Earl Grey Grape Tart

oooooh this is rare...

a first of a grape affair,

now don't just stop & stare!

check out this pretty great recipe if you aren't already aware...

as long as it's whipped up with tender lovin' care..

you'll enjoy this tart anyhow & anywhere!

spicing up with good old Earl Grey 

tried pulsing the flour & butter to resemble breadcrumbs but the mixture kept getting stuck..blah this amazing new blender apparently doesn't work on dough..& so I had to go back to basics: rub the mixture with the fingertips, winks!

pressing the dough into the tin, this is the fun part! 

voila...

whipping up the earl grey pastry cream

the assembly

pretty pretty

Makes one 9" round tart (serves 8)

Ingredients (Tart)
- 1 cup (150g) plain flour
- 3 tablespoons (45g) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 packet Earl Grey tea dust
- 1/2 cup (120g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
- 3 tablespoons plain flour
- 1/2 cup (50g) rolled oats 
- 2 cups (400g) grapes

Ingredients (Earl Grey Pastry Cream) makes 2 1/2 cups
- 2 cups (500ml) low fat milk
- 4 tablespoons (25g) corn starch
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks (i used the remaining egg whites to whip up an omelette for dinner, together with other whole eggs)
- 6 tablespoons (80g) sugar
- 2 packets Earl Grey tea dust

Methods (Tart)
1. Preheat oven to 200 degree C and prepare a 9"(inch) round tin: grease and flour, tapping out the excess flour (this prevents the pastry from sticking to the tin, of course alternatively  you can use a non-stick tin or line the tin with baking paper instead). 
2. Combine flour, sugar, salt and earl grey tea dust in a large bowl, mixing well. 
3. Rub the butter into the flour mix until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (my mixture was a tad overly moist and sticky, so I had to add 3 additional tablespoons of flour to form a dough. if yours is like breadcrumbs, add 2 tablespoons of ice water or more, teaspoon by teaspoon until a dough is formed when you knead it. ). 
4. Add oats and knead lightly until combined.
5. Press the dough into the bottom of the tin and 1-inch up the sides, pierce some holes with a fork at the base of the dough.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove from tin and cool on a wire rack.

Methods (Earl Grey Pastry Cream)
1. Whisk 1/2 cup milk with corn starch until smooth, whisking in the remaining milk and earl grey tea dust.
2. Bring the mixture to boil, stirring constantly. 
3. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 minute.
4. Beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar in another bowl, whisking a little bit of this mixture to the hot milk to temper.
5. Whisking constantly, add the rest of the egg mixture to the milk. 
6. Cook over low heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly until thickened.
7. Sieve the mixture and whisk it before using.
(you may prepare it ahead and keep it refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 2 days)

The Assembly
1. Pour the pastry cream into the tart crust and smooth the surface.
2. Stud the pastry cream with grapes (i used a mixture of red & green grapes), pressing the grapes in.
3. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

How was it?
#yummy. the earl grey flavour comes off strong in the pastry cream, the grapes were lovely..adding natural colours and a refreshing taste to the tart. my mom feedback that the pastry cream was a tad too sweet for her tastebuds! my brother wasn't a fan of the Earl Grey flavour but overall he liked it. I liked it very much, but to enjoy this at its best, have only a tiny serving, chilled and with a cup of hot tea. 

Better it up!
You may omit the Earl Grey if you aren't a fan of it. May reduce sugar in pastry cream to 50-60g. Use smaller grapes, mine were pretty huge, so arranging them was challenging! I was trying to line them in alternate colours but some grapes were too huge, & the colours were not as aligned...anyhows I think the tart's colours came out lovely.

Verdict

Recipe adapted from
Martha Stewart (Grape Tart)
Food.com (Pastry Cream)