camilla’s strawberry swirl

Come rain, come shine, Camilla (Jon’s sister) has been the smiling face behind our Borough Market stall since 2004. Her feet must really ache! This recipe is dedicated to Camilla and her son, Dexter.

Serves 8
1 quantity of sweet pastry
250g mascarpone cheese
600 ml good-quality fresh custard
400g strawberries, hulled and cut in half

How to make the sweet pastry
125g softened unsalted butter
65g icing sugar, sifted
1 tbsp whipping cream
1 free-range egg yolk
175g plain flour, sifted

Using an electric mixer if you have one, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the icing sugar, then mix the cream and egg yolk. Finally, mix in the flour on a low speed until just combined. Turn out on to a floured surface and knead lightly for a few seconds until smooth. Shape into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick and use to line a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Prick the base lightly all over with a fork and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes. Line with baking parchment, fill with baking beans or rice and bake blind for about 15 minutes, until the pastry is dry. Remove the beans and paper and return to the oven for about 5 minutes, until lightly coloured. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Whisk the mascarpone and custard together until smooth and pour into the pastry case. Splash the strawberry liqueur or grenadine randomly on top, then take a knife and swirl it through the filing. Arrange the strawberries on top.

If you want to decorate the pie with pastry hearts, roll out the pastry trimmings and cut out hearts shapes with a tiny cutter or a knife. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 6-8 minutes until golden.

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