Baking

Peggy Porschen’s Blueberry Custard Tartlets

Master cake baker Peggy Porschen has recently revealed the recipe to the delicious blueberry custard tartlets on sale at her iconic London bakery. In this recipe, she guides you through some important patisserie techniques, from making meringue kisses to a delicious blueberry custard. Have a go - you're in very good hands!

1 hour, plus resting and cooling prep, 1 hour, 10 minutes cook

Serves 10

Ingredients

For the blueberry meringue kisses

100g egg whites (from approx. 3 eggs)

100g icing sugar, sifted

100g caster sugar

Natural blueberry extract

Pink food colouring

For the chocolate tartlet shells

150g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

275g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

120g icing sugar

2 medium eggs

½ tsp vanilla extract

25g cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

For the blueberry custard

520g fresh blueberries

100g caster sugar

6 egg yolks

2 medium eggs

½ tsp pectin

150g unsalted butter, softened

For the decoration

Fresh edible violet or pansy blossoms

Fresh lemon balm or mint leaves

Fresh blueberries

Dried edible rose petals

Specialist equipment

1 large piping bag fitted with a narrow star nozzle

1 large piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle

10 x 10cm round tartlet tins

Method

Make meringue kisses. Preheat the oven to 80°C/Gas ¼ and line two baking trays. Put the egg whites and sugar into a heatproof bowl and whisk together with a balloon whisk. Place the bowl over a hot water bath and continue whisking until the meringue becomes white and fluffy (or it reaches 55ºC) on a sugar thermometer. Take the bowl off the heat and whisk at medium speed until cool. Gradually add the icing sugar until fully combined and stiff. Add blueberry extract and a drop of pink food colouring to the meringue mixture, and gently mix until combined.

Use the star-shaped nozzle to pipe kisses with a base of 2.5cm, and the other to pipe kisses with bases of 2cm. Bake for one hour in an oven preheated to 80°C/Gas ¼.

To make the tartlet shells, grease and flour the tartlet tins. Put the butter and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream together until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Slowly add it to the butter mix. When the mix has come together, transfer the dough to a lightly floured, smooth work surface. Shape it into a ball and work it with your hands, stretching it and regathering it. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 10 even pieces and roll out to a thickness of about 3–4mm . Lay the pastry over the tartlet tins and gently push down the middle and sides using a small piece of dough. Trim the excess off using a kitchen knife. Prick the bases with a fork and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 195°C/Fan 175°C/Gas 5. Bake the pastry cases in the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes. Unmould from the tins when completely cool.

For the custard, begin by making blueberry purée. Boil 520g blueberries until mushy, then push through a sieve. Add half the sugar and bring back to a boil. Put the remaining sugar in a bowl with the pectin. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and whole eggs together. Add the sugar and pectin mix to the eggs and combine.

Pour the boiling blueberry purée onto the egg and sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Once combined, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and bring back to a gentle boil. Cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes while whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the custard to a bowl. Cover with cling film to prevent a skin forming as it cools.