Rhubarb and strawberry 'trifle tart'

Preparation method

1. For the sweet pastry, cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl, and then fold in the flour.

2. Mix in the eggs and add the water, a little at a time until the mixture comes together as a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge.

3. For the sponge, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

4. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until thickened and frothy – this is called a sabayon. Fold in the flour and baking powder. Pour into a medium-sized shallow tray.

5. Cook the sponge for roughly eight minutes - check the sponge is cooked by placing a skewer through the centre; the skewer should come out clean. Leave to cool then chop the sponge into small dice. Set aside. Keep the oven at the same temperature.

6. For the strawberry jelly, hull and chop the strawberries. Place them into a glass bowl with the vanilla pod, vanilla seeds and sugar and cover with cling film. Place over a pan of boiling water and leave to steam for about an hour, or until all the juices have been released.

7. Allow to cool, then pass through a double muslin. Measure the amount of liquid you have. For every 100ml/3½fl oz of liquid, set the jelly with one leaf of gelatine. Calculate how many leaves you’ll need and soak them in a bowl of water until soft; then take out and squeeze off any excess water.

8. Place the gelatine into the hot strawberry juice and mix until dissolved.

9. Pour the mixture into a flat-bottomed tray or container and place into the fridge for about one hour, or until set. Using a sharp knife, cut the set jelly into small dice.

10. For the craquelin, cook the fondant in a pan over a low heat to make a light caramel. Add the toasted almonds, remove from the heat, pour the mixture onto a non-stick silicone mat and let it cool down and harden. Break the hardened caramel up and blend in a food processor to make a powder. Dust the craquelin powder back onto the non-stick silicone mat and place in the preheated oven (still at 180C/350F/Gas 4) until dissolved. Remove, leave to cool slightly and then break into shards. Set aside.

11. For the custard, soak the gelatine in a bowl of water until soft, then remove and squeeze off any excess water. Gently heat the milk, cream and vanilla in a pan, but do not boil.

12. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until light and frothy, and add the milk and cream to the eggs a little at a time, whisking all the time. Pour this mixture back into the pan and cook gently until it thickens. Mix in the gelatine, pass through a fine sieve into a bowl and leave in the fridge to chill.

13. For the Chantilly cream, combine the cream, sugar and citrus zest in a mixing bowl and whisk until the ribbon stage – this is when a spoonful of the mixture poured back into the bowl off the whisk sits like a ribbon on the surface.

14. For the sugared pistachios, heat the sugar in a dry pan and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Add the nuts to the sugar and mix vigorously over the heat until the sugar crystallises. Add the salt, pour the mixture onto a heatproof tray and leave to cool.

15. To assemble the tart, preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Line a 16-20cm (6¼-8in) tart ring placed on top of a baking tray with the sweet pastry, fill with ceramic baking beans and blind bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden-brown.

16. Cut the rhubarb into 1cm/½in pieces. Sprinkle with the sugar and cook in the preheated oven for around eight minutes, or until tender. Remove from the oven, leave to cool slightly and then place in the fridge to chill.

17. Strain the liquid from the rhubarb into a pan and cook over a medium heat until reduced to a syrup consistency. Cool and mix with the sherry.

18. Pat the rhubarb dry and arrange neatly in the base of the tart case.

19. Pour the rhubarb-sherry syrup over 50g/2oz of the diced sponge (any remaining sponge can be used in another recipe) and scatter the sponge over the rhubarb.

20. Pour 350g/12oz of the custard into the tart case to cover the rhubarb. Refrigerate until set. Pipe 300g/10½oz of the Chantilly cream on top neatly.

21. Sprinkle over the ground pistachios, 60g/2oz of the jelly cubes, 24 of the sugared pistachios, and the wild strawberries and basil cress. Any remaining custard, cream, jelly or pistachios can be used in another recipe. Finish with the craquelin shards.

22. Serve the tart to the centre of the table for everybody to take a slice.

Over 2 hours preparation time

Over 2 hours cooking time

Serves 4