A House Party in Tuscany by Amber Guinness
A House Party in Tuscany by Amber Guiness celebrates thirty years of cooking and hosting at The Arniano Painting School in Tuscany in a 18th Century farmhouse.
Photography: Robyn Lea & Saghar Setareh
There are many farmhouses in Tuscany, but few are quite as magical as Arniano. It is here, in the 18th-century podere, that Amber Guinness, author of A House Party in Tuscany grew up and learnt to cook. And it is here she established The Arniano Painting School, a residential painting course and immersive art and food experience.
'A peculiar attribute of the landscape surrounding Arniano is the ever-changing light. Early in the morning, there is an extraordinary mist that sits in the valley and interweaves through the hills, allowing just the tops to show above the smoky clouds. These changes bring with them new moods and shadows, drawing our painters to different views and areas of the garden throughout the day. By the evening, everything has altered again, and there are often intense sunsets, bringing silhouettes from the trees and much darker, richer, olive colours,’ says Amber.
A House Party in Tuscany is filled with recipes for classic dishes and cocktails, feast curation, seasonal menu suggestions and notes on an Italian pantry and wines - dishes that will transport you to the Tuscan countryside and bring the conviviality of Arniano to your table.
Below we share a recipe from the book: crostata di crema e frutti di bosco - custard and berry tart.
“Amber Guinness paints a dreamy, evocative picture of her home in the Tuscan countryside and of the sumptuous feasts she cooks there.”
Amber Guinness’ crostata di crema e frutti di bosco - custard and berry tart (recipe below). Photo: Saghar Setareh
A summer feast at Arniano. Photo: Saghar Setareh
CROSTATA DI CREMA E FRUTTI DI BOSCO (CUSTARD & BERRY TART)
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE PASTRY
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons ice-cold water 60 g caster sugar
salt
240 g ‘00’ flour
140 g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
FOR THE CRÉME PÂTISSIÉRE
400 ml full-fat milk
1 vanilla pod
4 egg yolks
100 g caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
25 g ‘00’ flour
10 g cornstarch
300 g raspberries or wild strawberries (or a mixture of berries of your choice), to serve
METHOD
To make the pastry dough and blind bake the pastry case, follow the instructionsfor Maria’s marmalade, mascarpone and almond tart (p. 196).
While your pastry case is cooling, make the crème pâtissière (essentially a thick, flour-based egg custard) by putting the milk in a small saucepan. Split the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape the seeds into the milk, discarding the pod. Bring the milk to boiling point and remove from the heat immediately, setting it to one side to cool a little.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl until very thick and pale – this will take about 2 minutes using an electric mixer or hand-held electric beaters. Whisk in the flour and cornstarch.
Whisk the hot milk into the egg yolks and flour, then pour the mixture back into the pan. Over a medium heat, continue to whisk until it comes to the boil. Turn down the heat and cook for another 1–2 minutes, whisking constantly until the custard has cooked and thickened. At this point, the custard will hold the shape of the trail left by the whisk. Remove the pan from the heat to a cool surface, and keep mixing for a few more minutes. Allow the crème pâtissière to cool before assembling your tart.
Spoon your room-temperature crème pâtissière into the cooled pastry case, spreading it evenly with the back of the spoon. Put the filled tart in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Once the custard has set, retrieve your tart from the fridge. Starting from the outer edge, lay the berries in a circular pattern on top of the custard, working your way to the middle. I do this with wild strawberries or whole raspberries, but you can use whatever berries you have available and arrange them in any pattern you wish. Allow the tart to cool in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
