Patisserie fruit tart

Method

1. Start by making the crème pâtissière. Pour the milk into a saucepan, stir in the vanilla bean paste and set over a low heat. While the milk is heating (keep half an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t boil) whisk the yolks with the sugar and cornflour in a heatproof bowl, using an electric whisk. They will turn slick and creamy.
2. Just before the milk is boiling, pour it into the egg mixture in the bowl, whisking constantly. Once the milk and eggs are fully mixed together, pour back into the saucepan and continue to heat over a low heat, mixing with a silicone spatula, until the custard thickens up.
3. Transfer to a clean bowl, lay cling film on the surface of the custard (to stop a skin forming) and put in the fridge to cool down.
4. Now for the almond crust. Put the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. Rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and ground almonds, then the egg, until the mixture comes together as a soft pastry.
5. Turn the dough out on to a floured work surface and knead for about a minute to make sure it is fully mixed, then flatten into a 15 cm disc, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
6. Peel the kiwis with a very sharp knife and slice them evenly and thinly. Hull the strawberries and slice them thinly lengthways.
7. Unwrap the pastry and roll out on a lightly floured surface, making sure to regularly rotate it as you’re rolling (otherwise it will stick to the surface). Roll out to 28–30 cm wide, then roll the pastry up on to the rolling pin. Lay the pastry in the tart case and gently work it into the tin with your fingers. Leave the excess hanging over the edge; it will stop the sides from wilting down the tin while cooking.
8. Pop the pastry case into the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
9. Prick the pastry case with a fork, lay in a circle of baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes.
10. Take the case out of the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C and remove the baking parchment and baking beans. Paint some of the egg white (saved from separating the eggs for the custard) on to the base and sides of the case and put back in the oven to bake for another 8 minutes.
11. Take out of the oven, set on a wire rack and allow to cool down for 10 minutes before taking the pastry case out of the tin and allowing it to go cold.
12. Whip the double cream with an electric whisk until it forms soft peaks. Take the chilled custard out of the fridge, peel the cling film off and mix up with a silicone spatula. Fold in the whipped cream, a couple of tablespoons at a time. Load into a piping bag and evenly pipe into the cold tart case.
13. Arrange the fruit on the crème pâtissière. This takes a little more planning than you’d think. It is very easy to just try and make a perfect circular pattern and leave it at that, but I reckon this looks a bit lazy and 1970s. I like to fan my sliced strawberries around the edges of the tart and then randomly place the rest of the fruit in. Start by arranging your larger pieces of fruit, then fill in gaps with progressively smaller fruits until all the crème pâtissière is covered. This will make the tart look much more interesting and appetising. Pop in the fridge to chill until ready to serve.