French patisserie goes down a treat in the Rowe household; if Salmon is out fishing (he says) for the day, that is… Not always easy to get a good result, but Trota is very determined…

French-style fruit tart

This time she used the French classic pâte sucrée recipe for the pastry case (we followed Leiths Baking Bible), then filled the case with a mascarpone and yoghurt mixture, layered the fruits (strawberries) and covered with melted jelly. Job done! Salmon hadn’t even pulled out his first fish by the time the tart was in the fridge to chill.

Up for the challenge? Ok. For the pastry case you will need 170g plain flour, 85g unsalted butter (softened), 3 egg yolks, 85g caster sugar and 2 drops vanilla essence.

Sift the flour with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the middle for the butter, yolks, sugar and vanilla. Then, with your fingertips start mixing the ingredients from the middle and progressively incorporate the flour from the edges. Gather the pastry together in a flattened disk, wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge to chill for about ½ hour. Take the pastry out of the fridge, roll it with a rolling pin to line a tart tin of 20–23cm. Put the pastry- lined tin back in the fridge to chill.

Heat the oven to 190°/gas 5. Line the pastry case with baking paper and blind bake for 15–20 minutes until the sides look cooked. Remove the baking paper (and the baking beans) and put the pastry back in the oven for another 5–10 minutes until the inside is also cooked (it will become opaque and sand coloured). Leave to cool.

When the pastry case is cooled, prepare the filling: mix 250g mascarpone cheese with 85g plain Greek yoghurt and 1 or 2 tbsp (to taste) icing sugar; spread in the pastry case. Wash and cut the fruits and arrange in decorative concentric circles over the cheese mixture.

Heat up some redcurrant jelly until it melts and, with a pastry brush, spread the jelly over the fruits. Put in the fridge to chill for at least two hours before serving.

Unmissable. Fidget thinks Salmon must be mad to have gone out fishing…