I Love India: green mango curd tart recipe

Green mangoes are unripe and have a lovely fresh acidity – less sharp than lemon and slightly fruitier.  

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Anjum Anand13 April 2017

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the pastry
*120g unsalted butter, at room temperature
*75g icing sugar, sifted, plus more to serve
*2 egg yolks, plus 1 egg white
​*250g plain flour
*good pinch of salt

For the filling
*400–450g whole green mangoes (if they are small, use the higher amount as there is more wastage)
*2 large eggs
​*180g sugar
*30g unsalted butter, melted
​*220ml double cream
​*crème fraîche, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Start with the pastry. In a large bowl, or using a food mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light, pale and creamy. Add the 2 egg yolks and stir well to mix them in.

2. Add the flour and salt and rub into the mixture with your fingers, as you would with a crumble. Once the texture is sandy and crumbly, add 1 tbsp water and bring together into a ball with your hands. If it does not come together, add another 1 tbsp water. Make sure the pastry isn’t too crumbly; the heat from your hands will help it come together but do not over-work it, or it will be tough. Form it into a ball, wrap in cling film (plastic wrap), pat into a large disc and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Once the dough has chilled, roll it out (still on the cling film) as evenly as possible into a round about 3mm thick. Using the cling film, transfer to a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin and place inside, gently pushing the corners in the tin so that it fits completely and comes up the sides. Cut off the excess pastry by rolling the pin over the tin.

4. Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork, line with foil and fill with baking beans, dried beans, or raw rice. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes, and preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3.

5. Bake for 12 minutes, then carefully lift out the foil and beans and bake for a further 20–25 minutes or until it is a lovely golden colour.

6. Peel the mangoes and cut the flesh away from the stone. You need about 220g flesh – please weigh it. Blend it with the eggs, sugar, melted butter and cream until smooth. Strain about a quarter of it and remove the fibres of the mango left in the sieve (don’t take them all out as they add texture). Skim off any bubbles from the surface.

7. Brush the inside of the pastry with some of the reserved egg white and place back in the oven for 1 minute. Now reduce the oven temperature to 120°C/250°F/gas mark ½. Fill the tart with the filling and gently place in the oven, or fill while it is on the shelf already.

8. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until just set on the surface, with a slight skin. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Once cool, place in the fridge for 2 hours. Dredge with icing sugar and serve as is, or with crème fraîche.

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I LOVE INDIA by Anjum Anand (Quadrille, £20.00) photography: Martin Poole