Palestinian Saffron & Bay Custard Tart With Sticky Blackberries

A striking dessert with sticky blackberries. Photo / Kris Kirkham

The new cookbook by UK chef and restaurateur Ben Tish, Mediterra, explores the cuisine of the Mediterranean, with a breadth of recipes from around the region — everywhere from Spain and Croatia to Lebanon and Tunisia — including this marvellous tart.

My friend Maresh is a brilliant UK-based chef originally from the Palestinian city of Rafah, and he is responsible for the conception of this recipe. It is by no means traditional, but at its heart are the flavours and spirit of Palestine.

I love the striking, contrasting colours — the sticky red blackberries leaching into the vibrant yellow custard. (You can swap the blackberries for hulled strawberries in the high summer months.)

The ma’amoul pastry used for this tart is incredible and very easy to work with. It’s a kind of Middle Eastern-style sweet biscuit, rather like a shortcrust, but nuttier thanks to the semolina flour.

The pastry is traditionally flavoured with orange blossom water and ground cherry kernels (mahlab), both of which are available in Middle Eastern food shops and online. The custard I use here, however, is more traditional, similar to the classic Palestinian bread and custard pudding, aish el saraya.

Mediterra by Ben Tish, $59.99, published by Bloomsbury Publishing.

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