Mango Tart: Absolute Indulgence

When I studied abroad in Australia, I worked at a little cafe owned by a couple in their 30's. They were lovely, and became good friends. By the end of my stint I was cooking more than I was taking orders and I even got to add a few items to the menu.  As a going away gift they gave me a wonderful cookbook - a very Australian cookbook - Bill's Sydney Food - by Bill Granger, a restaurateur, food writer, and of course, cook.  The foods in the book are delightful, fresh, clean and bright.

In need of a bright dessert, I pulled out this book and after flipping through for a bit found a recipe for Mango Tart - listed under 'Lunch/Sweet Things' which is quite funny, as it's a rich, indulgent dessert, but nonetheless delicious.

Mango Tart from Bill's Sydney Food

For the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

Ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, a pinch of salt, 12 T (1 1/2 sticks) of butter.

Directions: Place flour, sugar and salt in a bowl, use a whisk to combine.  Add butter and rub it through the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles course breadcrumbs.  Add 3 T of cold water and cut it in with a knife until the dough is able to be pulled together in to a ball. Add more water, 1/2 T at a time  until you are able to squeeze the majority of the dough together in a ball. It should still be flaky and fairly dry.  Wrap plastic wrap around the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Roll out the pastry dough to about 1/4 of an inch thick.  If pieces fall off, just add back on, overlapping the edge and continue to roll out.  Fit the pastry dough into a tart tin and freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Remove the pastry from the freezer, line with parchment paper and add baking weights, rice will work too.  Bake the shell for 10 minutes, remove the weights and return the shell to the oven, cooking another 10 minutes.  Leave to cool.

For the Filling

Ingredients: 1 cup milk, 1 t vanilla, 6 egg yolks, 3/4 cup ultra fine baking sugar, 3 T cornstarch, a bit less than 2 T of butter - cut into small cubes, 1/2 cup cream - lightly whipped, 2-3 mangoes - peeled and sliced.

Directions: Place milk in a saucepan over medium heat and heat until just before boiling point. Add vanilla and remove from heat.  Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat until thick. Add the cornstarch and hot milk and stir until smooth.  Return mixture to a clean saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for about 15 minutes, or until thickened.  If the mixture feels like it is lumping, use a whisk for a bit to keep the mixture a consistent, smooth texture.  Bring the custard to a boil, turn down heat and cook for 2 more minutes.  Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring to combine.  Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold.  Fold the lightly whipped cream through the custard, and pour into the tart shell. Arrange sliced mangoes on top and serve.