pastry freezes well.)
Blind bake until golden.
Increase the oven heat to 180°C.
Place the date halves in concentric circles on the base of the blind baked pastry case.
Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar until thick and pale. Stir in the pure cream and vanilla seeds, combining well. Strain into a large jug.
Gently pour the cream mixture over the dates ensuring you are not leaving any of the vanilla seeds in the bottom of the jug.
Very carefully transfer to the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the centre is still only slightly wobbly and the top is golden brown.
Stand on a rack until completely cold. Unmould onto a serving platter and sprinkle with a little icing sugar to serve. Serve with whipped cream or Ginger Crème Chantilly (see below).
Ginger Crème Chantilly
300 ml pure cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
45 gm crystallised ginger, finely chopped
Combine the cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract and whip. Fold in the chopped crystallised ginger.
TIPS:
When working with a very liquid tart filling, to save spillages, a good idea is to only half fill the tart case before placing it in the oven. Slide the oven rack a little way out of the oven. Place the half-filled tart on the oven rack. Pour the rest of the filling into the tart case then gently slide the oven rack into the oven. Close the door and bake.