Daily Excerpt from Diary of a Tuscan Chef!

Today's excerpt from Diary of a Tuscan Chef is the recipe for Torta con Frutti Bosco, which is a sweet mixed berry tart. This refreshing tart of cream and berries is a cool treat on a warm summer's day. So try this delicious dessert today, and give any meal a fantastic Italian ending!

Torta con Frutti di Bosco

Mixed Berry Tart

(SERVES 6 – 8)

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 egg yolks

2 2/3 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 ½ - 4 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons sifted confectioners’ sugar, plus additional for dusting

1 Pastry Crust

2 tablespoons Cointreau

½ cup fresh blackberries

½ cup fresh blueberries

½ cup fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, bring the milk and lemon zest to a low boil. Remove the pan from the heat. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks and granulated sugar together until pale yellow. Continue beating, adding the flour, vanilla, and hot milk. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium, stirring, until it thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. It will be the consistency of yogurt. Spoon the warm pastry cream into a bowl, drape it with plastic wrap so that no air is trapped between the wrap and the cream, and refrigerate until just chilled. The cream will be very stiff.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whip the heavy cream to form stiff peaks, and add the 2 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar. Gently incorporate the whipped cream, a tablespoon at a time, into the chilled pastry cream, mixing well. Add only as much whipped cream as needed. The whipped cream/pastry cream mixture should be stiff, not runny. Spread it evenly over the cooled piecrust. Splash the Cointreau over the berries and mix. Arrange the berries in a pattern on the cream filling, or place them randomly. Dust with additional confectioners’ sugar and serve.