Fruit flan

Ingredients:

Pastry

• 225g (11⁄2 cups) plain flour
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 125g chilled butter, cut into cubes
• 1 egg yolk
• 1-2 tbsp chilled water (optional)

Filling

• 250g tub mascarpone or light cream cheese, well chilled
• 2 tbsp pure icing sugar
• 2 tbsp rum
• 200ml double cream or pure cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Fruit

• 6 fresh ripe yet firm figs or fresh nectarines, peaches or pears

Prepare the pastry:

1. Fit the bowl and multipurpose blade to the KitchenAid 13 cup food processor. Add the flour and sugar, pulse to combine.

2. Select speed 2 and with the motor running, quickly add the chilled butter and process for10 seconds until the butter cuts into the flour (it will look like very coarse breadcrumbs).
3. Add the egg yolk and pulse until a dough begins to form, if required add the chilled water a little at a time. Do not over process the dough. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Clean bowl and return to the KitchenAid 13 cup food processor.

For the filling and fruit:

1. Add the mascarpone, icing sugar, cream, rum and vanilla to the KitchenAid 13 cup food processor bowl. Cover and pulse 5-6 seconds or until just combined. Do not over process.
2. Refrigerate cream until assembling tarts.
3. Set a few of the figs aside for serving. These can be simply quartered or thinly sliced to be fanned across the top of the tart. The tarts have a secret fruit layer in the base.

To blind bake: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180 ̊C (160 ̊C fan forced). Allow the pastry to soften and thinly roll out between 2 sheets of baking paper. Cut into 4 circles suitable to line the base of 4 individual small shallow flan tins (approximately 8 cm). The pastry can be reformed and rerolled as required.
2. Line the pastry with baking paper and then fill with pastry beads or baking beans. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the pastry beads and bake for another 8 minutes or until crisp and golden.
3. Allow to cool and remove from tins.

Assemble the flan: 

1. Place a layer of the thinly sliced fruit in the base of each tart shell. Top with the mascarpone cream and either decorate with the remaining fruit slices or quartered pieces.
2. Chill until serving.