This gorgeous free-form tart from chef Russell Bateman captures the taste of summer strawberries. He uses a traditional French shortcrust pastry known as pâte brisée to encase a sweet almond and strawberry filling.
Slowly add the iced water and mix until it comes together in a ball. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour
50g of ice cold water
3
After this time, remove the dough from the fridge and roll out thinly on tray lined with baking parchment (approximately 3mm thick) before returning to the fridge to rest again
4
Meanwhile, make the almond paste by mixing everything together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until incorporated as a fairly stiff paste
Wrap the paste in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for an hour. Remove and roll out to the same thickness as the pastry and return to the fridge again
6
Once both sheets are chilled, cut the pâte brisée into a rough circular shape using a sharp knife and discard the trimmings. Cut the almond paste into a similar circle, about 2cm smaller than the pastry
7
Dust the pâte brisée with caster sugar and turn over, so the sugared side is now on the bottom (still on the lined tray)
caster sugar, for dusting
8
Place the almond circle over the centre of the pastry, leaving a 2cm rim. Cover with the halved strawberries and sprinkle over the flaked almonds
Russell Bateman has worked with an array of the world’s greatest chefs, training under Marcus
Wareing, Marc Veyrat and Daniel Clifford, to name but a few. Now at the helm of Gordon Ramsay's Pétrus, he executes beautiful, bold plates using the freshest of ingredients to a Michelin-starred standard.
