Blackberry tart with chamomile and lemon thyme

Blackberry tarts with chamomile and lemon thyme

Serves 6

Pâte sucrée

75 g butter at room temperature 
50g confectioners sugar
1/2 egg 
15g almond flour
125g all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Chamomile syrup

75g granulated sugar
50ml water 
2 tsp. dried chamomile  

Almond cream

50g almond flour
5g all purpose flour
50g butter at room temperature 
50g confectioners sugar
1/2 egg 

Bring the water and chamomile to a boil, stir in the sugar until fully dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to steep for 30 minutes. Strain out the chamomile and discard. 

Cream together butter and confectioners sugar. Beat in the egg, then gently stir in flour, almond flour and salt. Be careful not to overwork the dough. Wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Roll out the dough and line six 10cm tart rings with the pastry. Trim the edges and rest for another 15-30 minutes in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 175C and blind bake the tarts for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile prepare the almond cream by mixing the ingredients together to a flowy paste. Spread the almond cream onto the blind baked pastry shells and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush the frangipane with warm chamomile syrup and cool completely on a wire rack. Save any leftover syrup.

Lemon pastry cream

250ml whole milk or half and half
1/2 seeds of vanilla bean
Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. of salt
2 Tbls. cornstarch
50g sugar
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. lemon olive oil 

Warm the milk, vanilla, lemon zest and salt in a saucepan to just below boiling over medium heat. 
In a mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and eggs. Slowly add 1/2 of the milk into the egg mixture and whisk constantly to temper them. Add the remaining milk and return the custard to the saucepan.
Cook while whisking continuously until you get a thick pudding like consistency.
Remove from heat and pour the pastry cream into a bowl, let cool for 10 minutes and then incorporate the olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, until the pastry cream is smooth and glossy. 
Press a piece of clingfilm directly against the surface of the pastry cream and let cool completely in the refrigerator.

To assemble and serve

600g (wild) blackberries
Lemon thyme

Transfer the lemon vanilla pastry cream to a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled pastry shells. Arrange blackberries on top of the pastry cream and brush with a little chamomile syrup. Garnish with lemon thyme.